As each new season drops for Apex Legends, I pray to Respawn that it’ll be the one to bring the playerbase back around—and season 24 has me believing that the second coming of this battle royale is right around the corner.
On Feb. 5 via the Apex YouTube, the dev team gave us a taste of Takeover (season 24), and it could be the season that turns this game back in Respawn’s favor. The playercount numbers may be at an all-time low, but you can’t fault Respawn for trying to save their game. They may not be producing virtual concerts, but they are making waves in taking everything we knew about Apex and turning it on its head. All I can say is—it’s about damn time.
The Apex gods have heard my cries

Season 23 has been a misery from both an entertainment and gunplay standpoint. While nothing is fresh, I don’t play nearly enough of Apex to find this frustrating. It’s instead within the constant changes to legends through unnecessary nerfs and unbalanced buffs that has created an environment filled with tedious gameplay, favoring and rewarding those using the same weapons, abilities, and legends every single match. I’m talking about the endless Lifeline-Conduits, Mirage-Lobas, and Newcastle-Gibraltars. Take that energy to ranked; I just want to chill with my homie on pubs, playing legends no one cares about anymore. And don’t get me started on the Rift Relics that ruined pub matches.
But it looks like mine and many other players’ prayers have finally been answered with the impressive list of changes set to arrive in season 24.
Season 24 will launch Feb. 11, and it’s proper looking like the dev team are set to take over and even the playing field. We already received news that legend bans are coming to Year Five of ALGS. This will surely transform the pro scene, increase the skill ceiling, and is set to be the most entertaining year of Apex esports. While legend bans sound exciting, casual players should rejoice in the Assault Class overhaul for Takeover.
Make everything OP and we got a game on our hands

Content creators who’ve played Takeover early have shared Ash and Ballistic (yes, these legends are still in the game) are getting significant upgrades. While they won’t be complete reworks like Lifeline and Revenant’s, we will see new abilities and upgrades for these forgotten legends. Ash will gain a dash ability reminiscent of VALORANT‘s Jett. Ballistic will be able to hold onto Mythic weapons with infinite ammo during his ultimate. But best of all is how all Assault class legends will get a new Battle Surge, giving them a brief speed boost and fast reload after cracking an enemy’s shield. This buff alone puts Assault legends back into the mix, thus evening the playing field with season 23’s almighty Supports. Assault legends will also get two extra inventory slots for grenades, which I’m eagerly anticipating as someone who takes pride in my “godlike nades,” as my friends call them.
Creating a more balanced environment where Assault and Support are viable, design director Evan Nikolich told fans in the dev update that buffs and nerfs across the board in weapons is coming, alongside a new Arsenal that will let you pick any weapon from one ammo type (light, heavy, shotgun, or sniper). This should create a more balanced battle royale where anything is viable—something I’ve always dreamed of in Apex.
Respawn also plans on shifting the meta at a more frequent rate than what they’ve been doing for the last 23 seasons. This means we won’t be spending an entire season learning how to use Newcastle just because his mobile shield was (at one point) impenetrable. A constantly shifting meta will surely keep the game feeling fresh and give you a reason to keep coming back. As someone who enjoys challenging myself by picking random legends and is exhausted seeing the same three legends in every match, I’m truly looking forward to seeing where the meta goes and adapting to it (both as a player and an ALGS fan).
Simplicity and building a strong foundation could save Apex

My demand (although only vocal to my mates who’ve had to listen to my rants every ranked game) for overpowered legends and weapons has been heard, as Takeover hopes to refreshen the battle royale, with balancing changes that should make every decision you make in a single match viable. While I’m more of a casual player but religious consumer of the pro scene, the choice to simplify the game is a great move from Respawn. Loot tiers and Arsenal information is given inside the drop ship as you look over the POIs on where you want to land. This simplification will hopefully make Apex more welcoming and beginner-friendly. It’s a change in the right direction.
It’s been a steady decline for Apex where the past few seasons have left little to be desired. Thankfully, I have the pro scene to rely on for entertainment, and the small commitment from my friends that keep me fully engrossed in what feels like a game in the middle of a death rattle. But I won’t reiterate what the biggest pros and content creators have been saying. Instead, I look to the near future for this battle royale with hopeful, teary eyes that season 24 could be this game’s salvation.
Published: Feb 5, 2025 02:38 pm