Season 16 of Apex Legends is set to alter a major part of the game's experience, with new features and significant balance changes to transform the meta.
Wraith might be the greatest beneficiary of these changes. According to early patch notes, she would get a massive upgrade on her ultimate.
If this change is implemented, her Portal's length will be doubled (covering 150 meters in total) and she will be given a speed boost to set it up.
This could imply her return to Apex Legends, in a meta where teams rotate faster than ever.
Wraith was one of the most popular and strongest Legends in the game when Apex was released, mostly because of her ultimate, which was a handy way to enter the zone, escape a bad fight, and revive allies.
For years, she dominated both professional and ladder play, but her glory era would come to an end with the release of Valkyrie in May 2021. Her release and the introduction of the Olympus map made her a solid choice.
With the release of Storm Point six months later, it is the game's largest map to date, making her domination even stronger. There, rotating rapidly is even more critical for teams, and Valkyrie is the best strategy to restore strategic landmarks.
Season 16 is expected to bring the biggest changes players have seen in years, transforming the meta.
According to the early patch notes, Wraith will be replaced with unique passives, as well as balance changes on several Legends.
As such, the balance will be heavily on the side of Wraith. However, the question whether or not returning her to the top of the meta will not be answered until the season starts and players get used to the changes.
The Portal will run fairly long, but players may still be able to rotate further using Valkyrie's Ultimate. On the other hand, Wraith's upcoming speed boost might allow faster rotations, which might encourage players to favor her over Valkyrie.
Pathfinder will also receive a bonus, and depending on how much his Zipline Gun's distance and speed are increased, he might also be the go-to guy in professional play and on the ladder for quick rotations —provided they remain a win condition as previously to win matches.