Apex Legends Season 21 is the first new season we’re getting after the implementation of the legend upgrade system, a feature that allows playable characters to choose options from a skill tree to upgrade their passive, tactical, and ultimate abilities mid-match. Apparently, this feature makes it easier for the devs to adjust each playable legend too, offering more opportunities to finely tweak each character beyond simply buffing and nerfing their abilities.
“It’s made it a lot easier,” Apex Legends balance game designer John Larson told me. “It’s just been easier to approach a certain element or vector of power in any given character’s kit without disrupting a core pattern–that can carry more risk or it can be a little trickier to nail down a healthy change. And so I think both in the [Season 20] mid-season update and with the update in [Season] 21, we’re trying to shift as much as we can that we have the bandwidth for, whether it’s just swapping one out or giving a character a different upgrade to see if it moves the needle anywhere or just makes it something fresh for players to experiment with. I think it’s been a great way for us to balance more quickly and flexibly.”
Though the full rundown of every change is being saved for the Season 21 patch notes, Larson did detail some of the more notable adjustments. The changes being made to Newcastle feel most intriguing to me. For Season 21, the team took inspiration from how some pro players would pair Newcastle and Wattson’s ultimate abilities together–the former creates a large wall to block bullets while the latter erects a pylon that zaps away grenades and explosives–and gifted Newcastle’s Castle Wall ultimate the capacity to do both.