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We’re still a good month away from Apex Legends S17 and the leaks are going haywire. The amount of new information data miners have “dug up” is unrivaled. We already know the following Legend is Ballistic. We know of his abilities, his looks, and even titbits of lore and how he’ll impact the games. A very recent leak gave us the concept art for Horizon’s heirloom. Oh, and lest we forget, there’s a ton of news about Respawn’s new studio that will produce content for Apex exclusively.
Seems like the competition in the BR market is sprucing up! Fortnite is looking amazing (literally, thanks to Unreal Engine 5) and the CoDs and Battlefields are all going strong. So, how does EA/Respawn look to keep us hooked? Let’s take a look at everything, both rumored and confirmed for Season 17 in Apex Legends.
Respawn going into “Apex-overdrive” with a new studio
This one is a no-brainer really. Back in March, Respawn’s CEO Vince Zampella talked about the future of Apex and their plan to support the game in the next 10-15 years. That is why they’re opening a 3rd studio in Wisconsin, which will deal exclusively with Apex content.
So far, this is all great news for Apex players. It seems Respawn is really committed to actually developing the game further and offering new modes, rather than endless recolors. We will just have to wait and see how this plan supports Apex beyond S16.
The new Legend, Ballistic
We know that Ballistic is the new legend to join the roster in S17 in Apex. From all the leaks we can confirm that:
- His passive is a sling that allows him to carry + 1 weapon in his arsenal. The only downside to this is that this weapon will be “naked”, so no attachments are allowed. It will be interesting to see how this meshes up with his Ultimate, speaking of which:
- Ultimate – the Weapon Enhancer. It gives Ballistic and his crew an infinite ammo buff + if they run without a weapon drawn they can move faster. It is arguably one of the strongest ultimates on paper and is sure to break the character meta. Why we mentioned it previously in regards to the sling is that it will also buff a weapon to a “gold” quality. We will have to see it in action to confirm it though.
- Tactical – smart bullet (debuff an enemy) + lock on to a target. This one’s also on another level. Originally an Attack Turret, it was switched to a Smart Bullet Q. The Q applies a debuff on a target, making their weapon “overheat.” If held, the bullet can “track” a target so you can always hit your mark. Crazy OP from the description.
Lore-wise, Ballistic fits in as a prolific gun-smith with ties to the old days of the Thunderdome. He comes in from a line of brawlers and entertainers, with Gibby and Rampart having specific voice lines that hint at a deeper connection, perhaps to the Silva family.
Horizon’s heirloom!
Soon, Horizon mains… soon! It was revealed in a leak that S17 in Apex will be the one where Horizon’s heirloom will arrive. For now, we’ve had some interesting concepts which Respawn teased – a pen-like knife that extends into a light-saber! Super cool from the likes of it but we have to wait and see for the final product.
It is rumored that the heirloom will arrive after the first Collection Event, and will be all “space-themed”. There’s already a code name for most of the 3 confirmed Collection Events, and the 3rd one is Alien so, 2 and 2 together folks!
Rivals – first Confirmed Collection event
Speaking of the Collection event, the S17 leaks for Apex in this regard were crazy. Look at this video that’s been circulating these past couple of hours:
We can assume the leaks will now start with the artists sitting at home, drinking coffee, and imagining the new skins. This is so early in development but it’s cool we can see the thought process. Very shiny and inviting either way.
So, what’s your verdict on the info for S17? Are you hyped to play more of Apex in the coming period? Do you think EA/Respawn will continue the good streak that they’ve been on since the start of S16? Let us know in the comments!
