Respawn is increasing Apex’s circle damage for the Elite Queue

Respawn Entertainment is introducing changes to the Elite Queue’s circle damage in response to Apex Legends players taking advantage of the ring’s low damage output.

Apex’s Elite Queue hit live servers last week alongside the battle royale’s first two-week event, the Legendary Hunt. The Elite Queue pits the game’s top players against one another, but only players who make it to the top five in a match can queue up in the Elite Queue for their next game.  

Many players were taking advantage of the circle’s low damage output to qualify for the game’s Elite Queue, according to a recent Reddit update from community manager Jay “Jayfresh” Frechette. Early rings started at one percent damage per tick and maxed out at 10 percent damage per tick in the later stages of a game.  

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Now, however, the first circle of a match will cost players 15 percent of their health per tick, followed by 20 percent per tick for the second circle. Every circle after the second ring will do 25 percent damage per tick. The changes will go live in Apex’s Elite Queue only but will be available across all platforms.

Apex’s Legendary Hunt wraps up on June 18, but the Elite Queue will stick around for two weeks after the event ends before leaving live servers on July 2.