Apex Legends Season 26 is bringing big changes. There will be a new permanent game mode and one important ranked feature will be removed. This update could make the game feel very different for players.
In the latest announcement Respawn officially revealed that a brand-new permanent game mode called Wildcard is being added to Apex Legends. That’s exciting for players who want something fresh to play. They also shared some good news for fans of the Legends Caustic and Bangalore both of them are getting buffs which means their abilities will be stronger or more useful in some way. Along with that they announced a big update to the RE-45 a popular weapon in the game. This rework might make the RE-45 one of the strongest and most useful guns in Apex Legends going forward.
But while all of these updates are exciting there’s one small change that really caught my attention and it has to do with ranked mode. Normally in Apex Legends every match begins with a dropship flying across the map. All players can choose when and where to jump out of the ship so they can land in a spot they like find loot and prepare to fight. This has always been a key part of strategy especially for serious ranked players. But in Season 26 that’s changing in a big way.
Now in ranked mode only players will no longer be able to choose when or where they drop. The dropship will still be part of the match but players won’t be able to control their landing like before. Instead everyone will be randomly assigned to a Point of Interest (POI) on the map and their characters will automatically fall to that location as soon as the game begins. This means there’s no more jumping out manually no more trying to land at your favorite loot spots and no more early-game strategy based on drop timing.
This change is inspired by the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) which is the official Apex Legends esports tournament. In those high-level competitive matches this style of auto-dropping has already been used and seems to work well. Now Respawn is bringing the same system to public ranked games in Season 26. While it’s just one part of a much bigger update it’s a major shift that could completely change how ranked matches feel and play out moving forward.
In the upcoming Apex Legends Season 26 update ranked players are going to receive a new type of reward called auras. These auras are halo-like glowing effects that surround your character and are meant to show off your ranked achievements. They work in a way that’s similar to the old dive trails which used to let ranked players leave a trail of light while dropping into the map. However the developers have chosen this new reward system because dive trails caused some toxic behavior in matches like players targeting those who had high-ranked trails so this new aura system is designed to reduce that kind of negativity while still letting skilled players show off their rank in a cool way.
But that’s not all. Respawn is also adding a brand-new permanent mode to Apex Legends making it the third permanent mode in the game’s lineup. This new mode features 30 players all of whom are known as Wildcard Legends fighting each other on a smaller faster-paced version of Kings Canyon which is already the smallest map in Apex. The goal of this mode is to make fights happen faster and make it easier for players to jump into action right away instead of wandering around looking for gear or enemies.
To help with that Respawn has added a bunch of quality-of-life improvements that make the game smoother and faster. One new feature is automatic looting which means that if your character slides over loot on the ground it will be picked up without you needing to press a button. This can help you gear up quicker and stay focused on the action. Another new change is automatic respawning if one of your teammates is still alive and you're eliminated the game will bring you back automatically similar to how the Revivals Limited Time Mode (LTM) used to work.
There’s also a new item called Evo Orbs and they’re a big part of this faster-paced gameplay. These glowing orbs can be found on the ground or inside death boxes after a player is eliminated. When you pick one up the orb gives you a small boost in several areas it helps charge your shield level up your weapon regenerate your health and even speed up your Ultimate ability cooldown. In short Evo Orbs help you do all the powerful and fun things you love doing in Apex Legends but more often and more quickly. These new changes are all about keeping the action fast exciting and fair whether you're in ranked matches or trying out the new permanent mode.
This new game mode in Apex Legends is introducing something brand new and exciting called Wildcards. These are special power-ups or buffs that you can craft at Wildcard Crafting Stations during a match. When you use them they give your Legend extra abilities that can change how you play. For example one Wildcard might let you run along walls another might give you unlimited Shield Batteries so you can keep healing over and over and another could even allow you to use powers from other Legends that you didn’t pick. Of course there will be limits or drawbacks to using each Wildcard so you’ll have to choose carefully. Still these new features are expected to really change how matches feel and make every round more unpredictable and fun.
There are also big changes coming to the game’s weapons. One of the most popular guns the Peacekeeper is no longer in the Care Package. Instead it’s been replaced by a new weapon setup the akimbo P2020 pistols. That means you’ll be able to hold one in each hand and fire them both. These pistols now come with the Kinetic Feeder hop-up already included giving them special abilities like faster reload while sliding. Also all hop-ups in the game are now locked at first. That means you won’t be able to use them right away you’ll need to do a certain amount of damage in a match to unlock them which adds a new layer of strategy to the game.
Some Legends are also getting buffs (improvements) to make them stronger. Both Bangalore and Caustic will become more powerful in this update. On top of that the Controller class perk a special ability shared by some Legends is also getting an upgrade to make it more useful. Another cool change is in the game’s maps. You’ll now be able to explore the e-District map in the daytime and the updated sky visuals will remind many fans of Angel City a well-known map from Titanfall 2. If you’ve played that game before you’ll definitely recognize the inspiration.
If reading about all of these exciting changes makes you want to jump back into Apex Legends right now you’re not alone. And if you’re looking for other fun games too don’t forget to check out our lists of the best multiplayer games and the best free games on Steam. Spoiler alert Apex Legends is featured on both lists and honestly with all these new changes in Season 26 it’s probably going to be my go-to game for a while.
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