What’s new in Apex Legends season 17?

top legends‘ Season 17, “Arsenal,” begins May 9, bringing with it a new character and a new (or, at least, notably reworked) map. Fans have already met Ballistic, the new hero, but they only know his lore, not his skills, nor the wider gameplay changes that support him. And the map, we must say, looks good – with a big dot worth exploring for Easter eggs if you’re not gunned down.

Here’s everything confirmed on the first Monday of Season 17 gameplay — much of it previously leaked by the usual cadre of data miners. Ballistics is a big part of what’s coming in the free-to-play, hero shooter/battle royale, but there’s a lot more on the table than a fresh face and the lore to go with it.

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Image: Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Who is the new Apex Legends character for Season 17?

August Montgomery “Ballistic” Brinkman was already introduced in a lore trailer on 24 April and again in a launch trailer on 26 April. Thunderdome Games (precursor to Apex Games) explained in detail. But we haven’t officially heard about the gameplay features of 24th Legend anyway.

So, here it is:

• Inactive: Ballistics has a sling, which is effectively a third weapon slot. The limitation is that this gun cannot have any attachments; Bonus, well, that’s tied into his ultimate.
• Strategic: It’s called The Whistler, and it’s both simple (a smart bullet that tracks the enemy after locking on) and complex (all the things that happen after that). Should The Whistler strike his target, he will not be harmed per se, but he is faced with a challenge that his weapon gets hotter the more it is fired. If it overheats and explodes, they take damage from it. Additionally, if The Whistler does indeed miss, it leaves behind an area of ​​effect where anyone who enters it will receive a similarly heated debuff on their weapons.
• Last: Tempest turns Ballistics into a one-man arsenal (hence the nickname for season 17) that buffs his teammates and himself tremendously: they gain infinite ammunition, faster reloads and faster armed-movement speed. We do. And about Sling? The weapon there has been upgraded to its gold version, which can make for some very interesting decisions on what to carry.

Additionally, Ballistic is an Assault Class Legend – and the class is under overhaul top legends Found last season (in lieu of a new character) which means he will have Assault perks. To remind you, they are:

• Open a secret compartment within a red weapon supply bin, giving Assault characters access to gear and attachments that fit their current loadout

• Assault Legends can carry an additional stack of ammunition per inventory slot

Given his all-round attacking style and formidable special abilities, Ballistic should be an extremely dynamic character in the hands of those who love running and gunning the most.

Image: Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

What is the new map for Apex Legends Season 17?

While players don’t expect a new map every season, they didn’t get one in Season 16 as Respawn developers focused on big, structural changes to Battle Royale’s gameplay. Along with that work, they’re giving away both a new hero and a new map in Season 17.

This is a very significant overhaul of World’s Edge, the game’s second battle royale map (introduced in Season 3, during the game’s first year), and which last received an update in Season 10 (August 2021). World’s Edge is a resource-extraction colony on the planet Talas, which is plagued by violent volcanic activity.

Terraforming attempted to cool World’s Edge’s lava flows to allow mining, but a malfunction in one of its control towers left it a ghost town with many ruined buildings—i.e., a place to stage the Apex Games. An ideal place for.

Well, apparently the lava flow itself has cooled down, although not completely, allowing for some additions and changes while still retaining what fans love about World’s Edge. It starts with some new points of interest.

• Memorial: It’s essentially a reworking of the Fragment East point of interest in the center of the map, and it’s by far the biggest change coming to World’s Edge. At the center of the monument, beneath the rocket-like structure that resembles a monument, is a glass-roofed museum dedicated to the history of Apex Games. The museum is essentially a bunker POI, although it does have quick-access sniper positions on top of the monument. Additionally, the glass roof of the bunker (originally the floor of the monument) will allow players to peek inside, both to take a look at the exhibits, but more to keep an eye on the people who apparently fled there for security. There is a possibility.
• A lot: It replaces Lava City in the southeast corner of the map, and stars the under-construction red building with ziplines at both ends, which was previously a Fragment landmark. Lava City takes its cues from that red building, with lots of vertical gameplay as well as several interconnected rooftops.

Image: Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Can you really learn about the history of Apex Legends in the museum?

The developers of Respawn say yes, you can – both in the world and as a video game. The museum is an occasional inclusion, given Ballistic’s partnership with the less-discussed Thunderdome Games, Apex Games’ predecessor. (Thunderdome was a location on the King Canyon map, but it was destroyed three years earlier in season 5). The museum will chart the lore behind the rise of Apex Games, from the end of the mostly underground Thunderdome games to the present day. Alongside the original Legends, there will be a section dedicated to the game’s development of Respawn, including some of the studio’s early design concepts.

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What gameplay updates will Apex Legends get in Season 16?

With Season 16 focused on gameplay, Respawn stepped back in Season 17 to give players time to develop in an ever-changing game. But Season 17 will introduce a Weapon Mastery system — a form of progression that won’t reset each season. Any time players are fighting with a weapon, they will be generating XP for that weapon, whether by dealing damage, taking hits, or using certain attributes.

There are plenty of account-level cosmetic unlocks on each weapon’s mastery track (badges, banner frames, performance trackers), but it all culminates in a legendary skin for that gun once the player has completely completed all of their challenges. gain mastery.

There will also be a second round of changes and upgrades top legends‘ Firing Range, which got an update in Season 16 as Respawn moved to make the game more accessible to newcomers. AI combat dummies can now counter attack players training there for starters. There is a Dueling Pit to allow them to practice fighting one-on-one, and a Vert Course where they can practice more sophisticated traversal techniques. The Combat Range will also allow players to practice with every gun in the game.

Finally, an update to the game’s famous (and very useful) ping wheel will improve nonverbal communication between teammates, and a new “evac tower” will let players deploy a balloon (with some tactical limitations) that can shoot down players. lets out high and skydives. A particularly hairy firefight.

When are Apex Legends Season 17 start and end dates?

top legends Season 17, “Arsenal,” goes live May 9 at 10am PST/1am EST. An end date hasn’t been announced (probably because it would be premature to announce a start date for season 17) but a May season top legends Usually ends in early August.