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Respawn Entertainment has revealed the biggest gameplay changes coming to Apex Legends: Takeover, the next major event celebrating the battle royale’s sixth anniversary. The upcoming update will enhance the assault class, along with buffing every weapon in the game. New loadout bins are being deployed across the map, and snipers can party now as they too are getting buffs.
Respawn’s Joshua Mohan, associate design director, Eric Canavese, lead BR designer, and John Larson, legends designer, have revealed the details to Newsweek about the game’s upcoming meta changes.
Electronic Arts
Here’s every major change coming to Apex Legends: Takeover.
Assault Legends Gets Big Buffs
The Assault class is getting buffed to make fights last shorter. Combined with the weapon buffs, the assault class will need to push forward in fights more, though it might be challenging as snipers can also deal more damage. The assault class is getting two inventory slots specifically for grenades. The class also gets a new ability that lets them move and reload faster after destroying an enemy’s shield, which also highlights them on the map for the entire team.
New Weapon Balance Changes
Every weapon in the game is getting buffs, though not equally. This results in the time to kill getting significantly cut down, though that will be offset by other changes. The weapon tiers will remain largely the same, so assault rifles will still stack above SMGs in their effectiveness. Each weapon will feel much more powerful, with buffs coming in the form of increased damage output, decreased recoil, or changes to their attachments. The R-99 SMG is also coming back, and it too is getting a big buff, as is the P2020 which may steal the spotlight this season.
New Healing and Crawling Upgrades
You can now stack up to six small med packs in your inventory, which should help counter the lower time to kill. When fights get frenetic, players can crawl quicker when on the ground. This should help downed players get to cover, or their team members, faster.
Snipers Are Getting Buffed
Damage reduction for headshots is gone, unless you equip a gold or red helmet, meaning snipers can deal more damage from a distance. Respawn says that snipers may want to lean into the 30-30 Repeater as the weapon will get a major buff that, combined with increased headshot damage, may change the sniper meta.
Ash Gets Buffs and a New Ability
Ash is getting some major changes. The character’s passive abilities are getting a shakeup, as a new ability will let her quickly dash horizontally on the battlefield. This ability can then be chained together with an ultimate move to make her more effective in fights. Ash is also getting an upgrade to her double dash and double ult abilities.
Support Class Gets Nerfed
The support class is getting nerfed across the board. The Heal Expert perk won’t be as effective after the new update. Support legends will also see lower stocks and the gold armor perk won’t activate for small meds.
Apex Legends is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Apex Legends: Takeover launches on February 11, 2025, as a free update.
