Apex Legends Legacy Hands On Impressions – A Jetpack-Powered Breath of Fresh Air

Apex Legends Legacy is adding a lot of new stuff to the popular Battle Royale game, including new weapons and a new mode. We got to try out some of these features thanks to our friends at EA, and we had some thoughts. We also covered a lot of the basics of the new content in our preview, so make sure to check that out for more information.

New Game Mode: Arena 3v3

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Arena was the big star of the hands-on session, bringing an interesting change of pace to the battle royale game. The setup is simple- you and two friends form a team, select your Legends, where you’re then given money to spend on guns, abilities and the like.

The game plays really similarly to games like Valorant, which is probably what it’s gunning to compete with. For the most part it’s a pretty fun mode, feeling way more focused than the chaotic 60-man battle royale. Sadly at launch the game will only support matchmaking, so the idea of setting up fight clubs with your friends is going to be a pipe dream.

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The idea to limit character abilities was really fun, since it adds a lot of risk-reward in using them. Unlike in games where you can cast them liberally there is a penalty for getting it wrong, and you’re spending your limited budget for each use instead of something more permanent, like getting upgrades for your gun.

Some characters abilities definitely feel way better in Arena than others, though. Bloodhound’s scan for example is already really good in Battle Royale, but in the smaller Arena maps it’s practically a godsend. Lifeline is also another character that feels like a must-pick, especially with her revives getting you back in the fight.

All in all, Arena seems like a fun enough mode that I could see people coming to Apex just for the Arena mode, then staying for the Battle Royale stuff. A straight-up 3v3 is admittedly a lot more fun than running around a big map waiting to get shot, though considering players can have an appetite for both its fun

Taking To The Sky With Valkyrie in Apex Legends Legacy

The other big reveal for Apex Legends Legacy was the new Legend, Valkyrie. Like we mentioned in our preview, she’s a character that ties Apex Legends back to the Titanfall universe, being the daughter of a notorious Titan pilot. Her kit adds way more mobility and verticality to Apex Legends, with a jetpack letting her exploit open spaces in the game way better.

Her ultimate is probably the closest we’re going to get to calling down a Titan, as she can leap into the air with her teammates. after her jump she can also go into a dive, just like the dive at the start of the game.

Valkyrie’s passive is also really good, letting her use that dive to highlight enemies on the map. All in all she feels like she’s going to be a fun character for both modes of the game, since she’ll be able to spot characters that are in hiding.

Personally, I’m the biggest fan of her Tactical ability, which comes straight out of Titanfall. She can fire a barrage of missiles, which do a lot of damage and can disorient enemies. I’m glad she has some kind of pressure tool, since the biggest fear with mobility characters is that their only option is to run away.

Bocek Bow For All Your Archery Needs

The Bocek is the new weapon they showed off at the event, bringing us back to that one group of years where carbon fibre bows were all the rage. This bow is named after Weapons Designer David Bocek, and sports a whole new ammo type, being given to you in stacks of 16.

The Bocek can be equipped with a range of sights, much in the same vein as standard weapons. The attachments includes:

1x HCOG
2x HCOG
1x Holo
2-4x Variable Holo
3x HCOG ‘Ranger’

The Shatter Caps upgrade feels like a huge boon for the bow, overcoming the biggest problem with bows in videogames. Rather than being limited to a single target, Shatter Caps turns it into a portable shotgun, and getting it off is fun. It really flips the stereotype around, because now you’ll definitely not want to be in close quarters against someone with a Bocek.

Meanwhile, Deadman’s Tempo feels much more suited for the traditional Bow player, rewarding consistency by giving you faster draw times if you can hit it to the beat. Personally its not as fun as blasting off people’s kneecaps, but it’s great for people who’ve played every bow game and want to flex their inter-title archery skills.

When Its All Said And Done of Apex Legends Legacy

Legacy definitely seems like the biggest jump between seasons in the game, somehow overtaking last season’s vehicles in changes. Personally I’m worried about Arena possibly splitting up the playerbase, but I feel like giving peoeple more reasons to play your game is hardly ever a bad thing. Valkyrie’s mobility is definitely a huge plus too, and is gonna make me look up way more often for fear of a sudden missile barrage.

The update also brings changes to Olympus, which you can read all about here. Apex Legends Legacy releases May 4th, so you’ll be able to try it all out for yourself soon too.