No new Legend. This is the first time Respawn hasn’t bolstered the roster of its hit battle royale game since its seasonal content kicked off, but the changes it’s making might be far more significant than any new character. Every Legend is being “touched” by a new Class and Perk system, which the designers describe as intending to better fit the playstyles that the Legends fit into.
I’ve already covered the Classes, along with the announcement of Apex Legends’ most-requested mode, Team Deathmatch, the Nemesis Assault Rifle, and every other seasonal change, but if you missed that explainer and can’t be bothered clicking that link, the new Classes are as follows: Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller, and Support. Here’s what it all means:
The Assault Class is for your fraggers, and its Perk allows Legends to carry an extra stack of ammo per inventory slot (so 80 Light instead of 60, 36 Shotgun instead of 24, etc.) as well as open shelves in the new Weapon Supply Bins – think Lifeline’s Medic Supply Bins but for guns. The Assault Legends are: Mad Maggie, Ash, Fuse, Revenant, and Bangalore.
The Skirmisher Class is the brand-new home for a few Legends from a variety of other classes. Skirmishers have the ability to see inside Care Packages as they drop from the sky, and can keep tabs on the weapons within until they are taken. Skirmish Legends are: Valkyrie, Wraith, Mirage, Horizon, Octane, and Pathfinder.
The Recon Class is most similar to its original designation, although it now comes with a twist. Recon Legends can no longer scan Beacons for zone knowledge, they instead scan a new type of Beacon (see below) dotted around the map, which scans all enemies for 30 seconds. It’s similar to the buff from Crypto’s Map Room, without the Ring knowledge. The Recon Legends are: Vantage, Bloodhound, Seer, and Crypto.
Controller Class Legends have the old Recon ability, scanning Beacons for knowledge of the next Zone. The Controller Legends are: Caustic, Wattson, Rampart, and Catalyst.
The Support Class takes Lifeline’s Passive (she gets a new one, don’t worry), and have access to the meds shelf of Extended Supply Bins. They can also craft fallen allies’ Respawn Banners at Replicators, even if they’ve expired. The Support Legends are: Lifeline, Loba, Gibraltar, and Newcastle.
As you can see, the Legend Classes better befit the Legends within them now. My favourite change is the addition of the Controller Class – Legends who love bunkering down in Zone being able to see the next Ring fits their playstyle perfectly. Recon has also had a welcome tone down, and may not be so dominant any more.
But there’s more. Six Legends are getting proper balance changes as well as the “touching” that the revamped Class system brings. Seer and Bloodhound have been approached in what lead Legend designer Devan McGuire says is “likely not our last stab at the scan meta,” Horizon has been nerfed, and Wraith, Pathfinder, and Lifeline are all receiving buffs.
We’ll take the scanners first. Seer’s Heartbeat Sensor is no longer constant, and only flashes with enemy positions as their hearts beat. It’s also audible to enemies now. As for Bloodhound, their Passive is now seeing white ravens on the overworld, and in their Ultimate, they can interact with these to show the direction of the nearest enemy.
Horizon’s had a small nerf, reducing accuracy when in her Gravity Lift, but increasing its speed. She’s clearly being tuned to a more movement-focused kit than a premium assaulter. Wraith and Pathfinder have also had big movement buffs. Wraith’s portal and Pathfinder’s zipline have twice as much range now, and travel speed has been increased while using both – in Pathfinder’s case, it’s a “significant” increase. Lifeline’s Care Package has increased speed this season, and her slow penalty is reduced when reviving allies.
And who can forget Mirage? I did? Surely not. Everyone’s favourite and most useless Legend has an unironic buff in Season 16, boosting the power of his cloaking device. He already turns invisible when reviving allies, but now he and his revived ally stay cloaked for ten seconds after the revive, or until they draw their weapons, whichever occurs first.
These changes have huge ramifications for the Legend meta and should balance things in Season 16. Whether you jump into public matches with friends, climb the Ranked ladder in months-long grinds, or watch the ALGS every month, these changes will impact us all. I can already tell you that the Wraith meta will be back in full, and I can see Pathfinder ziplines criss-crossing key POIs. I also think Caustic and Loba will be strong for zone teams, but I’ll get into that more in another feature. Whoever you’re maining in Season 16, you’re set for a new and interesting Apex experience.
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