Season 22 Brings Revival to Apex Legends
Apex Legends Shockwave is introducing new gameplay and weapon changes that will significantly impact the way your matches go. Here are some big changes in Season 22 that will create new strategies and metas.
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Revival Mechanic
The addition of revival to Apex Legends is significant, helping shape up the core combat of the game. This allows for comebacks in the game and more aggressive, riskier plays. With the opportunity to stay in the action, gamers will experience more dynamic situations.
Battle Sense
Associate Design Director Josh Mohan announced that some of the battle sense mechanics in Solos is coming to the core game mode. This should help bridge the gap between newbies and vets "in a healty way."
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This includes the addition of enemy health bars, so you can better see the damage dealt and if someone is truly one-hit or not. Opponents will also be highlighted when closer, making it easier to see enemies. Long-range enemies won't be highlighted, however, so you still need skills with scanning areas and using sniper rifles in those instances.
The way death boxes work is also getting changed. It will be a bit more straightforward so players can get a kill, grab stuff from the box, and get back into the fight.
Oh, and mantling and climbing will now work as expected!
Bin Refreshers
Apex Legends players will be excited to hear that mid-way through the game, all open loot bins will get random new loot and be closed so they're fresh for teams to open once again.
Mohan added that there will be a bit of "spice" in this update. Some bins will be replaced with rare gold bins that have better loot than usual. Every match will also have one Mythic bin that's guaranteed to have EVO, gold weapons, and care package weapons, etc. These will be marked on the map so all players can see them, creating some tension and excitement when you attempt to open one. They also take longer to open than a normal bin.
Weapon Changes
Shockwave is introducing the akimbo feature to select weapons. Players can now "have their hands full" with two Mozambique's or two P2020s. Any attachments you get will be mirrored to both weapons. They will also be automatic and have increased fire rate and hip fire when in this mode.
"We've been trying to get akimbo into the game for years and we're excited to get it into both players' hands," said Eric Canavese, Lead Gamer Designer.
Light machine guns are also getting a lot of changes due to negative feedback on this weapon type. Since they can't compete with higher-damage weapons like SMGs and assault rifles, LMGs will be getting increased defense. There will be Hop-Ups that add front-facing shields that activate when you aim down site. The shields absorb up to 40 damage and then have a short cooldown. Many are already wondering if Gibraltar will be meta once again.
Shotguns are also getting buffed. Developers want to "show them some love" since they've been a bit inconsistent. The Mastiff and Peacekeeper will lose a few pellets but get increased damage per pellet and a more effective blast pattern.
On the other hand, the Havoc is getting a significant hip fire nerf. The Hemlock, too, with its damage reduced 20 to 19 and increased time between bursts based on community feedback.
Aim Assist Changes
Aim assist has always been a huge talking point in Apex Legends and other competitive games with crossplay. Players have been passionate about the game's competitive integrity, meaning ongoing concerns with controller players' aim assist being too strong.
Developers noted that aim assist has to stay in order to help controller players on PC and console stay consistent with keyboard and mouse. But their strength will be reduced by 25% to create some balance. Devs noted that this won't solve every issue but will hopefully create a level playing field.
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!