Apex Legends Season 18, dubbed “Resurrection,” is set to dramatically shake up the battle royale landscape. Following weeks of in-game teasers, the focus of this update is a complete overhaul of the sinister synthetic assassin, Revenant. Beyond his dramatic transformation, players can expect significant weapon balance adjustments, refinements to the Ranked system, and exciting new additions to gameplay modes. As the new season launches on August 8th, here’s a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know.
Revenant Reborn
Revenant has received a total reimagining of his abilities, shifting his role from a defensive, anti-ability character to an aggressive, predatory legend. This “Revenant Reborn” version introduces a completely fresh kit, encouraging players to engage more directly in fights. For those who haven’t unlocked him yet, Revenant will be available for free throughout Season 18, with challenges allowing permanent acquisition.
- Assassin’s Instinct (Passive): Revenant’s movements are now enhanced. He gains increased speed while wall climbing and crouch walking. Furthermore, this passive highlights nearby enemies who are low on health, and any foes he damages will be revealed to his entire squad for a short duration. This provides crucial intel for coordinated pushes and finishes.
- Shadow Pounce (Tactical): Replacing his old “Silence” ability, Shadow Pounce allows Revenant to launch himself forward. Players can tap the ability for a quick lunge or hold it down to charge up a longer, more distant leap. This grants him significant mobility, enabling rapid engagements, escapes, and repositioning on the battlefield.
- Forged Shadows (Ultimate): Revenant’s new ultimate creates a temporary shield of shadowy energy around him, absorbing incoming damage. What makes this ultimate particularly potent is its refresh mechanic: scoring a knockdown will immediately recharge both his Forged Shadows ultimate and his Shadow Pounce tactical ability, creating opportunities for high-risk, high-reward plays and multi-kills.
This new kit significantly changes how Revenant interacts with fights, making him a formidable offensive threat capable of initiating and sustaining aggressive pushes.
Weapon Changes
Season 18 introduces a series of weapon adjustments aimed at rebalancing the meta and promoting diverse weapon choices. SMGs, which have been dominant, are receiving a slight nerf, with reduced headshot multipliers and generally smaller magazine capacities to curb their overall effectiveness. Specifically, the R-99 will see an increase in vertical recoil and a decrease in its base ammo capacity, making it a bit harder to control and requiring more careful ammo management.
Shotguns are being given an opportunity to shine, with the Mastiff receiving a buff that tightens its blast pattern for more consistent damage at range. The notorious Charge Rifle has undergone a complete rework; it’s no longer a hitscan weapon. Instead, it fires a projectile with bullet drop, requiring players to lead their shots. The pre-fire laser beam is gone, and the weapon now requires charging before firing, similar to its Titanfall counterpart. Despite these changes, it remains a sniper rifle and will deal increased damage the further the target is, rewarding precision and long-range engagements.
Care Package contents have rotated for Season 18. The Prowler SMG, now equipped with the Select-Fire Hop-Up for burst or full-auto firing, enters the Care Package. Conversely, the Hemlock assault rifle returns to ground loot, receiving buffs to its damage and recoil from its pre-Care Package statistics. A fan-favorite Hop-Up, Disruptor Rounds, also makes a return to ground loot, attachable to the Alternator and Peacekeeper, providing bonus shield damage. Finally, the Rampage LMG and R-99 SMG are now ground loot, while the Mozambique (with Hammerpoint Rounds) and the Nemesis energy assault rifle enter the Crafting Replicator rotation.
Ranked Changes
Following last season’s comprehensive overhaul to the Ranked system, Season 18 implements further adjustments based on player feedback and data. Respawn continues to refine the experience, particularly concerning player progression and game pacing. One notable change is the increased damage dealt by the first ring, alongside a faster rate of closure for subsequent circles. This encourages more active gameplay and reduces the duration of games, minimizing instances where players merely “rat” or wait out prolonged lulls between ring movements.
Elimination points in Ranked matches have been significantly buffed, offering more substantial rewards for taking down opponents. A minimum elimination bonus has been introduced across all ranks, directly tied to a player’s hidden MMR. This ensures that every elimination contributes meaningfully to a player’s LP gains, making aggressive play more consistently rewarding. For players in Diamond rank and above, there will be increased LP losses and decreased rating bonuses and loss mitigations, aiming to make progression at higher tiers more challenging and reflective of skill.
Overall LP gains have been adjusted downwards across the board, making each point earned feel more impactful, though the enhanced elimination bonuses help balance this. In terms of Ranked rewards, the coveted dive trails are being retired. Instead, players will now earn exclusive banner frames as a new form of visual recognition for their achievements in the Ranked ladder. These changes aim to create a more competitive, engaging, and fair Ranked experience for all players.
Gameplay Additions
Beyond the core battle royale experience, Season 18 also brings fresh content to Apex Legends’ Mixtape game modes. Players can look forward to new map settings for their favorite casual rotations. Gun Run and Team Deathmatch will now take place within “The Core” area of Broken Moon, offering unique combat scenarios and engagement distances. Meanwhile, the popular Control mode will move to the “Production Yard” location on Broken Moon, providing new tactical opportunities and chokepoints for teams to fight over. These map rotations keep the Mixtape playlist feeling fresh and dynamic.
A special “Death Dynasty Collection Event” will also kick off with Season 18. This limited-time event introduces 24 exclusive cosmetic items for players to collect. Acquiring all 24 items will unlock Revenant’s brand-new “Death Grip Heirloom,” a prestigious melee weapon skin that showcases his brutal new persona. To help players progress, the event will feature specific double XP dates: from August 8th to 15th, double XP will be active for Battle Royale matches, followed by double XP for Mixtape game modes from August 15th to 22nd. This offers a fantastic opportunity to level up your Battle Pass and earn rewards while experiencing all the new content.
Apex Legends Season 18 Resurrection is poised to deliver a substantial update, redefining an iconic legend and shaking up the game’s core mechanics. Get ready to drop in on August 8th at approximately 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET and experience all the changes firsthand.
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