Updates and Season History#
Apex Legends has long held a cadence of roughly ninety days per season, with each season split into two parts. This page lays out the season lineage in order, then expands on the current season’s specific changes.
Season History#
| Season | Name | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Wild Frontier | First battle pass; new Legend Octane |
| Season 2 | Battle Charge | Wattson added; Ranked goes live |
| Season 3 | Meltdown | New map World’s Edge; Crypto added |
| Season 4 | Assimilation | Revenant added; early form of the shield evolution mechanic |
| Season 5 | Fortune’s Favor | Loba added; questline system |
| Season 6 | Boosted | Rampart added; crafting system goes live |
| Season 7 | Ascension | New map Olympus; Horizon added |
| Season 8 | Mayhem | Fuse added; damage tracking system |
| Season 9 | Legacy | Valkyrie added; Arenas mode goes live |
| Season 10 | Emergence | Seer added; World’s Edge reworked |
| Season 11 | Escape | New map Storm Point; Ash added |
| Season 12 | Defiance | Mad Maggie added; Control mode goes live |
| Season 13 | Saviors | Newcastle added; Ranked adjustments |
| Season 14 | Hunted | Vantage added; level cap raised |
| Season 15 | Eclipse | New map Broken Moon; Catalyst added |
| Season 16 | Revelry | No new Legend; Legend class system arrives, Arenas removed |
| Season 17 | Arsenal | Ballistic added; Firing Range and training systems reworked |
| Season 18 | Resurrection | No new Legend; Revenant reworked |
| Season 19 | Ignite | Conduit added; cross-play and map rotation adjustments |
| Season 20 | Breakout | No new Legend; shield cores and Legend upgrades arrive |
| Season 21 | Upheaval | Alter added; destruction mechanics and map updates |
| Season 22 | Shockwave | New map E-District; destruction and carry mechanics added |
| Season 23 | From the Rift | Season mechanics and map rotation adjustments |
| Season 24 | Takeover | Gameplay mechanic updates and balance changes |
| Season 25 | Prodigy | Sparrow added |
| Season 26 | Rivalry | Ranked and matchmaking adjustments |
| Season 27 | Amped | Weapon and Legend balance updates |
| Season 28 | Breach | Fuse and Bloodhound adjustments; destructible wall mechanics |
| Season 29 | Overclocked | Axle added; chain healing system |
| Season 30 | Marked | See below |
Season 30 “Marked”#
Launched on August 4, 2026, and expected to run into early November. This season adds no new Legend, so the newest character is still Axle from Season 29.
| Change | Content |
|---|---|
| Bloodhound rework | Tracking abilities strengthened overall; the ultimate becomes a cloaking device that can conceal nearby teammates |
| World’s Edge rework | Switched to nighttime with auroras, three new landmarks added, and the Sorting Factory and Stacks return |
| Corrupted attachments | A new class of attachments with side effects, strengthening one stat while weakening another |
| Energy weapons | Switched to a built-in regenerating magazine, no longer drawing energy ammo from the backpack |
| Loot adjustments | Gold attachments and gold backpacks removed from the drop pool; purple drop rates lowered |
| Legend balance | Loba and Rampart buffed; Loba’s movement is faster and covers more distance, and her ultimate cooldown is shortened |
| Ranked ladder | Ladder event window extended to five days |
Split Two Balance (September 15)#
| Direction | Targets |
|---|---|
| Buffs | Conduit (faster ultimate), Fuse (explosive damage resistance), Catalyst (shorter cooldowns), Sparrow |
| Nerfs | Axle (drone health and cooldown, and stun duration all reduced), Valkyrie |
| Feel adjustments | Bloodhound’s cloak is harder to spot with the naked eye |
Split Two Battle Pass#
The split two battle pass runs sixty levels and costs 950 coins. It includes a Legendary skin for Revenant, a Legendary skin for Fuse, a Legendary Prowler skin, and a reactive R-301 skin at max level. Unclaimed rewards do not carry over to the next season.
Season 31 Known Information#
Official sources have confirmed that Season 31 will bring an overall rework of the Ranked system, covering both scoring and tier structure. That is as far as public information goes; the new season’s name and date have not been announced. On the character side, the next new Legend is planned for Season 32, while Season 31 continues adjusting the ability kits of existing characters.
How to Keep Up with Patches#
| Practice | Reason |
|---|---|
| Read only the key entries in official patch notes | Third-party interpretations often present experimental changes as settled |
| Play public matches first after a big change | Testing new weapons and Legends in Ranked costs too much |
| Track changes to your main Legend | The same Legend’s strength can reverse between minor versions |
| Don’t chase every change | The version pace is fast; tracking every entry is poor value for time |
Versions and Playstyle#
Patches change numbers and mechanics; what does not change are the three fundamentals of positioning, information and resource management. After every major patch, the first things to expire are weapon and Legend tier lists, and the last thing is decision logic. So when reading updates, prioritize changes that “alter positional relationships” — adding destructible walls, changing map routes, adjusting shield recovery pace — those effects last far longer than a single damage number tweak.
Reading Order for Patch Notes#
Patch notes are long; read them in the order below and you will have the gist in five minutes.
| Order | What to read first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legend and weapon nerfs | Directly decides whether your current playstyle still holds |
| 2 | Map changes | Affects drops and rotation routes, and lasts the longest |
| 3 | Mechanics added or removed | For example shields, loot and attachment systems |
| 4 | Ranked rules | Tied to the timing of split changes |
| 5 | Remaining balance tweaks | Small impact; can be caught up on later |
How Long Patch Effects Last#
| Change type | How long it lasts |
|---|---|
| Map route changes | The whole season or longer |
| New mechanics and system changes | Long-term, carried into later seasons |
| Legend ability reworks | Usually sets strength for one to two seasons |
| Weapon damage tweaks | Overwritten by the next balance pass within weeks |
| Ranked scoring changes | Depends on patch cadence; usually lasts one season |
Judging Whether a Change Matters#
Look at whether it changes positional relationships: something that makes a spot attackable or unattackable, turns a rotation route into a dead end, or invalidates a gun at a certain range band — those changes are worth far more than raw damage numbers. Conversely, an entry that shaves two points of damage off one weapon is usually not worth changing your playstyle over.