Apex Legends: Escape Patch Notes Revealed

With Apex Legends: Escape being days away, EA has revealed patch notes just before we are able to get our hands on the new season.

Along with the exciting reveal of the new character, Ash, we also see some changes to current characters already in the game.

Apex Legends: Escape Patch Notes Revealed

New Content

NEW LEGEND: ASH

"A new Legend with a familiar face, Ash has overseen the Arenas from the shadows and held a tight grip on Pathfinder’s heart. A simulacrum made from the woman who once was Dr. Ashleigh Reid, Ash is determined to eliminate every trace of weakness that held her back as a human.. Detecting death wherever she goes, spearing enemies with electric snares that lock them in place, tearing through space to take more lives-- it would be easy to think that there was nothing human left within that cold steel."

Passive: Marked for Death
Ash's map shows the location of recent deathboxes. She gets a special prompt on a deathbox, use it to mark surviving attackers (once per box).

Tactical: Arc Snare
Throw a spinning snare that damages and tethers the first enemy that gets too close.

Ultimate: Phase Breach
Tear open a one-way portal to a targeted location. This portal stays open for a short time, during which anyone can use it.

New Map: Storm Point

"This beautiful oasis was once an energy colony for the IMC, and the ruins remain. Many have tried to make a home here: all have failed. A survey of the area revealed the remains of three unique settlements built across the centuries, but no survivors. The colony lay abandoned, only visited by the occasional pirate or castaway. Now the Mercenary Syndicate has plans of their own for Storm Point."

Battle Royale Map Rotation

"After the Escape Update, the map rotation will go back down to two maps; Storm Point and World's Edge. Storm Point is the newest map introduced into the game."

Arenas Map Rotation

"With the introduction of Encore, the Arenas Map Rotation will only include custom-made Arenas Maps. BR locations will not be used in the Escape update."

New Weapon: C.A.R. SMG

"When you’re in a precarious place, you need a dangerous, flexible weapon: meet the C.A.R. SMG. The Combat Advanced Round submachine gun is a fully automatic weapon that takes adaptability to the next level by accepting either Light or Heavy mags. The C.A.R. hits hard but handles light, this hybrid weapon’s the best of both worlds for when you’re ready to take a stand and become the most dangerous thing on the island."

Ranked Arenas - Escape

• Arenas Ranked now has 2 splits, similar to Ranked Battle Royale
• Along with each new season and split, there is a soft MMR reset and new placement matches.  New seasons require the usual 10 placement matches while a new split only requires 5 placement matches.
• Improvements have been made to matchmaking for finding similarly skilled teammates.
• Reduced the AP amount gained or lost from MMR differences between teams.

Patch Notes

Balance Changes

Wattson

• Improved the reliability and responsiveness of placing Wattson's Tactical and Ultimate in-world objects.
• Wattson can place her Tactical and Ultimate objects on valid surfaces above Wattson's eye level (to a reasonable extent).
• General hitbox size increase, to compensate for the removal of low profile in the Legacy update.

Tactical - Perimeter Defense

• Increased damage on crossing a Fence by 33%. (15 to 20)
• Increased debuff duration on crossing a Fence by 100%. (1.5 to 3 seconds)
• Increased the time allowance to be hit again by a subsequent Fence effect by 100%. (0.5 to 1 second).
• Decreased recharge time by 50% (30 to 15 seconds).
• Increased placement range by 50%.
• Decreased the delay between Fences shutting off and reactivating after an ally passes through them by 60%. (1.0 -> 0.4 seconds)
• Wattson now moves at Unarmed-speed while readying/placing Fence nodes.
• Fence nodes can now be placed as soon as the weapon is readied, instead of waiting for the animation to finish.

Ultimate - Interception Pylon

• The Pylon output has been significantly reworked.
• 
  Reduced the number of active Pylons Wattson can place from 3 to 1.
• 
  The Pylon now lasts forever (instead of timing out after 90 seconds).
• 
  The Pylon now has a pool of 250 Shields that can be distributed to nearby players, instead of effectively infinite Shields.
• 
  Increased the Pylon shield recharge rate by 150%, and smoothed regen rate. (2/second -> 5/second, or more accurately: 1/0.5 seconds -> 1/0.2 seconds)
• 
  When a Pylon is out of Shields, it no longer recharges players' Shields, but can still zap incoming ordnance.
• 
  Taking damage while regenerating Shields via the Pylon delays continued regeneration by 1 second.
• 
  The UI on the ground and HUD elements now displays the amount of Shields that remain in the Pylon.
• 
  Pinging a friendly Pylon will now display the percentage of Shields remaining in the Pylon.
  
  Pylon ordnance-zapping has been moderately reworked.
• 
  Ordnance is now zapped when the Pylon detects that it would hit any surface within range and line of sight of the Pylon, instead of being zapped as soon as it comes within range
• 
  As a part of the changes, current issues where the Pylon doesn't reliably zap ordnance (particularly concerning airstrike abilities, and ordnance that bounced off surfaces near the Pylon) should now be addressed.

Balance Changes: Weapons/Gear

Supply Drop Rotation

• This season the Triple-Take returns to floor loot and taking its place is the G7 Scout. The Scout enters the Supply Drop with its old friend the Double-Tap Trigger equipped.

Hop Ups

• Dual Shell - Each round loaded into the Mastiff or the 30-30 Repeater is doubled.

Fully Kitted Rotation

• Added: Mastiff 30-30 Repeater, R-301, CAR, Longbow
• Removed: Peacekeeper, Rampage, RE-45, Flatline, and Charge Rifle

EVA-8

• Fire rate reduced from 2.1 to 2.0

Peacekeeper

• Slightly increased pellet size
• Choke up time reduced from 1.5s to 1.25s
• Choked up shots remain tight for slightly longer when exiting ADS

Longbow

• Damage reduced from 60 to 55

L-STAR

• Reduced barrel effectiveness at all rarity tiers
• Significantly reduced projectile collision size
• Damage reduced from 18 to 17

G7 Scout

• Damage increased from 34 to 36
• Double Tap added to Supply Drop G7 Scout

Supply Drop Weapon Rates

• Early game crate weapon rate increased from 25% to 50%
• Mid game crate weapon rate increased from 50% to 75%
• Late game crate weapon rate increased from 75% to 100%

Hot Zone Gold Loot Rates

• Increased amount of gold loot that spawns in hot zones

CRAFTING

• Increased ammo from crafting
• 
  Light Ammo 20 → 60
• 
  Heavy Ammo 20 → 60
• 
  Energy Ammo 20 → 60
• 
  Shotgun Ammo 8 → 24
• 
  Arrows 16 → 48
• Sniper 12 → 36
• 
  Crafting Ammo price increased from 5 to 10 per weapon
• 
  Evo Armor Points from crafting increased from 100 to 150
• 
  Evo Armor Points cost increased from 45 to 50
• 
  Replaced a sniper bundle with a shotgun bundle featuring the Dual Shell
  
  
  

ENEMY NPC UPDATES

Prowler health across the game has gone up from 90 to 114 (Storm Point and World’s Edge)

Prowlers on World’s Edge and Flyers on Kings Canyon now reward EVO points (25%) ... all damage done to AI now rewards progress to your EVO armor

Arenas

Supply Drop

• Supply drop will now land outside the first ring, if possible, and land 10 seconds earlier.
• 
  Purple weapons now spawn more in earlier rounds
• Round 1 - 3x blue -> 1x purple + 2x blue
• 
  Round 2 - 1x purple + 2x blue -> 2x purple 1x blue
• 
  Round 3 - 2x purple 1x blue -> 3x purple
• 
  Supply drop no longer spawns blue Havoc or Devotion or gold RE-45
  
  
  

Weapon Price Updates

Moz

Blue 125 → 150

Purple 200 → 250

P2020

Blue 75 → 50

Purple 150 → 125

RE45

Base 200 → 150

White 150 → 100

Blue 250 → 200

Prowler

Base 500 → 400

Blue 300 → 350

Purple 400 → 350

R99

Base 500 → 450

Blue 250 → 300

Purple 300 → 350

Hemlock
Base 500 --> 450

Quality of Life

• UI - teammates will now show that they are self-reviving on their in-world game tags.
• Added VO for players to communicate they are out of ammo.
• Updated the Arena Map Rotation Images to show up to five maps.
• Updated Social Awareness Badges to unlock as default for all accounts.