Apex Legends Season 16 is upon us, and ahead of it, Respawn Entertainment revealed some new changes to the game. For the first time ever, new seasons will not introduce new heroes/characters to the game. Instead, the studio is adding a much-anticipated team deathmatch mode that pits six players against each other in high-stakes combat. The new season, called “Revelry,” will also redo its Legends classes, while adding a new power-class weapon called the Nemesis. Season 16 of Apex Legends kicks off on February 14 on all major platforms.
Team Deathmatch, much like the treasured limited-time mode in Apex Legends, will be available for the first three weeks of the new season. According to Kotaku, the new game mode will be similar to deathmatch in other games–no downtime, and quick respawns as players kill for their team. There are 6 players on each side, and the first team to get 30 kills wins. It’s a best-of-three situation, and winning two rounds gives your team the victory. At the start of a match, players will have a choice of gear including a plethora of weapons and grenades. That said, if your team is at a disadvantage, you can switch between heroes as needed – similar to Overwatch – and use their abilities to your advantage.
That said, Respawn Entertainment is removing the Arenas game mode from Apex Legends. “Apex Legends is battle royale at its core, and the team wants to help players master the core game mode, and in its current state, Arenas falls short of our goals,” reads the blog post. The idea behind including a non-Battle Royale mode in Apex Legends is to familiarize new players with the game’s core loop, which involves cycling between weapons, characters, and abilities, and their knowledge can then be transferred to the main game. Otherwise, you’ll see most new players being crushed by experienced players within minutes of landing on the map.
Respawn is also bringing a rotating playlist to the limited-time event. The new feature, called “Mixtape,” is scheduled to launch in early March, and players will be able to choose from a rotation of TDM, Gun Run, and Control modes — with little downtime in tight situations. Additionally, a new weapon – the Nemesis – is on the way, but the studio didn’t reveal much beyond confirming that it’s energy-based.
As mentioned earlier, in Season 16, the developers broke with tradition and will not introduce new heroes. Instead, the team is redesigning their class system by assigning each legend to one of them. Currently, there are five classes: Assault, Recon, Control, Skirmishers, and Support. “Each class will now have some meaningful, unique perk—whether it’s the way Legends can interact with new loot boxes, or new ways to revive teammates,” the blog post reads. Previously, all 23 roles on the roster were categorized as offensive, defensive, scouting and support. More information on the same will be announced in due course, according to Respawn.
Apex Legends Season 16 – Revelry – launches February 14 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. Earlier this month, the studio announced it was shutting down the mobile version.