Season 6 of the popular battle royale Apex Legends launched on August 18, bringing a host of new gameplay changes. Some were long-awaited while others were more controversial, such as the removal of the R-99 (it’s okay to cry).
With the addition of the latest legend, Rampart, gameplay has seen a significant shift from aggressive pushing to encouraging defensive playstyles. Let’s dig deeper into Apex Legends Season 6!
Meet Rampart and her beloved minigun
The season’s new legend has a passion for modding, tech, and her gun Sheila. Rampart’s tactical – Amped Cover – deploys a crouch-cover wall that blocks incoming fire and amps outgoing shots. Players are still fine-tuning strategies, but using her tactical to block doorways or in conjunction with other defensive legends like Gibraltar or Wattson is a solid move.
Place Sheila (Rampart’s ultimate) behind Amped Cover and enemies are sure to shake in their boots. Rampart’s passive increases mag capacity and reload speed but only when using LMGs or Sheila. Those considering making the “Quick Witted Modder” their main should prioritize finding weapons like the Spitfire, Devotion, or L-Star.
Get crafty
Perhaps the most significant change to gameplay is the introduction of the crafting system. After locating a Replicator, players can craft eight different pieces of loot if they have enough materials. Materials are collected from opening loot or material bins. Items in the Replicator rotate on a daily and weekly basis.
The addition of Replicators received mixed reviews. Some players complain they provide an “unearned” advantage. Apex Legends Systems Designer, Mark Yampolsky, explained their purpose in a blog post, stating that they “want to give players the opportunity to build an inventory worthy of a late-game fight while encouraging more diverse playstyles beyond combat.”
However, whether or not you like the addition may depend on your playstyle. Fans of defensive playstyles seem to enjoy the addition. It allows them to fortify an area while having the ability to collect loot and upgrade armor.
Defense is the name of the game
Between the crafting system and Rampart’s ability to hold down strategic positions, it seems much of Season 6’s focus is defense. The World’s Edge map changes include new locations—Launch Site, Countdown, and Staging—equipped with rising blast walls. Activating a control panel raises a platform, allowing the lucky team to fortify their position. This new game mechanic promotes unique combat scenarios never before seen in-game.
Evo Armor has officially replaced all traditional armor except gold. Players start with a level 0 Evo, a welcome addition that rewards those who are victorious in early firefights. Players can choose to continue evolving their starting Evo or replace it with a higher-level Evo if lucky enough to come across one.
All level armor was reduced by 25 health. Although it is often frustrating to be knocked down easier, it aligns with the developers’ goal – as stated in the Patch Notes – to “… bring down the TTK (time to kill) a bit in order to better reward strategic positioning.” Once again, this update favors teams who choose to hold down strategic positions and vantage points.
Conclusion
It is obvious the Apex Legends developers are pushing for gameplay variety. The R-99 being taken out of the rotation was a massive blow to the community. Changes like this have forced players to adapt and adopt new team compositions and strategies.
Although not ideal for aggressors, it is nice to see a Battle Royale encouraging defense. Tweaks are sure to follow further down the line, but gameplay continues to be revolutionized with unique additions like the crafting system.
