Respawn is implementing massive changes to Ranked in Apex Legends for Season 20, with a return to a system more akin to Season 13, but with some new additions as well.
Apex Legends players have been struggling through the ranked system for the past few seasons. The playlist has seen players boosted to high elo quickly and has become a tough experience for all those involved.
Respawn has heard players’ complaints about the mode and now has the data to make changes. For Season 20, the devs have revamped the ranked system dramatically.
To start, everyone’s rank will be reset to 1 RP at the start of the season, and Respawn wants the new system to focus on “trust and accessibility.”
Apex Legends Ranked changes for Season 20
The philosophy around this change for ranked is seeing players fight more. LP has been removed and RP is back in Season 20. Placement in the match still matters, however players will now get ranked points for each elimination.
Players will also earn bonuses for eliminating high-ranked players in a lobby and the value of RP will rise the higher you finish in the match. Respawn has also added a more detailed match summary screen post-match that will show players where their score and points come from.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Matchmaking in ranked is also changing. The system will no longer use hidden MMR, instead players will be matched based on RP value. This way, you’ll know exactly how the opponents are being decided.
Additionally, the entry cost for each ranked tier has increased, and provisional matches and trails have been removed. Respawn, however, did say this was just “for now” – so we could see them return in some fashion.
Ranked splits are also making a return, however, players won’t have to worry about that till about mid-season.
Lastly, players of any rank can now queue together. But, the players with the highest RP will determine who the squad will be matched with, so pick your friends for Ranked carefully.
Speaking at a press event, the developer said “We think this is going to be one of the best ranked seasons we’ve ever had.” Now players will get the chance to decide if that’s the case or not.
