Here’s Why This Is the Best Ranked Season of Apex Legends

What Changed in this Season of Ranked Apex Legends?

Apex Legends started Season 13 on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The developers made major changes to how the ranked system works, with an emphasis on team play and winning.

For starters, Respawn introduced a new tier called ‘Rookie’. New players will start at this low-risk tier where matches do not have an entry cost. With this change, Bronze now has an RP entry fee for the first time in the history of Apex Legends!

Assists now work slightly differently. The assist timer was increased from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, and the assist timer is now refreshed when an opponent is revived.

In Season 13, Apex now grants you some RP even if you didn’t assist on a kill. Players gain 50% of the RP from kills that their squadmates secure. 

Finally, the kill RP cap has been removed for the first time ever. Before Season 13, players could only earn RP up until a certain number of kills or assist. That cap is now gone in this ranked season.

Season 13 Has Plenty of Changes

Given all these new ways to earn RP, Respawn made several changes to the ranked tiers to balance the higher max RP per game:

  • RP entry cost has been increased across all tiers, with each tier costing an additional 3 RP over the previous one
  • Kills are worth much less when you eliminate an enemy early in the game
  • Tiers have a larger range, which means players will need to grind more time through each rank to earn a promotion
  • Players can now be demoted for the first time, with demotion prevention only lasting 3 games after you get promoted to a new rank. If you get demoted, you’ll fall 50% of the way through the prior tier (ie. demotion from Gold IV puts you 50% of the way through Silver I)

With all these numerical changes, I thought it best to create a spreadsheet showing how the numbers changed versus last season. I’ll keep it updated if the devs decide to make any intra-season changes.

Apex Legends Season 13 Ranked Changes

Season 13 Encourages Teamwork in Ranked Apex Legends

Prior to Season 13, players could play pretty recklessly at the start of the game. There wasn’t much fear of risking RP, at least at the lower ranks. Now that the entry cost has gone up, players are punished more heavily for making poor decisions straight out of the dropship.

As a battle royale, Apex Legends is all about winning. This is especially true in ranked. By increasing the amount of RP at risk, Respawn effectively told players not to hot drop every game. If you continue to do so, RNG will catch up to you and you’ll quickly burn through hundreds of RP.

In this new system, it feels like players are more likely to land together at an uncontested area. They loot up and then make more thoughtful rotations toward the circle. Previously, it wasn’t uncommon for several teams to drop at one point of interest and try to battle it out for max KP early in the game.

Additionally, by increasing the assist timer, players can now benefit more from focusing their attention on one enemy. Even if you don’t kill them immediately you will still get some contributions toward RP. This is a nice change for those fights that get drawn out longer than you’d like.

Finally, since high placement is now more valuable, players are rewarded for having coordinated strategies in the game’s closing moments. Instead of rushing into the fight with 6 squads left, it makes more sense to secure an advantageous position for the last circle.

Apex Legend Storm Point Map

Storm Point is Actually a Good Map for Ranked Play

Storm Point is quoted as being 15% larger than the next largest map – World’s Edge. This additional real estate means players are more spread out and typically spend more time rotating to different POIs.

While this isn’t very fun for pub matches where you just want to get into the action, this is ideal for ranked games. In Apex Legends, third-party attackers are your worst nightmare. By spreading things out more, it reduces the likelihood of a third-party squad ruining your fun. 

They can and will still push into any gunfire, but it takes slightly longer to get there. This means players can focus more on engaging in 1v1 battles. Then, the team can heal up before getting caught in another fight.

Storm Point also has several ways for players to improve their loot. Besides the standard crafters scattered across the map, this map also features Spiders and Crawlers. These monsters can be killed to earn valuable loot that increases your overall power levels.

Season 13 Introduced IMC Armories

In Season 13, Respawn also introduced IMC Armories. These buildings let players fight a swarm of robots in a contained area. If you’re successful, you’re given nice upgrades to your kit. As a cherry on top, the room locks while you are battling to eliminate the risk of third parties. Players can then redeploy out of the ship’s top to fly to safety.

Pro tip:  As of the time of this writing, you can actually get some cheeky kills on enemy teams that fight inside Armories. Find a nearby car and drive it on top of the armory (you’ll usually need to boost yourself off a ramp to get there). Once the vehicle is on top, position it directly over the center of the ceiling, where you would normally redeploy. When the opposing squad tries to fly out, they’ll bump off the car, canceling the flight animation, and you can mow them down for some free loot!

Long-Range Fights are More Common

Lastly, Storm Point has plenty of open areas that are ripe for long-range engagements. This makes sniper rifles more valuable, as well as the Spitfire and marksman rifles. In Season 13, we’re bound to see more variety in the weapons that people pick up in ranked mode.

Apex Newcastle

Newcastle Changes up the Meta

Newcastle is the latest legend to be introduced. As a support hero, he’s a better version of Lifeline for reviving fallen friendlies. Additionally, his shields are more versatile than Gibby’s. While I wasn’t able to place him in the S-Tier this season, he’s a strong pick who will certainly find a place in the top team compositions in Apex.

If you looked at pick rates last season, you’d basically find the same 4 to 5 legends sitting at the top. Gibby, Valk, Wraith, and Bloodhound dominated the scene. In Season 13, I expect Newcastle’s pick rate to land him in the top 5, especially as the community discovers new options with his kit!

What this means for the Future of Ranked Apex Legends

This season is very different from anyone that came before. Respawn has taken feedback from the community over the last several seasons. It seems like they want things to move in the direction of ALGS.

Ranked is now more of a grind. Hopefully, it means people will land at the rank that best fits their skill level and playstyle. Feel free to tune in to my stream as I try to gain RP while not losing my mind!

What do you think of Season 13 so far? Do you like the ranked changes or do you still want to see more revisions? Join the conversation in the comments section!

Scroll to Top