Apex Legends Arsenal – the new season starts today and includes a new Legend, major World’s Edge map updates and much more

The new season of Apex Legends is here! Arsenal launches today, ushering in a slew of new content and updates including a new Legend, major map updates for World’s Edge, and more. Here are the features I’m most looking forward to, but you can expect a ton more content if you jump in Apex Legends Today and this season! Read the official patch notes here.

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New Legend – Ballistic

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Ballistic is described as a sophisticated older gentleman living with a beast inside, which sounds to me like an angry old man yelling at Loot Ticks to get off his lawn. My kind of legend (I’m a slick older player). He has some interesting passives, tactical, and ultimate abilities, including a pistol with a smart bullet that tracks its target, jamming and damaging your weapon; the ability to carry three weapons (the Slung weapon stored in the third slot cannot be upgraded with attachments); and the ability to buff nearby teammates with increased speed and unlimited ammo – while upgrading his belted third weapon to a gold version of that weapon. For someone who enjoys wielding a sniper rifle but rarely does so as it’s not ideal for every situation, this is an appealing ability.

With all the sweeping changes that were added last season, including the introduction of classes and perks, we didn’t get a new Legend, so I’m happy that with this season we’re back in the rhythm of an added Legend, and hardly can expect to see him in action! Read more about Ballistic, including its backstory, class advantages, and abilities on the official site.

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Map Update – World’s Edge

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World’s Edge is getting a major overhaul with some major changes to the existing layout. There’s a new vault to the north, Skyhook has seen recent snowfall, smoke is clearing the sky, the lava fissures are cooling, but perhaps the biggest noticeable change I can’t wait for is the addition of the Monument Point of interest. Located near the center of the map, this museum honors Apex’s past, present, and future with exhibits ranging from tribal artifacts to abstract sculptures. There’s even a gift shop, although I doubt it sells gear and ammo.

Other significant changes include changes to the Harvester and Lava City areas. The build pile in Fragment West, arguably the most popular and combat-intensive landing spot in World’s Edge, is being moved to the Lava City area to the south. This change will turn the tactical approach at the start of each match upside down. There are also a few other surprises that we’re sure you’ll notice next time you jump into World’s Edge this season.

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Ground Up Remodel – Shooting Range

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Firing Range has had a complete overhaul, and with its grand reopening in the Arsenal update, it has so much more to offer for players looking to hone their skills and test their arsenal of weapons. The Shooting Range now features a Skill Course to practice your moves, Practice Grounds to simulate combat with programmable test dummies that shoot back, and a Duel Pit to engage in a little player versus player action with your friends can measure. My player two and I used to do this at the old shooting range, so the fact that we now have a special place for duels is a welcome surprise. Whether you’re a new, current, or returning player, you should check out the new, improved Shooting Range. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two while having fun. I know I will!

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New progression system – Weapon Mastery

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With the Weapon Mastery progression system, each weapon can be leveled up by using the weapon (in any game mode) and completing challenges related to that weapon. Rewards are earned along the way, including a Legendary Weapon Apex Pack specific to each weapon you’ve mastered, culminating in a unique banner frame once you’ve mastered them all.

This is a great strategy to encourage new and old players alike to earn rewards for varying their gear and learning each weapon’s abilities. I’m a huge fan of completing the daily, weekly, and special event challenges, and I look forward to pursuing and completing even more tasks for rewards just for playing the game.

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New survival slot item – Evacuation Tower

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So far you could equip a heat shield or a mobile respawn beacon in the survival slot, but with the Apex Legends Arsenal update, you can now equip the Evacuation Tower. This item can be found in the same places as most other items – on the ground, in loot containers, and on care packs. Essentially mobile jump towers, they can be used to quickly traverse the map – either towards or away from combat, depending on your team’s playstyle. They’re also great for pouncing on care packages or escaping from ring locks.

Activating the Evacuation Tower launches a missile into the air which then releases a giant balloon, like the giant red balloons used by the Jump Towers. A zip line will anchor the balloon in place and the evacuation tower will be operational. Once used, ascend to the balloon and can then parachute to your next destination.

A few notes on the evacuation tower. It is not permanent, its health will deteriorate over time and will eventually be destroyed. Shooting it speeds up that process, and yes, that includes friendly fire. Every time you launch a rocket with a balloon and a zipline attached to it, you pretty much pinpoint your location to nearby enemies. That can be bad…or good?

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Ping wheel update

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Yes, I’m excited for a Ping Wheel update that seems kind of ridiculous, but it’s probably the most used element in the game. Not every legend is used in every game, and not every weapon is used in every game. But I’d bet the Ping Wheel is used by you, your teammates, or someone from the other team for a bag of Apex Coins every turn, making it one of the most used items in the game.

With this latest update, new ping options replace some of the underused ones to strengthen and improve team communication, with the addition of two additional pings for parachutists and downed players. It’s a small update to a simple feature, but an important one that most Apex players rely on.

As with every new one Apex Legends season, Arsenal will have a unique feature battle pass Complete with new challenges and rewards including Legend and Weapon Skins, Weapon Charms, Banner Frames, Emotes and more! But that’s not all, the team has a variety of upcoming events, sales, and content releases throughout the season. For more details see official site and follow @PlayApex on twitter.

Apex Legends is a free-to-play shooter available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Be sure to check out everything included in the new Arsenal season when it launches today. And if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, don’t forget to redeem your perks and grab the Gilded Fortunes weapon charm, available with your monthly EA Play rewards for a limited time.