It’s pretty standard, at this point, for the new season of Apex Legends content to become essentially known ahead of the actual release. A combination of leaks, Respawn announcements and pure osmosis mean there’s typically little in the way of surprises when the Patch Notes eventually drop. Season 17 has been no exception with May 1’s developer update joining forces with leaks and rumors to give us a pretty transparent idea what to expect when Arsenal comes.
We’ve now had confirmation that Ballistic will be the game’s new Legend and, with an official developer reveal, major Ranked Play changes have found their way into the public domain. Barring an exception or two, they look to be exactly what the mode needs and give us every hope that Season 17 will be Apex’s most competitive yet.
Apex Season 17 Ranked Changes
So what are the changes? Season 17 Ranked Play will bring the following:
- Removal of Ranked Points (RP) in favor of Ladder Points, which will instead put emphasis on final placements and winning matches, rather than kills
- Matchmaking will be based on players’ skill, not their rank
- Splits have been removed, with resets occurring seasonally and 10 Provisional Matches being granted to players
- Minimum account level required is now 50
- Entry Cost is now the same for all Ranks (35 LP)
- New Bonus system that conditionally rewards wins and compensates losses
It’s hard not to be excited by most, if not all of those. Anyone with Ranked Play matches under their belts will know the frustration of Ranked splits, arbitrarily swapping maps and forcing players to essentially start over halfway through a season. Instead, it will default to Seasonal dates itself, meaning players can reap the rewards of their Ranked endeavors for longer – and don’t have to endure the constant presence of a map they dislike.
Furthermore, the upping of the minimum account level reduces the likelihood of unwitting ‘noobs’ from finding their way onto your team (we’ve all been there) and the balancing of the entry cost means committing to Ranked matches now brings the same burden to all who choose to enter the mode.
Matchmaking evolving to be based on skill, rather than Rank, is also welcome. It should eradicate issues with incorrect placements and reaffirms the faith Respawn is placing in its tweaked matchmaking systems. While they’re not flawless and issues still need to be ironed out, it’s certainly welcome to see a development team sticking to its proverbial guns and doubling down on commitments to improve the player experience.
Our only real hesitation comes in the form of Ladder Points being awarded on the basis of placement and match victory, rather than kills. This seems certain to encourage negative playstyles and camping to try and secure better placements and more Ladder Points. Apex Legends is at its best when players are brave and proactive, pushing enemies and contributing to the Titanfall-esque carnage the game offers so well. Discouraging this seems like a misstep, but it is absolutely true that in a last-player standing mode (like battle royale so unapologetically is) that the winner is… the last-player standing. In short, this is one we’ll watch with bated breath.
Apex Legends Season 17 does look as though it’ll bring another major shake-up to Respawn’s battle royale and its Ranked Play mode. Here’s hoping we feel the benefits when it drops on May 9.
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