Respawn Entertainment has released the patch notes for the Apex Legends Legacy update. And, wow, there’s a lot of new stuff dropping into the battle royale on May 4. For instance, it will no longer be just a battle royale thanks to the addition of the Arenas game mode. A new Legend named Valkyrie will also join the Apex Games with the Legacy update. Plus, Apex Legends is about to get its first bow weapon.
The Legacy update also includes changes to the Olympus map, a new starter kit for the battle royale mode, the addition of emotes, and a collection of new cosmetics to unlock through the battle pass. There’s also a bunch of Legend and weapon balancing that’s about to take place.
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Enter the Arenas
Arenas in Apex Legends are more like the tactical combat of Valorant and Rogue Company. It’s 3v3, no respawns, and you need to kill the entire enemy team to win a round. You need to win three rounds to win the match, but you also need to win by two rounds. If the match goes to four rounds each, it will be decided by a sudden death round.
At the beginning of every round, you will get crafting materials to spend on weapons, skills, and consumables. At the end of every round, you lose your gear. Coordinating with your teammates and making strategic purchases is going to be key to victory.
When the Legacy update drops, there will be two unique Arenas in-game, as well as a rotating collection of areas from the battle royale maps. If you’d like some more details on Arenas, check out this post on the Apex Legends website.
The flying Legend
The latest Apex Legends update is called Legacy because of its ties to Repsawn’s previous game, Titanfall. Valkyrie is the epitome of this nostalgic link. She’s the daughter of a notorious Titan Pilot named Viper. And she’s got a lot to prove.
Valkyrie’s abilities are based on the jetpack she wears. She’s a mobile Legend, so I think she’ll immediately be an impactful choice. Her Passive Ability uses her jetpack to boost to greater heights. The jetpack has limited fuel, and you cannot fire while flying.
Her Tactical Ability, Missile Swarm, does exactly what the name suggests. It fires a swarm of missiles at a target location to damage and disorient enemies. Valkyrie’s Ultimate Ability, Skyward Dive, uses her jetpack to launch the entire team into the sky to rapidly redeploy to a new position on the map. Valkyrie can also scan Survey Beacons to reveal the next ring location.
A more civilized weapon
The Bocek is the next weapon coming to the Apex Legends arsenal. It’s a bow, which means a slower rate of fire. But precision shots will deal massive damage. Additionally, you can hold down fire for longer to draw the bow, which will increase the damage and speed of its arrows.
One awesome feature about the Bocek’s ammo is that it never goes away. If you shoot an arrow into a wall, you can retrieve it to use again. However, arrows are rare loot, so don’t waste them.
The bow can equip a sight up to the 3x HCOG, but not the 1x Digital Threat. It can also take two hop-ups at the same time. The two hop-ups it can use are both new to Apex Legends. Shatter Caps will allow you to fire one arrow in a blast pattern. So, it makes the bow more like a shotgun. The other hop-up is Deadeye’s Tempo. Firing the bow at the perfect moment increases the fire rate.
While we have yet to try the bow, it should also offer the benefit of being able to fire without revealing your position via audio cues. That alone could make it a practical choice.
Bloodhound has the right idea.
Game changers
When you drop into a battle royale match next season, you will begin each match with a starter kit. This will consist of a level one Helmet, EVO Shield, and Knockdown Shield, as well as two Shield Cells and Syringes. As a result of this update, level one Helmets and Knockdown Shields will be removed from the loot pool. Plus, Level one EVO Shields will be much more rare.
Apex Legends’ Olympus map will also receive a makeover with the Legacy update. A lost fleet is about to arrive in town, which you can already see in the distance right now. One of the ships will be a named location on the map, and the otherworldly parasitic plants can be seen spreading their tendrils around Olympus.
Finally, characters in Apex Legends will soon be able to emote. You can use these in a match, before an Arena battle, or in the victory screen. In-game, emoting will kick you into third-person view, but Respawn has created an anti-peek feature to prevent players from using emotes to peek corners.
That’s a lot of new stuff to take in. As always, Respawn is showing plenty of energy and willingness to refresh its beloved game. I suspect the Legacy update will be a hit with fans. I can’t wait to drop into the update on May 4. To check out the changes to the Legends and weapons, please come this way.
