What is Hardcore Royale in Apex Legends?

There will be a new mode to play in Apex Legends starting Tuesday, Jan. 24 with the arrival of the Celestial Sunrise event.

The mode, Hardcore Royale, is limited for the duration of the event (Jan. 24 to Feb. 7) and is arguably the best feature of the Celestial Sunrise event, as players will be able to enjoy a mode that is more intense than any other available in the game at the moment.

This is because of the rules that Respawn Entertainment has created for Hardcore mode. Here’s how this limited mode for Apex Legends will work.

How does Hardcore Royale work in Apex Legends?

To put it simply, Hardcore Royale is the version of Apex’s trios on steroids. The limited mode is locked for players that are level 20 or higher just like Ranked mode, the HUD will be limited, and players will often find themselves in vulnerable spots throughout the match because of the changes Respawn has implemented to armor in Hardcore Royale.

Hardcore Royale will only spawn White armor for all players and no one will be wearing helmets, in order to benefit the player that hit a headshot first. Players also can’t evolve, upgrade, or swap armor with defeated opponents. The death boxes won’t contain any armor as well, meaning that all you can really do to last longer in Hardcore Royale is kill first and make good use of the healing items you find while looting.

On top of all the armor changes, the Ring will already start at max damage, which makes the battle even more intense. If you feel that Hardcore Royale is too much of a tall task for you, don’t worry. This limited mode isn’t a takeover, so you can play normal trios in Apex while the event is running if you want to.