Season 17 Ranked Changes Causing Concerning Meta Changes, Support Picks
The Season 17 patch came with some pretty huge changes to Apex Legends’ new class system. While it seemed exciting for players at first, high level competitors are becoming concerned with some new legend pick rates that point at an unfavorable meta change.
A week after Season 17 dropped, Apex Legends players have started flocking to one Support in particular, Loba. According to Apex Legends Status, Loba’s pick rate increased 27% in the past few days thanks to the Support class changes in Arsenal’s update.
Ever since the patch notes were revealed, Apex Legends players have been saying that the change to the Support class was particularly noticeable. Some were even calling it OP. The update has given Support legends at least one Shield Battery per Extended Supply Bin. They can also grab a Mobile Respawn Beacon from these Extended Supply Bins if a teammate has been eliminated — even if the Banner Card wasn’t retrieved. Then, all legends on the Support’s squad will have the ability to craft Banner Cards at Replicators.
This is a big change for Support legends, including Loba.
Ranked Mode Changes in Season 17 Negatively Impacting Meta
On top of this, the sultry Support has the Burglar’s Best Friend ability. This teleport bracelet allows her to instantly escape danger. This is not only great for mobility, but making it further in the battle royale in general. You may not rack up kills, but you’ll benefit from survival alone thanks to some big Ranked changes in Season 17.
Ranked mode had a big overhaul this season, including a bigger focus on placement over kills. This was initially applauded since it inspired teamwork rather than aggressively racking up eliminations. But it soon became obvious that it was negatively impacting the meta thanks to legends like Loba.
Instead of engaging, a lot of competitive players are opting to evade enemies — even hide. By simply surviving, teams will get a higher placement. This will give them a lot more points towards their rank than simply getting kills.
In Season 17, Ranked Points have been changed to Ladder Points. Kills are uncapped but now you can only earn Ladder Points for unique kills and assists. This was originally implemented to address toxic players who would work with another team to rack up kills by farming kills off of each other throughout the match.
With less emphasis on killing sprees, players are turning to team compositions that are more focused on hiding and surviving. This has been a problem in the past as well, leading to a lot of complaints from pro players and viewers alike who found that to be incredibly boring and frustrating.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!