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.
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.
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.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
Published: May 4, 2021 01:56 pm