Apex’s Evolution event now live with new skins, Rampart Town Takeover, Heirloom, and Arenas takeover

Apex Legends’ Evolution collection event has arrived on live servers, bringing fans a few new ways to enjoy the game. Rampart is the star of the patch; the Amped Modder is getting a Town Takeover in World’s Edge, an Heirloom set, a buff to her kit, and a special Arenas Takeover.

In addition to the novelties, Respawn delayed its plans to remove tap-strafing from the game, at least for now, due to “unexpected side effects.” Here’s a breakdown of what the event brought:

Big Maude is coming to town

Rampart’s Town Takeover is shaking up World’s Edge. The Amped Modder’s shop/tank lands between Lava City and Geyser, breathing new life into this nearly derelict spot of the map. Big Maude, as the ship is called, also houses Rampart’s mobile shop, and players can spend crafting materials to get their hands on custom modded paintball weapons, which act as fully kitted versions of normal guns.

There’s also a “wonderful paintball course” right by Big Maude, according to Respawn, which provides plenty of cover and opportunities for close-range firefights for players who don’t land on the ship. Ziplines connect Big Maude and the paintball course, making it easy to get to and from the area.

Balancing adjustments

The event brought a series of balancing adjustments to the game for legends and guns alike. Rampart got a buff at last, overhauling the way she uses her ultimate. The Amped Modder can now carry Sheila into battle, though her ammo capacity is reduced. She can also place Sheila down at will on any piece of terrain or cover, but doing that stops the legend from picking her ultimate back up.

Related: Here are Apex Legends’ Evolution patch notes

In addition to Rampart’s buffs, the patch also touched on Octane and the L-Star, two potentially oppressive elements of the game, and made several smaller changes to other weapons.

Tap-strafing lives… for now.

Although Respawn promised to remove tap-strafing in the first major update of season 10, developers put the decision on hold for now, due to “unexpected side effects” of their plans for tap-strafing.

“After further testing, we’ve concluded we need to take more time to get this right to make sure related movement mechanics aren’t caught in the cross-fire,” according to an official tweet. The planned changes will come in “a later patch.”

Collection and Rampart Heirloom

Rampart is the star of Evolution, and she’s finally getting her own Heirloom set. Players can get their hands on Rampart’s Problem Solver heirloom—a bubblegum-dispensing wrench—by buying the 24 items in the collection without the need to spend Heirloom shards. After the event ends, Rampart’s Heirloom set will rotate into the usual store, locked behind 150 Heirloom Shards.

This event’s collection brings a futuristic look to Wraith, Octane, Pathfinder, Fuse, Bangalore, Rampart, and Lifeline, with more items in stock and older event skins returning to the store.

Players who don’t want to shell out their cash can also find some freebies in the Evolution free track, including a series of gun charms and skins for Lifeline, the Triple Take, and the Wingman.

Rampart’s Arenas Takeover

In addition to getting a Town Takeover, an Heirloom set, and a major buff, Rampart’s also getting an Arenas Takeover, letting players purchase modded weapons at a discount. These special offers wipe out the base version of the guns for the entire match, so be ready to shell out crafting metals for your weapon of choice—or go with something more thrifty if Arenas’ match economy isn’t helping.