Respawn continues to set the standard in regards to listening to their community and implementing that feedback into their hit battle royale game — Apex Legends.
At EA Play Live, Respawn released some more information on the beloved BR in the form of their new collection event — Lost Treasures.
The hype around this event rivals a lot of the hype that came with the Voidwalker event back in Season 2 as it’ll come with some new features, including a new map location, collection items, and a buff to a long-time favorite.
What’s Confirmed
Along with the exclusive cosmetic items you’ll receive in the event, there are also some exciting locations and modes you’ll get to experience.
A New Map Location
The big highlight in this update is the new town takeover — Crypto’s Map Room. Crypto has taken over the small area next to Repulsor and outfitted it with a giant satellite that lets players know where enemy teams are and where to locate valuable loot. Players will have to be wary of enemies coming from one of the three levels on the satellite, as well as any opportunistic stragglers that will be looking over in Repulsor.
Updates to a Beloved Game Mode
Players will also get a chance to play the new limited-time game mode — Armed and Dangerous Evolved, a variant of the fan-favorite game mode of the same name.
So, what makes it “evolved?”
The mode will still be snipers and shotguns only, but now players will be equipped with EvoShields instead of having to find armor around the map like normal. Along with that, all respawn beacons have been removed from the map, and players will have mobile respawn beacons equipped instead, a new item that’s exclusive to the mode.
These limited-time modes have been perfect for testing potential features in the game (i.e. Revenant’s shadow mode from Fight or Fright), so pay close attention to how players use this mobile respawn beacon. This may be a permanent item you’ll see in the future or even an ultimate for a new or current Legend.
Mirage Heirloom
After many months of guessing what Mirage’s Heirloom may be, players finally got their answer with the announcement — a trophy of himself. This comes as no surprise and fits perfectly with Mirage and his character. What is interesting about this heirloom is that Respawn actually hinted this back in December, with the developer confirming it after an eagle-eyed Redditor recognized the reference.
Like all heirlooms, you’ll be able to run around and melee people with this trophy if you have your weapon holstered, and it comes with a unique inspect animation that fits Mirage’s personality. After seeing some fun clips of Octane and his switchblade, we’re excited to see what players can do with this item.
What’s Likely Coming
Although these features haven’t been verbally confirmed by Respawn, these things will likely be coming to Apex in the next update.
Lifeline Buff
FINALLY.
As a Lifeline main, I’m so happy that this is coming.
In what may have been one of the most exciting parts of the trailer, Respawn gave us a glimpse into what Lifeline’s buff will be like. The trailer showed Lifeline dropping her DOC drone for a downed Bangalore and reviving her while Lifeline continued to fight. The DOC drone also had the med shield up, allowing Bangalore to revive herself while being protected from gunfire.
This new buff comes after months of the community asking Respawn to buff the only support medic in the roster. Although still good, Lifeline had dropped from the ranks of best legends after Gibraltar got his mega buff, which allowed him to revive teammates at the same speed she does and offer protection from all sides instead of just what’s in front.
Although there’s still more to see in terms of the specifics and nuances of the buff, hopefully this will bring Lifeline back to S Tier status.
What’s Coming Soon
These features aren’t coming to Apex in the next update, but players can be excited knowing that they are just over the horizon.
Crossplay
Respawn has continued to listen and adapt to their community’s needs, and they’ve done it again with the announcement of crossplay. This means that everyone who plays Apex Legends will get to play with each other, instead of players being limited to who’s on their respective platform.
Understandably, the new feature will come out in the fall as this gives Respawn additional time to work on the many nuances that come with cross-platform gaming.
Nintendo Switch and Steam Release
Respawn has confirmed that Apex Legends will be making its way to the Switch and Steam. This means that Apex will finally be available for all major platforms, another big milestone for the developer.
More information will be released in the coming months, so stay tuned.
Personal Thoughts
This is the most excited I’ve been about an update since Season 3 when Crypto was introduced and we were relocated to World’s Edge. Here are some quick thoughts:
- Crypto Town is going to be fun. The satellite, from what we’ve seen, will be able to give players a lot of information around the map that could help make fighting easier. And with Repulsor being an ideal drop location for many teams, I can imagine half the lobby dropping into this corner of the map for a while.
- This Lifeline buff can be a gamechanger. Quicker revival times is why Legends like Lifeline and Gibraltar are among the top of the roster. Now that Lifeline can revive teammates just by dropping her drone, this could change how teams plan to push. We still don’t know what the revive times will be and if Lifeline can still revive while her DOC drone is in action but, pending the details, Lifeline may return as a must-play character for squads.
- This mobile respawn beacon is interesting, and I think it’ll be part of another Lifeline buff down the line. With Loba now part of the roster, Lifeline’s care package has lost a lot of its utility. It may be good early game (and the charge towers offer additional utility for her), but the care package isn’t very useful mid or late game unless you’re using it for cover. The mobile respawn beacon could be a great alternative, and it would match well with Lifeline’s ultimate charge up times as it is currently the longest in the game at 360 seconds.
- Crossplay is an exciting addition, but I’m a bit nervous. Although console players have experienced their share of problems in regards to cheating, PC players have had the worst of it. Now with crossplay, console players may be subjected to the same cheating issues that PC players have dealt with for months. I’d be interested in seeing how Respawn aims to tackle this issue.
- Mirage continues to be the winner of Season 5 as he’s now gotten an awesome heirloom to go with his rework earlier this month. Considered the worst legend in the game for the last four seasons, it’s great to see Mirage get the love he deserves.
Apex Legends wasn’t the only exciting thing to be discussed and revealed at EA Play Live. Make sure to check out our full breakdown of the event and what will be coming soon.