Apex Legends News

Apex Legends leaks double down on reports of new Wraith heirloom event

Apex Legends' next season update is on the way and fans are more than ready to see some new content introduced to this battle royale shooter. However, recent Apex Legends leaks seem to suggest that a recoloured Wraith heirloom is arriving in the next Collection Event - and we can't help but feel a little disappointed in that.

Earlier in the month, as per this Dexerto report, the aptly named Apex Legends leaker 'SomeoneWhoLeaks' shared data-mined files that seem to suggest a recolour for Wraith's kunai heirloom item is on the way. For Wraith mains, this was quite exciting news - many of whom also feel as though the legend could do with more inspect animations when it comes to this rare item.

Now, a corroborating report from Insider Gaming doubles down on the above Apex Legends leak with an unsubstantiated suggestion that Apex Legends' next in-game event will feature a "rethemed Wraith heirloom" item.

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Apex Legends outage proves we need a matchmaking update more than ever

Are you being faced with long queue times and matchmaking issues with Respawn Entertainment's battle royale shooter Apex Legends? Well, you're far from being alone in that regard. The game's latest Ranked Split is providing players with further proof that an Apex Legends matchmaking update was due yesterday - or, more like, a month ago.

As the Apex Legends Season 15 Ranked Split 2 start time rolled around, this battle royale's players were met with somewhat horrendous matchmaking issues. As you can see in this Reddit post from disgruntled Apex Legends player 'Putrid-Strawberry-79', some players were stuck in matchmaking queues anywhere from eight minutes to well over half an hour - with crossplay switched on.

This isn't even the worst of it, really. Another battle royale player, 'TheArdenial2010' reported that even Apex Legends' Firing Range was inaccessible during the post-Ranked Split outage. Not only this, but stat-tracking site Apex Legends Status reported a huge spike in complaints.

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Apex Legends' SBMM overhaul should result in "fairer" games

Just like every other competitive multiplayer game out there, battle royale players always have something of a problem when it comes to Apex Legends' skill-based matchmaking systems. However, interestingly, they're not alone in their criticisms - sort of. The development team behind Apex Legends' matchmaking have been working on some SBMM improvements for a while now and Respawn Entertainment is finally detailing just how it's planning to improve Apex Legends' matchmaking. Technical director Samy Duc has shared a detailed blog post explaining that Respawn Entertainment is going to retire the "old SBMM system for a new one" - and offers all of us some important insight into the changes going on behind the scenes.

Now, we know that talk of "algorithms", "buckets", and "skill ratings" can get a little confusing - and Duc talks about all that a lot when detailing how the current Apex Legends matchmaking system works and how Respawn Entertainment approaches matchmaking - but, the changes being made are actually quite easy to understand when you think about it.

Apex Legends' new SBMM system is going to compensate for the advantage pre-made duos and trios have, measure player skill more accurately, and dynamically fill lobbies with waiting times in mind. But, it's important to remember that all of this is going to take time.

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Apex Legends Horizon pick rate recovering after accidental nerf

Do you remember that hidden Apex Legends Horizon nerf Respawn Entertainment snuck into the battle royale's Spellbound update earlier this month? Well, to no one's surprise, it started to tank Apex Legends' Horizon pick rate; the popular character was returning to earth, if you will, after a dominant spell as one of the best legends available. Well, you'll be pleased to know that Apex Legends' Horizon pick rate is returning to some sort of normalcy after the sharp decline post-update. This rise in popularity isn't because players are getting used to the changes made by Respawn Entertainment, though, but because the battle royale's developer has actually reverted and removed them.

Yes, dearies, you're reading that right. If you're a Horizon main, you'll be pleased to know that Respawn Entertainment has confirmed that it has reverted the changes affecting player accuracy while shooting from Horizon's tactical ability: Gravity Lift.

The developer actually confirmed that it had "rolled out a fix" to correct the issue via the official Respawn Entertainment social media account on January 13. Adding to that, senior producer Josh Medina commented that "sometimes things escape that aren't fully ready for prime time.. especially with ALGS coming up".

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Apex Legends' Season 15 Ranked Split 2 start time, next map, and more

We know it might feel like Apex Legends' Eclipse update dropped yesterday, but ranked players are more than ready to say goodbye to Broken Moon - the battle royale's new map. Whether you're a fan of this new locale or not, you're going to want to know when the Apex Legends Season 15 Ranked Split 2 start time is set for; this is when the map changes. So, keep reading and we'll let you know what to expect and when to expect it.

If you're still trying to climb Apex Legends' ranks and you want to put yourself in a good position ahead of the next soft reset, you don't have long to earn more RP. The Apex Legends Season 15 Ranked Split 2 start time is 10:00 PST / 13:00 EST / 18:00 GMT on January 17; this is a little later than initially expected, giving players only one month until the next major update.

Whether you're someone who lives and dies by an Apex Legends tier list or not, you'll be pleased to know that the Apex Legends Season 15 Ranked Split 2 map is Olympus. This information was revealed to The Loadout during an interview with lead level designer Jeff Shaw about Apex Legends' Broken Moon during the launch of Apex Legends' Eclipse update.

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