There’s an undeniable hopeful air surrounding the season 16 release of Apex Legends. Respawn has been more transparent than ever and the majority of the new changes seem pretty darn good. As the season approaches, we get even more bits and pieces that make for great reading.

NO New Legend on the Horizon

With Apex Mobile shutdown now inevitable, Respawn has no plans to bring Fade or Rhapsody to the OG Apex. A true shame since these 2 legends is very fun to play (and a bit overpowered, especially Rhapsody). Still, we can only hope something can be salvaged from it.

For the Anniversary Collection Event, players will be able to get Heirloom Shards as a reward. This isn’t that better than the $160 recolored PK, but it’s a start.

The Respawn Devs responded on Twitter, stating “they’ve heard the community, loud and clear on recolors. Their pledge – no more recolor weapon rewards. Their weak-sauce reasoning was “new players were missing out on older skins and they didn’t want to just re-release the same skins over and over again.”

The BIG GUN META SHIFT

A huge nerf is incoming for the Assault Rifles. According to Respawn, the damage and accuracy when firing from the hip were too consistent and needed some fine-tuning. That is why they will be increasing the Hipfire Spread – you will have to aim downsights to get your aim in order.

Speaking of nerfs and assault rifles, everyone’s bellowed R-301 is getting its damage reduced. Not a huge nerf, just 1 DPS (from 14 to 13)… however, you shouldn’t be able to clip a purple-shielded enemy with ease.

While still talking about guns, fans of up-close-and-personal fights should be VERY happy. Shotguns are getting a new gold bolt that reloads your gun while sliding. Also, you fire like a maniac.

Respawn really seems to love shotguns for S16. They are now giving stocks to both the PK and the Mastiff. Confirmed ground loot, lol!

Team Death Match is here to stay

A little bit more info was shared about the new Team Death Match. It will be a new mode that will be available from the very start of Season 16 in Apex. Currently, there are 3 maps in the original roster. two from King’s Kanyon and one from Olympus.

The matches should be very fast with the team that gets first to 30 kills securing the win. What is still unknown is the approach towards gearing up, respawns (if any), and a limitation on how many Legends you can play as.

The Mixtape Experience

This is a fun one – Mixstape Playlists. It is a new take on the LTM roundup, with every mode switching up on a 15-minute cooldown. The available modes for the Mixtape Playlists include:
– Control
– Gun Run
– Team Deathmatch

As old-school gamers, we love the fact that Team Deathmatch is coming back like it is some huge new discovery.

RANKED ISN’T CHANGING

There will be no ranked changes in S16. To the dismay of many a pro player, Respawn doesn’t think the current system needs to be updated. Their reasoning is that, up to Masters, thanks to the new matchmaking systems, players are having a blast. There’s an improvement in player satisfaction in the last split. They are, however, looking into making changes as the season progresses.

The only actual change comes in the form of map rotation. This includes both Pubs and Ranked. The maps will change every 24h. Horray!

NEW BOTS, erm, PLAYERS WELCOME!

Arguably, the biggest change S16 brings is for new players. Not only are newbies matched up against bots, but they also won’t be able to square off against “live” opponents until they get a win by themselves. This change is to discourage smurfing and ensure new players get a smoother entry experience.