• Kirk McKeand

Significant changes are coming to Apex Legends as part of the mid-season patch for Takeover, the current season. These include adjustments to game balance, legends, and weapons. Ash players will see a reduction in power, while other skirmisher legends are being enhanced. Submachine guns and marksman rifles are receiving improvements, alongside numerous bug fixes and quality of life enhancements.

Here is a comprehensive list of the patch notes and a summarized overview of the key updates in each category.

Game Balance

While there aren’t any radical changes, adjustments to heat shields will prevent players from staying too long in the ring, promoting fairer rotations and closer engagements.

Gold Weapon Rotation

P2020, Prowler PDW, Volt SMG, Devotion, G7 Scout

Heat Shields

Heat shields now take damage when any part of the dome touches the ring (previously, damage was only taken when the core was in the ring).
Damage to heat shields now scales based on the distance of the ring from the core.

Dev Notes: These heat shield changes aim to resolve inconsistencies and unusual gameplay patterns around the ring’s edge, making their behavior more predictable when not entirely engulfed by the ring.

Attachments

The adjustments to lasers emphasize the developers’ goal of encouraging close-quarters combat with smaller firearms.

Accelerated Weapons

The Accelerator Hop-Up has been removed from: CAR SMG, G7 Scout, Nemesis Burst AR.
The Accelerator Hop-Up has been added to: P2020, Volt SMG, Wingman.

Lasers

Laser effectiveness has been increased across all tiers.

Weapons

The L-Star is being nerfed at close range to give SMGs more prominence, while the 30-30 is buffed for increased damage. The G7 Scout also receives attention, with a slight damage buff and increased fire rate to differentiate it from the 30-30.

Nemesis Burst AR

Charge deplete time increased to 8 seconds (from 6 seconds).
Delay before charge depletion begins increased to 8 seconds (from 6 seconds).
Barrel effectiveness increased across all tiers.

Dev Notes: To compensate for the Nemesis losing the Accelerator Hop-Up, these quality of life changes aim to maintain its appeal as a viable weapon option.

Devotion LMG

Recoil intensity reduced in the initial shots.

L-STAR EMG

Reverse Hipfire mechanic removed.

Dev Notes: The L-STAR’s effectiveness at all ranges is being addressed to prevent it from overshadowing other weapons. Removing reverse hipfire should make it less dominant in close-quarters combat, allowing SMGs to be more competitive.

30-30 Repeater

ADS Charged shot damage increased to 65 (from 58).
ADS Charged Headshot damage increased to 104 (from 93).

Dev Notes: The 30-30’s charge shot damage is being increased to make slower, more deliberate gameplay styles more rewarding.

G7 Scout

Damage increased to 36 (from 35).
Headshot damage increased to 58 (from 56).
Fire rate slightly increased.

Dev Notes: These adjustments aim to compensate for the G7 Scout losing the Accelerator Hop-Up.

P2020

Laser effectiveness normalized to match other weapons.

Dev Notes: Previously, the P2020’s base hipfire accuracy made lasers less impactful. This change aims to emphasize hipfire accuracy as a core part of its identity.

Wingman

No longer compatible with the Boost Loader Hop-Up.

EVA-8

Blast pattern widened.

Alternator SMG

Magazine size increased across all tiers.
Base: 20 (from 19).
White: 24 (from 23).
Blue: 27 (from 26).
Purple/Gold: 29 (from 28).

C.A.R. SMG

Magazine size increased across all tiers.
Base: 20 (from 19).
White: 23 (from 22).
Blue: 25 (from 24).
Purple/Gold: 28 (from 27).

R-99 SMG

Magazine size increased across all tiers.
Base: 18 (from 17).
White: 21 (from 20).
Blue: 24 (from 23).
Purple/Gold: 27 (from 26).

Volt SMG

Magazine size increased across all tiers.
Base: 20 (from 19).
White: 22 (from 21).
Blue: 24 (from 23).
Purple/Gold: 27 (from 26).

Dev Notes: These SMG ammo capacity increases aim to make them more effective against shotguns and LMGs, providing more leniency in close-quarters engagements.

Legends

Significant updates are coming to Skirmisher legends, shifting them from a selfish playstyle towards greater team utility. Allies keeping pace with a mobile Skirmisher will receive a speed boost to close distances faster. Ash is slightly nerfed, while other Skirmisher legends are buffed to reduce her dominance.

Skirmisher Perks

Trailblazer: Receive a speed boost when sprinting towards a Skirmisher ally at least 20 meters away.

Charged Knock: Skirmishers gain an additional ability charge and 50 HP regeneration on knock.
Extra charge lasts 30 seconds or until used.
Applies to all Skirmisher Tactical Abilities (except Octane, who gains an additional Ultimate Charge).
HP regeneration heals health first, then shields, and can be interrupted by damage.

Dev Note: These Skirmisher perk adjustments aim to convert their inherent mobility into squad utility, allowing allies to keep up and encouraging team cohesion.

The Charged Knock perk is designed to encourage aggressive ability use, rewarding successful plays with a free charge for escape or continued engagement, promoting confident dives and closer squad support.

Ash

Void Breach: Ultimate cooldown increased to 2 minutes 30 seconds (from 2 minutes).

Dev Note: Skirmisher class perk changes are intended to challenge Ash’s dominance, with a minor Ultimate adjustment to slightly reduce the frequency of double long phase tears.

Alter

Void Passage
Now has two charges.
Maximum portal depth increased to 30 meters (from 20 meters).
Cooldown reduced to 20 seconds (from 30 seconds).
Enemy health bars visible after using your Void Passage.
Maximum length of Void Siphon increased to 45 meters (from 30 meters), and now created when placing unreachable wall portals with a 20-meter maximum length.
Placement preview now shows Void Siphon creation.
Void Passage briefly highlights enemies on the other side upon placement.

Void Nexus
Reusable with individual 30-second cooldowns.
Two can be active simultaneously.
Interact directly to summon knocked allies; summoned allies can move and use knockdown shields.
Ultimate is less interactable from a distance to avoid accidental activations during revives.
Gift from the Rift: Can now grab banners from Death Boxes using passive.

Upgrades: Level 2
Ringmaster: Removed.
Void Vision: Removed.
NEW ‘Friends’: Gain all support perks (Support Bins, faster revives with health regen, MRB with Banners).
NEW Eye to Another World: Gain all Recon Perks (Recon Beacons, threat vision when ADSing).

Upgrades: Level 3
Multidimensional: Removed.
Tactical Cooldown+: Removed.
NEW Void Breacher: Friendly Void Passage use grants move speed and improved reloads.
NEW Staring into the Void: Void Passage scan duration +15 seconds for Alter.

Dev Note: Alter’s kit is being enhanced for more playmaking potential across various situations with an additional Tactical charge, improved wall-based Void Siphon, and new Level 3 Upgrades. Upgrades now tailor Alter to squad needs or playstyle, offering strategic Recon-style play or supportive back-line roles.

Void Nexus changes aim to improve usability, allowing reusable emergency or advantageous deployments and manual ally recall for clutch revives.

Pathfinder

Upgrades: Level 3
Death Grapple: Removed.
NEW Grapple Cooldown+: Tactical Cooldown reduced by 10 seconds.

Dev Note: Pathfinder’s Death Grapple Upgrade was replaced due to the Skirmisher Class perk, with a simple cooldown reduction added for now.

Horizon

Upgrades: Level 2
Big Bang: Removed.
Battpack: Removed.
Tactical Cooldown: Moved to Level 2.
Ultimate Cooldown: Moved to Level 2.

Upgrades: Level 3
NEW Conservation of Energy: Spacewalk grants 25 HP shield regeneration on soft landings.
NEW Combat Reserve: Access to Assault Bins, extra ammo per stack, and grenade slots.

Dev Note: Horizon’s upgrades are adjusted for earlier improvements and player choice between escape tactics or combat efficiency, including grenade combos with her Ultimate.

Wraith

Original 3P run animation restored.

Into the Void
Cooldown decreased to 20 seconds (from 25 seconds).
Tactical activation time decreased to 0.8 seconds (from 1.25 seconds).
Void exit now controllable by pressing Attack or Tactical buttons.

Dimensional Rift
Cooldown decreased to 2 minutes 30 seconds (from 3 minutes).
Speed ramp-up increased when using Ultimate.

Upgrades: Level 2
Ultimate Cooldown: Reduced to 1 minute 30 seconds (from 2 minutes).

Upgrades Level 3
Fast Phase: Tactical activation reduction increased to 30 percent (from 20 percent), reducing activation time to 0.5 seconds (from 1.0 seconds).
Tactical Cooldown: Reduced to 15 seconds (from 20 seconds).

Dev Note: Wraith receives adjustments to return her to her original form, with faster activation for reactive and aggressive play, especially with the Skirmisher perk. Void exit control and Ultimate adjustments aim to enhance rotation potential and squad portal setups.

Revenant

Assassin’s Instinct: Allies now see low health tracking markers like Revenant.

Shadow Pounce
Activation time reduced by 30 percent.
Cooldown reduced to 20 seconds (from 25 seconds).

Forged Shadows: Ultimate Shield HP increased by 25.

Upgrades Level 2
Murder Machine: Removed.
NEW Try To Hide: Doubles passive mark duration on low health enemies.

Upgrades Level 3
Grim Leaper: Removed.
NEW Agile Assassin: Shadow Pounce activation and charge time reduced by half.
Tactical Cooldown: Reduced to 15 seconds (from 20 seconds).

Dev Note: Revenant is being revitalized after a dominance decline, with Skirmisher split enhancements. Ultimate strength is boosted, especially with new TTK, and Shadow Pounce is made more aggressive with reduced wind-up and cooldown, encouraging engagement and perk use.

Loba

Escape Artist: Shield regeneration reduced to 25 (from 50).

MAPS

Pubs

E-District.
King’s Canyon.
Storm Point.

Ranked

E-District.
King’s Canyon.
Storm Point.

Mixtape (March 25-May 5, 2025)

Control: Barometer, Caustic, Labs, Production Yard.
Gun Run: Wattson, Estates, Skull Town, Fragment.
TDM: Skull Town, Fragment, Zeus Station, Estates.

MODES

Pubs: Trios & Duos (March 25-May 5, 2025).

Pubs LTM: Power Sword Trios (March 25-April 14, 2025).

A new Pub Trios Event mode featuring the Power Sword.
Power Sword spawns at match start and once per round.

Power Sword
Event Melee Weapon.
Strong, fast close-range attacks.
Longer range energy slashes with ADS.
Defensive coverage by absorbing damage with ADS.
Energy blast to hinder enemies and buff allies.

LTM: April Fools (April 1-April 7, 2025)

In collaboration with Creator Commissioner: Apryze.
Remixed April Fools mode returns.

LTM: Solos (April 8-April 14, 2025)

In collaboration with Creator Commissioner: Apryze.

Solos mode returns with twists.
30-player matches.
Adjusted system balance and Ring timings.

Respawn Token
All players start with one Respawn Token for redeployment after death.
Late match respawning disabled; players with tokens get EVO.

Arsenals and Kitted Weapons.
Arsenals upgrade weapons by tier to Purple; Gold available after Loot Bin reset.
Custom scopes preserved on weapon upgrades.
Default scope granted if none equipped.

Ranked Changes

High kill games in Ranked will be slightly less impactful; points reduced after 8 team kills.

Scoring Update
Kill Cap: Kills, Assists, and Participations after the 8th are worth 50 percent (from 6th).

NEW Split Reset Rule

Tier-based Split Reset rule: each split resets players to the lowest division of their last split rank tier.
No RP reset from Rookie IV to Rookie I.
Bronze IV to I resets to Bronze IV: 1000 RP.
Silver IV to I resets to Silver IV: 3250 RP (+250 demotion protection).
Gold IV to I resets to Gold IV: 5750 RP (+250 demotion protection).
Platinum IV to I resets to Platinum IV: 8750 RP (+250 demotion protection).
Diamond IV and III reset to Platinum III 9250 RP.
Diamond II and I reset to Platinum II 10000 RP.
Master and above reset to Platinum I 11000 RP.

Dev Note: This Tier-based Split Reset aims to improve competition fairness and reduce mismatches, resetting players to tier minimums instead of a baseline, ensuring balanced competitive environments.

Bug Fixes

Rank Tier data now correctly loads instead of defaulting to Rookie.
Loot Bins now correctly refill after reset.
Rare server crash fixed.
Cheater server crash exploit fixed.
Extended supply bin icons no longer persist after Legend Upgrade.
Peacekeeper no longer double-fires while sliding.
Spider Den loot reflects current pool.
Tridents no longer fly when boarded.

Arsenals

Arsenal upgrade VFX now shows on Akimbo weapons.
Arsenals now provide correct ammo after reset.
Evo Harvesters no longer spawn inside Arsenals.
Key rebinding no longer prevents ‘Highlight Arsenals’ map button use.
Upgrading charged Sentinel/Rampage no longer removes charge.
Correct weapon animation restored during Arsenal upgrades.

Crypto: EMP VFX now matches hit distance.

Lifeline: Revives at Support class speed when silenced and can deploy D.O.C. to revive.

Newcastle: Mobile shield movable while downed again.

Quality of Life

Improved interaction with bleeding squadmates near small doors.
Pinging from ziplines no longer pings the zipline.
Legend Upgrade prompt persists through ring damage.

Audio

Ballistic Ultimate sound distance reduced (friendlies more than enemies).

Volume reduced for:
Alter Void Nexus idle sound.
Ash Snare sound (self and squad).
Catalyst Tactical/Ultimate, Barricade volume and distance (self and squad).
Caustic gas cloud sound.
Mad Maggie Wrecking Ball speed burst.
Bangalore Tactical smoke.

Volume and distance reduced for:
Ballistic Whistler sound (self and squad).
Mad Maggie Riot Drill sound.

Slight volume reduction for:
Bangalore Ultimate rockets/explosions at non-threatening distances.
Crypto drone sound relative to FOV.
Seer Exhibit heart emitter sound outside player FOV.

Graphics

DirectX 11 option removed for improved engine development focusing on DX12. DX12 performance improvements included.

DX12 improvements include:

CVar lobby_max_fps for lobby FPS cap adjustment.
-no_render_on_input_thread launch argument for frame rate/input lag stability on high-core CPUs.
+mat_no_stretching 1 launch argument for resolution letterboxing/pillarboxing.
‘Clamp Mouse Cursor’ option clamps to letterbox/pillarbox areas.

+mat_wide_pillarbox 0 launch argument fixed for ultrawide stretching.
VSync behavior bugs fixed for frame rate stability.
Texture streaming frame rate stability improved, especially on Very Low budget.

Frame rate stability slightly improved with Nvidia Reflex/AMD Anti-Lag 2, high polling mice/controllers, and capped FPS.