Apex Legends: Breakout Celebrates Five Years in the Latest Major Update

In some ways, it’s hard to believe that Apex Legends is already five years old. Since its release in 2019, the free-to-play battle royal shooter has been released for a wide range of last- and current-generation platforms, with a focus on cross-play. This format has, of course, seen a lot of success with updates rolling out in the form of “seasons."

Typically, each new season drops a new character, new weapons, and other cosmetic items. However, as Apex Legends gears up to release its 20th season to coincide with its anniversary celebrations, the development team is aiming for something a little different.

Enter Apex Legends: Breakout – the next major update set to launch on February 13 that will expand the scope of the game through Legend upgrades, new rewards, a new Mixtape map, and battle pass.

We had an opportunity to visit the folks at Respawn and explore Apex Legends: Breakout during a recent media summit and came away with plenty of materials and perspective for where the popular shooter is aiming for next.

Everything You Need to Know About Apex Legends: Breakout

The first question for seasoned players is probably, just what is Apex Legends: Breakout? Well, to summarize simply, each Legend will see Armor and Ability enhancements. There will be a set of bonuses called Breakout Rewards that unlock with the six Legends throughout the season, and those Legends can be kept forever by completing a series of challenges. Players can work towards even more rewards such as a Reactive Flatline, a Legendary Wraith skin, and matching cosmetics.

There’s also Ranked, which will be updated with a high-risk, high-reward incentive through each Ranked Split and an Anniversary Collection event, and players can experience a new Mixtape map for the Thunderdome location.

Legend Upgrades will introduce an in-match progression system that is said to add a layer of depth to the Apex experience. When players advance through EVO Shield tiers, they can select Ability Upgrades, which tailor their Legend to their own playstyle through a variety of on-screen options. This means that players can dabble in different strategies mid-match, or even from match to match, just to change things up a bit and keep gameplay fresh.

Ranked matches in Apex Legends will switch to more of a high-risk, high-reward situation with a focus on combat. LP will become RP, with a bonus for kills, match placement, and when higher-ranked squads are out-performed. To facilitate this, everyone’s ranked progress is being reset to 1RP, and Provisional matches are being disabled to even the playing field.

In Breakout, matchmaking will take place based on individual RP, to ensure players are matched with more players in their own tier. Rank Splits have also been reintroduced, and Promotion Trials are now removed. Additionally, the entry point for Ranked matches has been lowered to Level 20, which allows more players to participate and jump into the action. The goal here is to increase the speed of ranking up and making the experience itself more fulfilling.

Rewards have been added in the form of new Legends, which will release every two weeks and be free-to-play for the rest of the season. The available list of Legends includes Fuse, Seer, Rampart, Mad Maggie, Loba, and Valkyrie. Each of these Legends will also come with their own set of challenges.

Complete these challenges before the end of the season to permanently unlock said characters, and also cosmetic rewards, Battle Pass Stars, and friend gifts. Should you finish every Breakout Challenge, reach Battle Pass Level 60, and gift six unique rewards before the deadline, you’ll unlock a Reactive Flatline skin, a Legendary skin for Wraith, and matching cosmetics.

As mentioned before, Apex Legends is adding a new Mixtape map in the form of Thunderdome – said to be the deadliest entertainment venue there is. It’s been upgraded with plenty of features including the Mixtape Playlist with Gun Run, Team Deathmatch, and Control.

The Battle Pass for Breakout will include the ability to cut through squads with the “Buzz Kill” Reactive R-99 at Level 100. There’s also Lifeline’s Legendary “Code Blue” at Level 50, and the “Teal Energizer” Triple-Take. New skins for Fuse, Crypto, and Ash will be available, along with new banner frames, emotes, weapon charms, and stickers.

Completing the Battle Pass will net you the Reactive R-99 Skin “Kill Joy,” and players can upgrade to a premium bundle to snag the first 25 levels instantly, as well as Bangalore’s “Sand and Rust” among other items.

Rounding this all off is the 5th Anniversary Collection Event itself. This will kick off the biggest Apex event of the year, complete with Straight Shot – a fast-paced LTM where 10 squads can drop into predetermined POIs next to fully-kitted guns and enemy squads. Ring rounds will also be faster, there’s no Jumpmasters, a smaller map, and the ability to re-queue without going back to the lobby. Experienced earned will increase to 1.5x as well during said event.

Additionally, players can pick up 24 time-limited event cosmetics, and those who collect them all before the event ends will receive 150 Heirloom shards, and the ability to purchase a Mythic item of their choice.

All in all, its wealth of content, new upgrades, and even playing field is setting up Apex Legends for an eventful year. With these additions in play, we can only wonder just what they’ll add to keep the game going for the foreseeable future and beyond.