Apex’s new Neon Network collection event brings back in-game lore, adds Valkyrie Prestige skin

Apex Legends fans who watched the first part of the Kill Code cinematic we’re hyped for more narrative developments, and the upcoming Neon Network collection event seems to deliver. Neon Network lands on Tuesday, July 25, and promises to bring the usual—though with an extra dose of story, conspiracies, and twists.

The Neon Network event trailer shows Loba teleporting and walking through a facility similar to the Hammond Robotics buildings that house Revenant’s shells. Based on the trailer, fans could potentially take control of the Translocating Thief herself, exploring her story firsthand.

Loba’s story is hardly new to Apex. Her explosive introduction in season five unveiled a facility filled with Revenant shells and kicked off the first in-game quest, The Broken Ghost, with short PvE missions against Prowlers. The Kill Code cinematic renewed the focus on that part of the story by having Loba breach one of those facilities alongside Mad Maggie and Lifeline.

While the event trailer shows players taking control of Loba in a Hammond Robotics facility, the dimension of those story missions is still unclear. The official blog post mentions “an interactive introduction” and a “story progression,” though it’s hard to tell their full extent.

These might be PvE quests like in season five since these Hammond Robotics facilities are guarded by Spectres and players can already square off against them in Storm Point’s IMC Armories. They might also be shorter and closer to Chronicles, as seen in Bloodhound’s hunt for the White Raven in season 10. Regardless, it’s a welcome change for fans who were looking for more story developments.

Though fans won’t have the full picture until Neon Network releases on July 25, they will have to engage with the Neon Network event to dive into the story (and season five veterans will remember the need to collect specific amounts of Treasure Packs to unlock each week’s story).

The Neon Network story will be locked behind Compute Nodes, a new currency you can use to acquire event items. Earning 5,000 Compute Nodes will open the first part of the story, while getting 10,000 will start the second chapter. The last two parts unlock at 20,000 and 30,000 respectively, so if you’re logging in for the story, get ready to take the fight to the battle royale modes.

Compute Nodes are available by using Node Trackers in casual battle royale matches and will point players toward an area. Once there, you have to stay in the zone until your upload finishes, which will spawn a loot tick that can drop useful items. You’ll receive your Compute Nodes after the match ends.

In addition to the story Compute Nodes and a set of cosmetics tied to the currency, players can also expect a new collection, with 24 items available for either Apex Coins or Crafting Metals.

As usual, if you complete the collection, you’ll receive an extra reward. This time, Respawn Entertainment is introducing the Apex Interceptor Prestige skin for Valkyrie, which dons her in futuristic, gladiatorial armor.

Players can dive into the Neon Network event from July 25 to Aug. 8, so be sure to make the most out of the event before it ends.