Spitfire back to ground loot, R-301 and Rampage move to crafting in Apex’s season 13

Apex Legends’ next season is shaking up the weapon meta when it drops tomorrow.

With the new season, Saviors, Respawn Entertainment is taking the Spitfire out of the care package and moving it back into ground loot, according to today’s patch notes. The Mastiff will take its place as a crate weapon, and the crafting weapon rotation will also see changes.

The Spitfire, which is getting the season 13 battle pass reactive skin, will return to ground loot while toned down compared to its state as a crate drop. It will deal 18 damage per shot (down from 19 as a care package weapon), with a reduction to magazine capacity with purple and gold attachments and the elimination of its barrel slot.

The Spitfire was particularly oppressive throughout last year. Its range, magazine capacity, and sustained firepower gave rise to the so-called “Spitfire meta,” and Respawn moved the weapon to the care package in season 10. Now, though, the Spitfire is coming back, and a resurgence of the Spitfire meta (or some variation of it) isn’t entirely impossible.

The Mastiff, on the other hand, is going back to the care package like it was in the early days of the battle royale, making the terrifying sight of a Gibraltar with a Mastiff and his Gun Shield up appear less often. The Mastiff moving to crate weapon territory will also shake up the shotgun meta throughout the game, given the main alternatives to it are the EVA-8 and the Peacekeeper.

The R-301 and the Rampage will take the place of the VK-47 Flatline and the Longbow DMR in the crafting rotation and can only be obtained in Replicators or by looting someone’s death box. Respawn has recently experimented with making certain weapons only available in crafting stations, and the Flatline and Longbow were the first candidates for this in season 12. They will return to floor loot, meaning players can again find them randomly throughout the Apex Games.

Apex‘s next season, Saviors, kicks off tomorrow, bringing the new legend Newcastle and an overhauled Storm Point alongside these weapon changes.