Apex Legends Season 13: Everything we know
Dubbed "Saviors", Season 13 kicks off in early May.
It may be an unlucky number for some, but Apex Legends' thirteenth season is shaping up quite nicely ahead of its May release. We've got an impenetrable new legend in the form of Newcastle, and seismic changes to both Storm Point and Apex's Ranked system slated to arrive with the new season.
More details are set to spill over the coming weeks, with a new Stories from the Outlands lore trailer dropping on Thursday and gameplay / battle pass trailers likely to hit in the following days. But for the time being, here's everything we know about Apex Legends Season 13: Saviors.
When does Apex Legends Season 13 start?
Apex Legends Season 13 hasn't yet confirmed its release date, but going by the in-game timer for the current ranked season, we expect it to drop on Tuesday, May 10.
Apex Legends Season 13 new Legend: Newcastle
Don't be fooled by the name: Apex Legends' Newcastle is no Geordie. Instead, he's a shield-bearing knight with the power to utterly lock down a location in fortifications.
While his full ability set is yet to be confirmed, the Season 13 trailer gave us hints at his kit. We see Newcastle deploy an energy shield that can be rotated on the spot, and at one point he deploys another barrier while reviving Pathfinder (reminiscent of Lifeline's pre-rework revive shield). His ultimate appears to be a massive barricade that, as far as the trailer suggests, can withstand a hell of a lot more damage than Rampart's walls.
Adding a legend with such a focus on hard cover seems to be an attempt to shake up the long-standing Gibraltar meta, though previous defensive characters like Wattson and Rampart have often ended up relatively weak. Regardless, Apex tends to launch new characters a bit on the overpowered side, so expect to be banging against brick walls for at least the first few weeks of the new season.
Apex Legends Season 13: Ranked rework
Apex has tweaked and tinkered with its Ranked systems for a few seasons now, but Season 13 looks set to be the biggest overhaul to the way competitive play in Apex works yet. While details are still under wraps, it looks like you'll no longer be protected from de-ranking (under the current system, you can drop tiers within a rank, but will never fall below the bottom tier of your current rank).
The new system also claims to emphasise "Skill and Teamwork", though in what way remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Apex live team support RSPN_Pav tweeted that "big things" are coming—and with only two more weeks left of the current ranked split, you'll want to hustle before any new change threatens your ranking.
Apex Legends Season 13 map changes: What's new?
It looks like Storm Point, Apex Legends' newest map, is in for a bit of a hammering. The season trailer shows our Legends murdering a giant enemy crab, whose corpse is likely to appear on the map.
More interesting, however, are the fortified IMC Armories that burst through the sand. Like King's Canyon's loot vaults, these appear to be packed with guns and attachments, though it seems trying to grab these will summon AI-controlled Spectres to fend off.
What’s in the Apex Legends Season 13 Battle Pass?
We'll get a battle pass trailer ahead of launch, but for now we can expect the usual array of themed skins, banners, voice lines, holo-sprays, music packs and loading screens, as well as 1,200 Crafting Materials and 1,200 Apex Coins—more than enough to buy the next season's battle pass.