Starting on the April 13, another limited-time event is coming to Apex Legends to finish out Season 8. The War Games event is a collection of five game modes, spread out over the course of two weeks until April 27. Like with other Apex Legends events, War Games will come with some unique cosmetic items.
The War Games event is coming hot on the heels of the Ring Fury event, which introduced Apex's new heat shield item. Each of the five upcoming game modes will make interesting tweaks to normal gameplay, and it's not out of the question that one might become permanent in some form. Expect the new game modes to only be available in the normal duos and trios playlists, since special events usually don't interfere with Apex's ranked system.
Apex Legends recently came to Nintendo Switch. War Games is just the second special event for any newcomers that got on board with the Switch release, and it seems it will introduce a rapid fire of changes to keep things interesting. Details on all five new game modes and War Games event cosmetics can be found below.
Apex Legends War Games - Second Chance Game Mode
The first game mode for the War Games event is Second Chance, which will run from April 13 to 15. Second Chance gives every player in the game one free respawn. The first time a player is killed, they'll drop back into the game above the spot of their death, retaining all the loot they would have otherwise lost. Apex Legends already lets players get another chance at victory, but this will let them do so without teammates delivering their banners to a respawn beacon.
Presumably, respawn beacons will still be available, and subsequent deaths can be remedied through the usual means. In a news update on EA's website, Respawn Entertainment made a point of letting fans know certain badges can't be earned during the Second Chance game mode, since the additional life would make getting them much easier. These are the Assassin badge, which is awarded for scoring five kills in multiple games with a single legend; the Wake badge, unlocked upon getting 20 kills in a single game; and the Wrath badge, which has multiple tiers for dealing 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 damage in a match.
Apex Legends War Games - Ultra Zones Game Mode
Ultra Zones, the second game mode of the War Games event, looks to shake up the loot pool. It adds multiple hot zones to a single game. Higher quality loot and a better chance at gold items (including gold guns, some of the best weapons in Apex Legends) will make these titular Ultra Zones a desirable drop point. Ultra Zones also brings back Flash Points from an event in Season 6. Each Ultra Zone is surrounded by a Flash Point, which will regenerate health and shields while a player is inside. Ultra Zones replaces Second Chance and will run April 15 through 19.
Apex Legends War Games - Auto Banners Game Mode
War Games' third mode, Auto Banners, runs from April 19 to 21. This one is only a small change, removing the requirement of retrieving a teammate's banner from their death box. Players will be able to go straight for the respawn beacons when a squadmate is killed. Respawn Entertainment has also increased the drop rate of mobile respawn beacons for Auto Banners. While still making it easier to get teammates back in the fight, Auto Banners won't be as forgiving as Second Chance, since getting respawned won't award any of the loot lost.
Although Auto Banners is a small change, it has the potential to create some interesting new gameplay dynamics in Apex Legends. Without the need to retrieve a banner, players might feel more comfortable spreading out from their squad when coming out of the dropship. A player might risk getting more loot for themselves, knowing their team won't have to make a hike to bring them back into the fray.
Apex Legends War Games - Killing Time Game Mode
Available April 21 to 23, Killing Time will change Apex's structure most of the five War Games. Every time a player is killed, the round time jumps down. It's unclear how many seconds will be taken off the clock when someone exits the game, but hot drops turning nasty will force players to pick up the pace. A frequent occurrence - especially outside of the ranked playlist, where players won't care as much about the results - is many players landing in a map's popular drop locations, resulting in skirmishes thinning out the crowd rather early. Following this is often a particularly boring period of the match, in which the last handful of squads are isolated in the still-large play area.
Killing Time could very well be Respawn trying out a new idea to increase the excitement of Apex Legends games. From the description, it seems Killing Time will really push the envelope in terms of ring acceleration, but it's possible a similar, more lax system could become a permanent part of the game later on.
Apex Legends War Games - Armor Regen Game Mode
The final game mode coming in Apex's War Games event is Armor Regen. Shield Cells will be removed from the loot pool entirely, and armor will instead regenerate on its own after a short delay. Eight seconds after taking damage, armor will start coming back at 12 points per second. If armor is completely broken, it will take 16 seconds until it starts regenerating. Armor Regen will start on April 23 and run through the end of the War Games event on April 27.
Apex Legends War Games - Event Cosmetics
Like many live-service video games, Apex Legends earns a good portion of its revenue from in-game cosmetic items. For those who don't feel like opening their wallets, special events usually come with a handful of free cosmetics. War Games' daily challenges will award points, which unlock cosmetics as they accrue. A few stat trackers are able to be unlocked for free, along with two new weapon charms, Crypto and Rampart skins, and a 30-30 Repeater skin (pictured above). Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Mirage, Pathfinder, and Wraith are all getting event-specific skins, as well, but it looks like those won't be available for free.
The War Games event is looking to end Apex Legends Season 8 with some excitement before Season 9 brings Titanfall content to the game. Each game mode will end "during mornings, PT time" on their respective end dates.
Source: EA