Apex Legends' next season, aptly titled Revelry as the game commemorates its fourth anniversary, is bringing widespread changes to its foundations. When it launches on February 14, it brings with it significant changes to legend classes, weapons, and the new player experience.
Arenas, Apex's second permanent mode introduced in season nine, will be removed when season 16 comes. Its removal from the directory opens up a new niche beside the core battle royale experience that will be taken up by a new playlist called Mixtape.
Arenas has had a difficult time finding a following since its inception, but it took Respawn a year and a half to realize that its lack of interest was sufficient to put it all together. In a press conference last week, the team provided some insight on why they decided now to replace it with a more laid-back manner.
In season 16, Respawn removed Arenas from Apex Legends.
Arenas has not been a great setting for players to practice in preparation for battle royale matches, nor does it provide a low-stakes setting for them to try out new weapons or legends, according to Respawn.
"It's not hitting our aim of being a good place of practice," said design director Evan Nikolich. "We have the BR as this high stakes, competitive place, and Arenas overlaps a bit too much with that space. We want to include something that allows players to have a little more relaxed play."
Marty Wong, the game's mod designer, said afterward, revealing that arenas was intended to be our'smaller slice of BR' mode. "It was a very sweatier mode that was high stakes," said the player.
TDM should be brought in and provide a safe haven for players who are willing to die quickly and who are comfortable making mistakes, according to the developer. "We're hoping that it provides Apex with a lot more accessibility for newcomers, so that they may introduce their skills to sweaty ranked games."
At the start of the season, the game mode directory will switch to a limited-time TDM playlist, which includes Control, Gun Run, and TDM itself. The new permanent Mixtape playlist will sit beside battle royale.