Apex’s Arenas mode will have a ‘totally separate matchmaking system’ from the battle royale, design director Jason McCord says

McCord revealed some important details about the new mode.
Image via Respawn Entertainment

Apex Legends players will soon be filing into the new Arenas mode, battling it out in an intense three-vs-three firefight. And for fans wondering how those matches will be balanced, Respawn has the answer.

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Design director Jason McCord told Dot Esports today that Arenas will have a “totally separate matchmaking system” from the battle royale mode. While it may take a few games for players to settle into their hidden MMR, matches should eventually balance out.

“Part of this mode feeling good is having really good matchmaking and it should be easier to keep it feeling fair and fun because it’s only 6 people,” he said.

The battle royale mode has to place 60 different players of similar ranks into one game, juggling a fair matchmaking experience with a relatively short queue time. Since Arenas only has six players to account for, however, it’ll be a lot easier to create fair games that still provide a fun challenge.

Related: Apex’s upcoming Arena mode is a 3-vs-3 duel that avoids pesky RNG and third-partying, ranked coming in the future

It will take some time for players to be placed in a completely balanced Arenas match since it’s using a different MMR system than the BR. McCord said the “first few hours will be wild as people settle in.” But that problem should eventually work itself out as the system gathers more data from players’ wins and losses.

Arenas should also get a ranked mode “in a future update,” Arenas designer Robert West said in a virtual press briefing last month. Until then, players can experiment to find the ideal team comps and weapons to stomp the competition.

Apex‘s ninth season, Legacy, launches today. Respawn is “working through some service issues… due to high demand,” but should patch things up soon.


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Author
Andreas Stavropoulos
Staff writer for Dot Esports. Andreas is an avid gamer who left behind a career as a high school English teacher to transition into the gaming industry. Currently playing League, Apex, and VALORANT.