Apex Legends will be six years old in just a few months, but ever since it has turned five, “disruption’ has been the name of the game. Apex Legends’ devs have thrown out all preconceived notions and have worked on bringing fresh new elements out of the game. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than when they brought back solos, after saying it would never come back, and then flipped the script again by temporarily introducing Quads into Apex Legends. Season 23 is no different, but every team plays some role in disrupting the long-established battle royale game.
That includes the event team, led by Mike Button, who recently spoke with Game Rant about the upcoming Rift Relics. This system is a major change for Apex Legends, bringing some of the limited-time flare of LTMs into the core game. In short, cosmic portals might cause new Rift Relics, special loot ticks, to spawn throughout the map. Finding these relics can unlock powerful new weapons, including the EPG-1 launcher from Titanfall 2, and Boost Kits that significantly change how the game is played. The catch? Rift Relic Rewards will rotate weekly. Speaking to Rift Relics, Button explained,
“[They’re] part of the event team’s desire to get in line with this direction of disruption and playing a little bit with the meta…When we talk about events, one key differentiator for what makes it an event as opposed to another feature of the game is that they are temporary, so we wanted to play more with novelty and power–to go even further afield and further outside the box than we are necessarily always comfortable doing outside events. That’s what really drove this weekly rotation.
A whole Split of OP weapons may not land well with Apex Legends players, but a plethora of ever-rotating, quickly-adjusted game-changers? That just might. While it remains to be seen what changes week in and week out, lucky players might be able to find an EPG-1 Launcher, which has infinite ammo, deals splash damage, and has “rocket-jumping capabilities.” This ode to Titanfall 2 may not be used against Titans, but it’ll be interesting to see how this throwback performs against teams. Like the original, it’ll fire a slow-moving plasma grenade/rocket that deals tons of damage. Or, if players are wanting to be a little more pinpoint, the original Bocek described as “now more devastating than ever.” can be found among the Rift Relics. Another possibility is a new hop-up called Lifesteal that heals health with every hit and heals armor on headshots.
Each of those are destined to shake up the Apex Legends meta when available, but players shouldn’t ignore Boost Kits either. These will feature “reality-bending abilities” that let players step back in time, hover in ADS, or defy death. This original slate of Rift Relic rewards is incredibly enticing, and it’ll be interesting to see how it disrupts the game.
Possible Rift Relic Rewards
- EPG-1 Launcher
- Original Bocek
- Exotic hop-ups like Lifesteal
- Booster Kits with reality-bending abilities to step back in time, hover in ADS, or even defy death.
This system is exciting in and of itself, but it’s always nice to see Apex Legends give Titanfall a nod. It has done so numerous times in the past, and while the current name of the game is to disrupt what players know about Apex Legends, its reverence for what came before does not seemingly fall on that list of disruptables.