'Apex Legends' is finally adding a team deathmatch mode

It’s hard to believe, but Apex Legends is four years old this month. And with the game’s 16th season set to debut on February 14th, developer Respawn Entertainment is promising to shake things up. “Nothing is safe and there are going to be some pretty significant changes that we’ve been working on for a while,” the studio said in a blog post it published on Monday.

One of those changes is a game mode players have been asking Respawn to add since launch. The studio will allow you to queue for team deathmatch games for a limited time. The mode will see two teams of six vie for supremacy. The first team to secure 30 kills wins the round. You’ll need to win two rounds to take the match. At the start of a deathmatch game, you’ll pick your character and one of five weapon loadouts. You can change both between respawns.

At the same time, Respawn is removing Arenas, the game’s current spin on deathmatch. The studio says the 3v3 game mode wasn’t meeting its goal of being a good place to master Apex’s combat mechanics. On March 7th, Respawn will introduce Mixtape, a permanent rotating playlist of limited-time game modes. The playlist will allow you to play favorites like Control, Gun Run and, yes, Team Deathmatch. The season will also add a new energy weapon called the Nemesis for players to master. It’s an assault rifle that fires a four-round burst, and you can hold down the trigger to continue firing.

Season 16 won’t see the introduction of a new playable character. That’s because Respawn wants to tweak the existing ones first. In addition to balance changes targeting Lifeline, Seer and Wraith to start, the developer is adding a reworked class system. Respawn will assign each Legend to one of five classes: Assault, Recon, Skirmisher, Controller or Support. Each class will have access to a unique perk. For instance, it sounds like Support characters will have new ways to revive their teammates. Respawn has promised to share more information about all the Legends changes closer to the release of the new season.

Respawn is adding a new orientation match system that will pit new players against bots to make the game more approachable to newbies. “Our goal with Orientation Matches is to create a lower-pressure environment where new players can get their bearings, learn the core mechanics, and have a little more space to breathe while they learn how to play Apex Legends,” the studio said.

It wouldn’t be much of an anniversary season if the game didn’t have something for players to collect. In the first two weeks of the season, you can unlock Crypto and Ash by logging into the game. You’ll also unlock thematic packs for both of them.