Despite its shortcomings,Apex Legendsremains one of the best battle royale games on the market nearly four years after its release. The battle royale market is pretty much locked down byApex Legends, Fortnite,andWarzone, making it hard for any other BRs to break through. Part of this is because each of the aforementioned games is constantly changing, adding new content, shaking up its loot pool, and making other longstanding changes to the game.
Apex Legendshad a busy 2022 with major season launches, new character additions, fine-tuning of the meta, and so on. Because of this, it can be hard to nail down changes that stand out more than others, but theApex Legendschanges included on the following list (in no particular order)all had a tangible impact on the game.
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Ammo Changes in Apex Legends
WhileApex Legendshasn’t added a new weapon in a while, it is constantly changing up the weapon meta and overarching loot pool thanks to supply drop changes, crafting, and so on. However, the biggest change this year came to theammo consumed by the Wingman and the Spitfire. Respawn Entertainment changed the Wingman to Sniper Ammo to better manage loot for the weapon, as someone rocking a heavy main weapon alongside the Wingman would never run out of ammo for it and would hardly need to think about it, and it changed the Spitfire to light ammo to balance out the light and heavy weapons in the game. Small changes like this can have a palpable impact on looting inApex Legends.
Apex Legends' Gaiden event
Apex Legends’Collection events often feel incredibly similar, which made the Gaiden Event stand out even more. It may be done and over, but the legacy remains. Many fans have wanted high-profile crossovers in the game, akin to whatFortnitedoes, and this is the closest fans have gotten.Apex Legendsadded skins based on several anime showslikeOne Piece, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and so on, with many fingers crossed that a similar event returns in 2023.
Apex Legends Character Lore Expansions
Apex Legends' gameplay is what keeps it so popular, but Respawn Entertainment has never skimped on story either. It’s not a traditional approach, but Respawn has always told a story through its characters. A lot of new lore was added this year that keeps pushing the franchise to new heights, both in and out-of-game. This includes, but is not limited to, the introduction of Eduardo Silva, more of Loba’s background told through comics, new mysteries around the Apex Games, the exploration of prophecy andrivalry between Seer and Catalyst, the emerging relationship between Bloodhound and Fuse, Catalyst’s continued emphasis on in-game representation, and much more.
Broken Moon Map
A new map addition is always big forApex Legends, as it is perhaps the biggest factor in the pacing and gameplay of a match. Everyone has their favorites, everyone has maps they hate, but there’s no doubtBroken Moon was a solid addition to the map rotation. An emphasis on stronger, quicker rotations, as well as speedily getting around with the new ziprails, make sure this map stands out from others, as well as its general alive-and-dead design.
Gifting in Apex Legends
Gifting has been long requested inApex Legends, with season 15 delivering the long-awaited feature. Respawn Entertainment is continuing to refine it, but now that players can share select skins with each other, it’s an even better game for full parties or group of friends. It may need to be expanded down the line in terms of giftable content, but the fact that it’s so simple and easy is certainly a plus.
Introduction of Control LTM
Apex Legends, at its core, is a battle royale game, but it has explored new gameplay additions several times. Arenas are a good example of that, but some feel that it’s dropped off, even going so far as to claim thatRespawn Entertainment has abandonedApex Legends' Arenas. Whatever the future of the feature, its Control LTM was introduced this year, removed, added back, and so on and so forth. Many fans are awaiting the day Respawn makes it a permanent addition to the game, speaking to how popular and how well this works in the game, but fans will just have to wait and see what Respawn does with Control moving forward.
Launch of Apex Legends Mobile
Although it is a different game with unique characters and features unto itself, Apex Legends Mobile saw the expansion of the franchise universe, rolling out in full earlier this year. These differences not only makeApex Legends Mobilestand out, but the fact that it plays so well is great. Its constant support seems to be in tandem, if not even quicker, than the base game, and it’s clear that it’s not just a spin-off, delighting fans of the base game and the mobile game.
Level Cap Increase in Apex Legends
Alongside gifting, a level cap increase has been a long-demanded feature in the game. It was once expanded from level 100 to level 500, but it has remained there for quite some time. That is, untilApex Legends: Huntedcame along and changed this up. Now, the technicallevel cap inApex Legendsis 2000, though it’s done through a prestige system that sees players essentially hit level 500 four times. Those who already hit the first cap basically moved up a tier. This change brings bragging rights back to the level of a player, instead of something anyone could achieve with enough time.
Removal of Gold Knockdown Shields
The Gold knockdown shield and its self-revive have long been controversial inApex Legends, and it’s an area where professional players and casual fans may be split. It had its counters, could come in clutch in pubs, and resulted in hilarious clips where someone would let another self-revive and then lose the match. But in equal measure, there were games where everyone had a Gold Knockdown in the end and several clips of how ridiculous the final circle could get with this in the loot pool. It’s a change that has no doubt fundamentally changedApex Legends’gameplay.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X Upgrades
Over a year after their launch, Apex Legendsfinally got native versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X earlier this year that took advantage of the new generation of hardware.Apex Legendsstill has plenty of performance and connection bugs Respawn will likely be fighting until its last day, but the upgrades go a long way in improving the experience for fans.
Apex Legendsis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
