{"id":11732,"date":"2022-08-05T14:53:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T14:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/05\/apex-legends-new-character-comes-with-a-cute-sidekick-and-a-big-sniper-rifle\/"},"modified":"2022-08-05T14:53:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T14:53:40","slug":"apex-legends-new-character-comes-with-a-cute-sidekick-and-a-big-sniper-rifle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/05\/apex-legends-new-character-comes-with-a-cute-sidekick-and-a-big-sniper-rifle\/","title":{"rendered":"Apex Legends\u2019 new character comes with a cute sidekick and a big sniper rifle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/8\/4\/23291830\/apex-legends-hunted-vantage-battle-royale<\/a>
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Apex Legends<\/em> continues to hold its players\u2019 attention even after several years on the market, and next week, the battle royale shooter will bring things back to where they started with a new season that revisits the game\u2019s original map. This year, the game already added two new characters (plus two more in the new mobile version<\/a>), brought upgrades for next-gen consoles, rotated in a well-received Control game mode<\/a>, and, according to EA\u2019s earnings call this week<\/a>, notched double-digit income growth again for the last quarter. On the other hand, player complaints over glitches, ranked mode scoring, matchmaking, and practically any other small detail continue to mount. <\/p>\n

The last season was particularly troubled, with problems that affected one of the game\u2019s best features<\/a> \u2014 its responsive controls \u2014 and enough bugginess that it even popped up during a professional Apex Legends<\/em> tournament last month.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t judge the game\u2019s stability until we start playing it, but on a call with reporters, the team confirmed it\u2019s listening to players of all levels about how to adjust gameplay. Design director Evan Nikolich called ranked \u201ca work in progress,\u201d saying we should expect to see more changes in the full patch notes as the developers try to emphasize being a good team player. Other long-awaited features, like gifting and cross progression, are still coming, but there\u2019s no word yet on when they will be available. When it goes live, players can expect cross progression that allows you to change platforms so PC players can grind out daily challenges on the go on a Switch, for example.<\/p>\n

Other changes that will be notable to longtime players include a revamped progression system that allows you to rerun the zero to 500-level grind and earn more packs. Players can repeat the process up to four times, earning new badges and unlocking more rewards. If you\u2019re starting from zero, the process would yield enough packs to guarantee receiving an in-game \u201cheirloom\u201d item at some point, but if you\u2019re already at a maximum level, it won\u2019t be enough by itself.<\/p>\n

In the actual game, there are almost too many changes to note. The controversial gold knockdown shield that allowed downed players to self-revive, and occasionally win the game without even reviving, has had that feature eliminated. Many professional and high-level players had complained it was unfair, but the team says they\u2019re making changes based on what they see in all levels of the game. Now, that same item has the features that were attached to the gold backpack, allowing players to revive teammates with extra shields and health, while the gold backpack now has a \u201cdeep pockets\u201d perk that allows it to hold extra healing items.<\/p>\n

Many of the game\u2019s guns that have been present since launch are changing, as the Wingman pistol suddenly takes sniper ammo, and the Spitfire machine gun uses light ammunition instead of heavy. We\u2019re not getting a new weapon to go with this season of Apex Legends<\/em>, but the radical shifts in how they work may be enough to make up for that \u2014 the only question is if everything will remain balanced or if an all-sniper \/ shotgun loadout will rule. <\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n\"\u201cRelic\u201d\"<\/p>\n

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\u201cRelic.\u201d<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Respawn Entertainment<\/cite><\/p>\n

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That brings us to the new character, Vantage, and the old map, Kings Canyon. A recent ranked season split on the OG Apex<\/em> map revealed how much players have grown since the game launched \u2014 on a map that didn\u2019t quite fit how things are played now. For the Hunted<\/em> season, the reforged Kings Canyon<\/a> is looking a lot different. It\u2019s bigger, many chokepoints have been widened, the iconic Skulltown section is back as a new area dubbed \u201cRelic,\u201d and there are other map changes intended to help fights proceed more quickly instead of the extended engagements that usually drew a third-party\u2019s attention before one team could defeat another. The loot on the map is now positioned differently, and a new skybox is supposed to make things brighter compared to its original dinginess that could wear on you after a while.<\/p>\n

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