Last week, EA held a media event to discuss all the changes coming to Apex Legends Season 23, and we here at Sirus Gaming were fortunate enough to be invited. Shockwave, or Season 22, brought energy and action to the Apex Games. It brought along with it the cyberpunk-inspired E-District and amazed players with quick fan favorites, Akimbo Mozambique.
This article will cover all the additions coming with the latest season of Apex Legends. I will cover the new Legend rework, new class functionality, and other twists that’ll please both new and returning players. Weapon and Legend balance changes will not be part of this article as these may change closer to launch day. A more detailed list of changes will released with the new season.
Season 23 is all about the Support Class with a hefty Lifeline Rework and major changes to the way we play as a Support Class. But that’s not all that’s coming – Rift Relics are set to rock the meta in exciting ways and a new melee weapon class to show off.
But before we dive into what’s new in season 23, let’s go over a persistent issue that’s plaguing the Apex Games, and quite frankly, any game with any semblance of skill involved – I’m talking about cheaters and ongoing efforts to curve their numbers.
Respawn’s ongoing commitment to Anti-Cheat Measures
Anti-cheat is definitely a priority for Respawn, probably their top priority, according to Evan Nikolich, Design Director. They are working on a larger initiative that will revealed in the coming weeks and months. This will additional support for anti-cheat tools and automated support. The goal is to always improve anti-cheat at all times. Nikolich wants their efforts to be felt by the players who would otherwise feel discoursed entering a lobby with cheaters. He closed this segment with an announcement of more updates soon.
Lifeline Rework
Lifeline is one of the most beloved Legends in the game (and my main Legends for many, many seasons.) So any changes to her kit need to be impactful without sacrificing what made her so beloved in the first place. Evan Funnell, Legend Designer, described Lifeline as “falling behind a bit” compared to other Legends. And I couldn’t agree more. Lifeline’s Ultimate is a relic of the past and all the changes to her kit over the years were simply a band-aid fix for a larger issue. Lifeline needed a revival.
To do this, Lifeline mains will have to do away with their static playstyle and embrace a more active role as true combat medics should. Visually, Lifeline now rocks a robotic left arm. The lovable DOC has also seen some major changes as well. How and why these happened were not covered in the media event. But just know that it is part of in-universe lore tied to Lifeline’s rework.
The devs wanted to keep her combat kit intact but things like her passive was changed to accommodate her expanded role as the team’s medic. Lifeline will now be able to grab onto DOC and glide in the air for a short time. This is an effort for her to keep up with more mobile legends. Plus, who wouldn’t want to glide around in the most adorable way possible?
Lifeline’s Tactical ability was also changed in a positive. DOC’s functions remain relatively the same – DOC will still heal wounded teammates but this time around DOC will actively follow the teammate Lifeline designates for healing and will stay with them until needed elsewhere. Lifeline can order DOC to heal other teammates at the press of a button. Or if necessary, return to her for personal aid. This is such a far cry from the days when the entire team would huddle behind cover as DOC tended to their wounds.
Moving onto Lifeline’s Ultimate. As seasons went by and new mechanics were added to the game (tailored bins, for instance) Lifeline’s care packages were seen as an afterthought. I don’t even recall a time when I used Lifeline’s Ultimate as anything else other than a makeshift cover. It was that bad.
But the days of the care pack are over and in its place, something that might pique the interest of OG players. Lifeline will now throw down DOC’s Halo – a huge ring-shaped shield that’s immune to all forms of damage. While inside the halo, all players gain fast heals and revives, including enemy players, while the Ultimate is active.
As Evan Funnell describes it, “Halo is a great defensive line to drop right in the heat of battle, to quickly establish a base, get a quick reset, or secure teammates’ revival back into the action.” Players have to be careful though as the shield is not a complete dome and is vulnerable to attacks from above such as Gibby’s and Bangalore’s Ultimate and even Valkyrie’s tactical ability.
Support Class Season 23 Changes
Last season, the spotlight was on the Recon and Controller classes. In this “Season of Support”, the anchors of the team are getting some much-needed love in the form of changes to their perks.
The first change is called the Heal Expert Perk. Support Legends will no longer be slowed while healing and small meds they use will heal them for double much like how gold armor used to function back in the day. The second change is the Revive Expert Perk. Support Legends will now revive allies 25% faster and grant them health regen when successfully revived. Now, all an ally needs to do is pop a shield battery and they are ready to get back into the fight.
Additionally, mobile respawn beacons are now dynamically spawned into an allied death box when they fall and at crafting stations when crafting banners. This new direction will significantly cut down downtime for fallen teammates. As a trade-off, Supports will lose the exclusive ability to craft banners. But in the spirit of the phased-out ability, all Legends can now craft banners.
Say Hello to Rift Relics
As seen in Season 22, cosmic rifts started to appear. And with their appearance comes the introduction to new and exceptional loot. Whenever lightning strikes from one of these cosmic rifts, follow the beam of light it leaves behind to the location of a special new type of loot ticks. Inside these ticks, players will discover a wide assortment of new weapons and loot called, Rift Relics.
Rift Relics are truly unique to the Apex Games. They are a piece of Apex and Titanfall history, and long-time players should be able to recognize some of the iconic gear on offer. Rift Relics will appear in public games throughout the season as well as trios revival and straight shot revival modes, both of which will be returning for a limited time by popular demand.
While the vast majority of Rift Relics remain a secret as of the media event, Mike Button, Events Lead, did share details on a couple of these new game changers. The first set of items is called Boost Kits. They add passive or active abilities while they are attached to a Legend’s survival slot. Take the new Hover Boost Kit, for example. This kit allows the user to hover in the air for a short time while aiming.
The second set to be previewed is Relic Weapons. In essence, they are unique and powerful weapons that have appeared in scattered moments throughout Titanfall history and beyond. We were treated to a first look at the EPG-1 – a single fire, direct energy-propelled launcher. Yes, the classic anti-Titan weapon has found its way into the Apex Games. Rocket jumping is now a thing. Rejoice, all you TF2 Market Gardener Soldier mains.
Finally, Mike Button revealed that the Rift Relic loot pool will consist of 25 items. They will not be revealed all at once but slowly over the course of the season.
Raptor’s Claw Universal Melee
A new melee heirloom, the Raptor’s Claw, or as we call it here on Earth, the Karambit. When designing the karambit, Respawn wanted to strike a balance between form and function. The goal is to make it stylish while retaining its competitive integrity. A lot of consideration was put into how the weapon will look in the character’s hands, for competitive purposes, of course, and how spinny they can make it.
The biggest surprise was the reveal that the Raptor’s Claw won’t be the same for all Legends. The team has cooked specific inspects and melee animations for select Legends. We don’t know who gets what right now so we can’t wait to go to the testing range on Day 1 and spam the inspect button for all our favorite Legends.
And that’s everything new coming to Apex Legends Season 23. The things previewed at the event were but a taste of the overall changes to the long-running battle royale. Expect a full list of weapon and Legend changes shortly as well as ranked changes that will ease some concerns for some players at the start of their seasonal grind.