Apex Legends Season 21 meta changes include Crypto, Newcastle, and Longbow buffs

Big buffs are coming in Apex Legends' next season

Apex Legends Season 21 meta / EA

The last season of Apex Legends introduced legend upgrades, allowing players to choose perks for their characters after scoring a certain number of points. Speed boosts, tac cooldowns, changes to how their abilities work – everything was on the table. Of course, with it being the first iteration of the new mechanic, Respawn still had some tweaking to do. 

Season 21 will see major buffs to Crypto, Newcastle, and Catalyst, along with changes to Fuse, Octane, Ballistic, Caustic, and Bloodhound, but we only have details on the first three until the patch notes drop. 

Skip to weapon changes or legend buffs

1. Apex Legends Season 21 legend buffs
2. Apex Legends Season 21 weapon changes

Apex Legends Season 21 legend buffs

Here’s everything we know about Crypto, Newcastle, and Catalyst. 

Crypto: The drone-scan legend is getting improved active or passive upgrade options. His Level 2 upgrade gets a new option to improve drone handling. For Level 3, there are two new upgrades: Satellite Imagery, which provides a lingering scan, and Hackathon, which grants a greatly reduced drone recharge period and a speed boost on Ult use or when the drone is destroyed. 

Newcastle: Outside of his Legend upgrades, Newcastle is getting a speed increase for his mobile shield deployment, allowing you to react with it more effectively when caught off guard. His castle wall Ultimate will now zap projectiles thrown at it when it’s energized – however, these are limited to only ordnance that comes from the direction the wall is facing. 

Catalyst: Will you hunker down and fortify your position with Sister Spikes and the new ferro door upgrade, or will you choose the rotational and vision-blocking strength of the improved wall? The ferro doors allow you to rebuild and reinforce broken doors quickly. Choices, choices. 

Apex Legends Season 21 weapon changes

Let’s talk about the care package weapons. 

Wingman: The Wingman is returning to the floor loot, tuned down to how it was back before it got shoved into the care package. However, it no longer takes extended magazines, meaning you’ll always have six bullets before you need to reload. There’s also a hip fire nerf to reduce the effectiveness of close-range hip fire spam. 

Devotion: The Devotion is replacing the Wingman in care packages and Respawn suggests it’ll give people nightmares. 

Longbow: The Longbow is getting a buff to make up for the Skull Piercer’s removal from the loot pool. The Longbow can’t take barrel attachments anymore but starts with recoil to match a purple barrel equipped by default. ADS time has been sped up along with ballistic speed, bringing it closer to the snappy handling of the Sentinel. 

Misc: The 1X Digital Threat is being removed from the loot pool. You no longer have to wait to grab a banner before accessing a friend’s loot box. 

Upheaval: Season 21 of Apex Legends begins on May 6.