I like to think I’m pretty good at Apex Legends. that A very specific leaderboard He tells me I’m the top 16th player in Horizon (for kills, in the UK, on PC), and I think I could have gotten the Masters easily last season had it not been for a little game called Elden Ring. But look at my ranked game so far and you’ll think I’ve been quite mediocre, struggling even to get off the silver medal.
Three days into the thirteenth season, my ego was completely checked. But look around, and you’ll quickly realize I’m not alone.
The thirteenth season, The Rescuers, was relatively young compared to its predecessors. Only minor changes to the map on Storm Point, new legendNo new guns, and no notable new mode like last season’s control, you’d be forgiven for thinking Apex was a little slow. But this season also brought about an overhaul of ranked play.
Ranking is reloaded with the launch of Apex Legends: Saviors! Check out the highlights below or read the dev blog to learn more about the changes.: https://t.co/dvhKOZYyYW pic.twitter.com/x7GUYCwj7cMay 4, 2022
A lot of these changes won’t make sense if you’re not familiar with Apex classified, but here’s the gist of it. Kills and assists are practically worthless if you’re not in the top ten, and win bonuses (or even reach the top three) even with a few kills, assists, or new “engagement” points (resulting in kills for your team that you haven’t help out) is more profitable than it was before.
It’s a change aimed at making Apex play less like a 20-team death match and more like a battle royale, something Respawn has said a lot in detail. The re-uploaded blog post has been rated. Heavy relegation has now been discouraged in favor of teamwork, planning, and survival, a welcome move that brings the ranked Apex more in line with competitive play.
The problem lies in the fact that a lot of people (including me) like to play solo. Apex’s ping system makes this pretty easy, after all, and I don’t always have three stacks to drop. But people haven’t learned yet that picking early fights you can’t win is much more punishment than before. Solo games, right now, often end up with players hungry to kill, dragging their team into ill-thought-out battles and causing everyone to drop down the ladder.
This has always been the case, mind. The difference now is that getting some PK points won’t help you crash even if you’re not placing a bet – and even some of the game’s best players find out, eliminating multiple entire teams won’t cut it if you’re not in the top half in the higher ranks.
This can’t be real…PlayApex pic.twitter.com/hxKnAn8jK712 May 2022
In addition to the kill point changes, an unannounced change has seen a drop of two and a half ranks this season, instead of the usual one and a half ranks. Players who were previously platinum tiered are now bronze medalists, silver masters, and so forth. The reset early in the season is usually chaotic, but even more so now, with players who used to be the best among the best fighting hard through the lower ranks.
With a new staggered entry fee system and higher fees across the board, the ranked climb has slowed to a crawl. According to player analytics sites like ApexLegendsStatus And tracker.ggdiamonds and platinum are currently practically barren, with perhaps only dozens having access to the Apex Predator.
Perhaps these arranged changes were the right move. As long as you are sufficiently qualified in the game, reaching Gold, Platinum, Diamond, or even Master was simply a matter of attrition. Lots of people got their Masters this past season, and it looks like Respawn wants to bring that rank back into the role it was targeting – the best of the best, players who can turn pro with ease.
It is a shame that this new system falls behind the single queue. The great thing about the Apex rating is how it delivered scores of success – that you can still walk away feeling victorious with enough good fights, even if you don’t win the whole round. But if you’re not coordinating, not carefully planning your next turn and accumulating resources like a unit, then the initial skill alone won’t be enough.
Many players will be sad about their new placements, as stuttering plat players realize they may now be silver or gold, but it’s better if Apex set foot in what it is Means To be placed in each rank. Under the old system, I would have thought I could have a master’s degree with enough time, but let’s be realistic. I am not an ALGS material.
However, it would have been nice if I only did it once, if only for the skydiving track.