Apex Legends’ upcoming limited-time mode will spawn players with a pistol and body armor

Apex Legends’ next limited-time mode will make hot dropping even more hectic. The Battle Armor LTM will give players a body shield and a P2020 upon landing, allowing squads to engage as soon as they drop. The new mode kicks off on April 28 and will evolve until May 12.

Players will spawn with a body shield and a P2020 equipped, but they can’t forage for better armor in World’s Edge. The LTM will disable world drops for shields, which stops players from trying to upgrade and levels the playing field between competitors. Shield cells and batteries, like the rest of the loot, will spawn normally.

Battle Armor will feature a total of four rotations with increasingly better loot. The first cycle gives players a white body shield, while the other series will give out blue and purple shields. The final version of the LTM will arm players with an Evo Shield right out of the dropship.

The final rotation could prove to be the most interesting. Evo Shields increase in quality after players deal a certain amount of damage and range from white to red—the maximum armor in the game with the capacity to soak up 125 damage. Progress toward the next level carries over if a player loots an already-used Evo Shield.

Since Battle Armor will disable armor spawns around the map, the playing field is theoretically equal for all players in the first three rotations. Evo Shields, however, increase in efficiency based on damage dealt and players who inflict more damage will get an edge over the rest of the competitors.

Design director Jason McCord gave players a hint on how to succeed in the game mode. “Get in fights early, or you’ll be left limping into the final circle with Level 1 armor,” McCord said.

Battle Armor kicks off on April 28 and lasts until May 12, season five’s new scheduled release date. The first rotation will take place between April 28 and May 2. Players will spawn with blue shields between May 2 and 6, while purple shields will enter the rotation from May 6 to 9. The final cycle will run between May 9 and 12, the last day of Apex’s fourth season.

Respawn’s official announcement comes a day after data miner iLootGames revealed more details about the new LTM. The data miner revealed core aspects of the game and probable release dates. Respawn postponed season five for another week, however, which may have caused a discrepancy between the game files and the official dates.