nding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, ths animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.Finding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.Finding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.inding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.
The finale of the chronicle delivers much more than the prologue or its three chapters in-game do, and it ends the bite-sized story event with an interesting payoff. But the story reveals incredibly little compared to previous quests and Stories from the Outlands, preferring to delve into emotions and Bloodhound’s inner turmoil over their participation in the Apex Games while Talos crumbles, rather than advancing a plot line very far. Add this to the lack of clarity of how to actually start completing the objectives when the prologue first appeared, as well as the fact that the map rotation in the non-ranked playlist left players waiting for hours (or days) to complete the World’s Edge-exclusive chronicle, and you can see why the chronicle feels just a little disappointing. The in-game concept also opened players to enemy squads blatantly griefing their attempts to complete the objectives, although some players found kindred spirits instead.Finding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.
The finale of the chronicle delivers much more than the prologue or its three chapters in-game do, and it ends the bite-sized story event with an interesting payoff. But the story reveals incredibly little compared to previous quests and Stories from the Outlands, preferring to delve into emotions and Bloodhound’s inner turmoil over their participation in the Apex Games while Talos crumbles, rather than advancing a plot line very far. Add this to the lack of clarity of how to actually start completing the objectives when the prologue first appeared, as well as the fact that the map rotation in the non-ranked playlist left players waiting for hours (or days) to complete the World’s Edge-exclusive chronicle, and you can see why the chronicle feels just a little disappointing. The in-game concept also opened players to enemy squads blatantly griefing their attempts to complete the objectives, although some players found kindred spirits instead.
I, unfortunately, did not make friends.
I expected an interesting new way to delve into one of Apex’s most interesting characters. Instead, it frequently felt like I was simply disrupting my and other players’ gameplay in exchange for a couple voice lines. And that’s about the attitude I maintained on the exercise until I got about halfway through the story.Finding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.
The finale of the chronicle delivers much more than the prologue or its three chapters in-game do, and it ends the bite-sized story event with an interesting payoff. But the story reveals incredibly little compared to previous quests and Stories from the Outlands, preferring to delve into emotions and Bloodhound’s inner turmoil over their participation in the Apex Games while Talos crumbles, rather than advancing a plot line very far. Add this to the lack of clarity of how to actually start completing the objectives when the prologue first appeared, as well as the fact that the map rotation in the non-ranked playlist left players waiting for hours (or days) to complete the World’s Edge-exclusive chronicle, and you can see why the chronicle feels just a little disappointing. The in-game concept also opened players to enemy squads blatantly griefing their attempts to complete the objectives, although some players found kindred spirits instead.
I, unfortunately, did not make friends.
I expected an interesting new way to delve into one of Apex’s most interesting characters. Instead, it frequently felt like I was simply disrupting my and other players’ gameplay in exchange for a couple voice lines. And that’s about the attitude I maintained on the exercise until I got about halfway through the story.
I dropped into World’s Edge as Bloodhound by myself, choosing the “no fill” option so I didn’t grief other player’s matches and saddle a team with someone who had no intention of actually playing the Apex Games as they were originally intended. Not bothering to pick up any weapons or other loot to speak of, I landed on a white raven and began the familiar pattern of following the pings from the wounded prowler. It quickly became apparent that this trail would take me through Fragment West, and nearby gunshots confirmed what I already suspected. Half the lobby dropped there, and I was going to either figure out my way around them, or swiftly die with just a white shield to my name, delivering up two shield cells and two syringes to some Octane player with 5,000 kills and a Diamond ranked badge on their banner.
“Great,” I mumbled to myself, looking around from under a bridge to check to see if the coast was relatively clear, while trying to plan my next move so as to attract as little attention to myself as possible. And that’s when it struck me: this is a story about shame, and I was playing through it as such. I was disrupting the game as I knew it. I wasn’t gathering loot, and I wasn’t seeking out fights or figuring out the best way to get into the circle. Instead, the Chronicle was forcing me to play out a story about Bloodhound’s guilt and shame by sneaking around, running away, and not attempting to “win” the game at all. In a way, it almost felt like I was joining Bloodhound in some strange solidarity against the Apex Games and what they stand for.
Was this intentional on the part of the storytellers, writers, and engineers that chose to tell this story in this fashion? Maybe, maybe not. There’s no “correct” way to complete the chronicle. I imagine many players dropped in with their friends, either fighting their way through the objectives, or not making any attempt to sneak around other players, choosing to simply die and drop into the next game to finish the respective chapters. I did feel like I began engaging with the story in an entirely new way, however, when I stopped sprinting from one ping to the next and going again when I was inevitably eliminated by some team actually trying to win, and started finding ways to hide away from those enemies. I prioritized safe rotations from one point to the next, and when the need arose, chose quiet and slow movement in a game that emphasizes all the ways you can go faster and faster. Bloodhound speaks of Talos not being able to suffer more “dishonor,” but I was completing the quest in as dishonorable a way I can imagine: as a rat. Never engaging—always running and hiding. I was carrying out Bloodhound’s fears of what they had become.
Bloodhound’s chronicle ends by finding the injured prowler and confronting the disembodied voices that emanate from the white raven. The slow change of those voices from their uncle Artur’s growl to Bloodhound’s own voice makes it clear the battle was within them all along. Really, this result only served to reinforce what I discovered through playing. It might not have advanced any sort of plot point or storyline among the various characters in the way previous quests did, but it did feel immersive in a way I don’t think I’ve encountered thus far while playing Apex Legends.
All in all, there are many things the chronicles can improve upon. The end of each chapter should reward the player with a little more than a voiceline and some stars for their battle pass, and each chapter should involve something slightly more challenging and interesting than following a path. Above all, I don’t think pursuing story objectives should punish or disrupt players in-game, and “Old Ways, New Dawn” frequently does, as my various loot crates around Lava Siphon littered there while searching for the first white raven can attest to. Players that don’t have hours to sink into the game every day shouldn’t feel like they must choose between completing a story objective and playing the parts of the game that they actually enjoy. Again, even the elements of the chronicle I found interesting only occurred to me after a little digging and some introspective gameplay. I will never fault players who simply want to drop into the game and shoot things rather than go soul-searching through World’s Edge. It’s a pew-pew game. People want to pew-pew.
What Bloodhound’s chronicle does get right, however, is finding new ways to make players feel like they are a part of the story of Apex. And with some changes, Apex Chronicles has the potential to be the best way to discover and experience the game’s lore yet.
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Jessica Scharnagle - October 2, 2021
Oct 8, 2021 11:33 am APEX LEGENDS
Apex dev promises fixes to ranked Arenas
Changes are coming to the mode's point system.
Adam Snavely
Screengrab via Shrugtal/Respawn Entertainment
Ranked Arenas grinders, rejoice. Fixes are coming to your beloved bastion of combat.
With the introduction of Seer, changes to World’s Edge, and new ranked splits in the battle royale version of Apex Legends, season 10 also brought the ranked version of Arenas, the competitive three-vs-three mode initially launched to much fanfare in season nine. The ranked Arenas experience hasn’t gone quite as well as many would have hoped, however. Respawn had to push a hotfix out only a couple of hours after season 10 was released to address issues with partying in ranked Arenas. Still, there are even more things that don’t feel great about the system, as one Twitter user pointed out.
Losing 60 Arena Points in one go is a massive blow. Luckily, Apex dev and Arenas mastermind Robert West agrees. In a Twitter thread responding to the critique of Arenas, West promised players that changes are coming to the ranked Arenas system and massive AP losses such as this one should be more or less eliminated in future updates.
With ranked Arenas, it’s important to remember that there are two systems in play: Arena Points, which players earn from winning matches of Arenas, and MMR, a hidden statistic that determines how a player performed in their wins or losses. MMR takes several things into account outside of a pure win-loss record and accordingly adjusts the AP a player wins or loses to be more in line with the player’s MMR.
As West said, a loss of 60 AP just shouldn’t happen at all in ranked Arenas. He offered up a few theories on how that might happen, including a player winning a ton of AP without performing well, so their MMR doesn’t climb along with their actual rank, resulting in the system harshly punishing a loss to bring the player’s AP back down toward their MMR. There’s also the possibility that the opposing team had a far lower rating, resulting in massive AP loss.
Fortunately, these issues should be few and far between after a few more updates with West promising improvements to both the Arena Points system and the matchmaking system in ranked Arenas coming soon. If you’re someone who loves Arenas but felt the AP system unfairly prevented you from climbing in ranked Arenas, don’t be afraid to give the mode another try.
Oct 7, 2021 6:24 pm APEX LEGENDS
The best Apex Legends streamers to watch on Twitch
A non-exhaustive roundup of some of the best Apex Legends Twitch streamers grinding ranked and taking names right now.
Kate Irwin
Image via Twitch
Since its release, Apex Legends has remained one of the highest-watched gaming categories on Twitch.
With thousands of different creators streaming Apex, it can be difficult to decide who is worth watching. Many offer potential viewers tips and tricks to improve their gameplay, while others offer family-like communities or simply high-level gameplay for viewers to enjoy.
That being said, here are some of the top Apex streamers.
iitzTimmy
Back in August, 21-year-old iitzTimmy decided to do a “Bronze to Predator” challenge in one Twitch stream. He succeeded, 54 hours later, having burnt himself out completely. But he achieved his goal in spite of exhaustion and was able to maintain a high level of gameplay throughout the stream.
Timmy played Pathfinder the majority of the time, a legend no longer considered “meta” but still effective if played correctly. Timmy had nearly 150,000 concurrent viewers at the peak of this streaming marathon, a testament to his in-game ability and dedication to Apex Legends. Timmy now has 1.2 million Twitch followers and is definitely a must-watch for any Apex fan.
Lululovely
Lululovely is a 27-year-old Apex player signed to NRG. Her streams are consistently chill and focused around her gameplay. Lulu also has a cute dog who sometimes makes an appearance on her stream. Lulu is known for playing Caustic, but she flexes to any legend and has recently been playing a lot of Loba and Fuse.
In terms of content, she is known for having alt accounts with funny names, such as “inceldestroyer69.” She’s also known for wearing hoodies on stream and has a chat favorite with the word “hentai” on it. Lulu often solo queues, has an independent playstyle, and typically runs an R-99 with a shotgun. She currently has 1.1 million followers on Twitch.
Acesu
Signed to team NRG, Acesu is known for his humble personality and his ‘eboy’ aesthetic. He wears earrings often and pulls them off quite well. Acesu’s fans find him to be down-to-earth and friendly.
As a gamer, Acesu is very competitive and is widely considered to be a ‘god-tier’ aimer. He’s a beast with the wingman and takes the time to read his chat more often than other top Apex streamers. Recently, he’s been streaming games with iitzTimmy. Acesu has 1.9 million followers on Twitch.
Ninjayla
Ninjayla is another great content creator who streams almost exclusively Apex Legends. In terms of legends and loadouts, Ninjayla plays a lot of Wraith and Loba and often runs an R-301 with another gun, like a shotgun or a heavy ammo gun.
She’s a high-performing player who also manages to have tons of fun on stream, laughing and making jokes with her friends. Her personality really shines through in all of her streams. Ninjayla is currently a part of team Complexity and has over 100,000 followers on Twitch.
NiceWigg
NiceWigg is a part of 100 Thieves and often plays with other Apex streamers like Apryze. He’s a controller player who is outspoken and honest with his community, offering hot takes like “Apex has become really cliquey lately.” NiceWigg is enthusiastic when people subscribe to his channel, taking the time to thank every person in a genuine, big way.
NiceWigg is always keeping it real with the Apex community. Recently, at the start of the second split for Apex Legends season 9, NiceWigg quipped on stream, “First three days into [ranked] and everyone’s already crying.” In his games, NiceWigg is very competitive, runs a Longbow often, and plays Gibraltar. He has 436,000 followers on Twitch.
Apex Legends streamer Daltoosh joined esports org TSM on Sept. 28. He’s known for his big personality and affectionately calls his fans “Tooshbags.” Daltoosh plays a lot of Octane and has over 500,000 followers on Twitch. He’s a controller player who games and streams during the week and golfs on the weekends.
Sweetdreams streams exclusively Apex and is signed to NRG Esports. He streams ranked games and often plays Valkyrie, Caustic, or Octane. Sweet is known for his chill vibes and doesn’t get tilted easily. He chats with his teammates during games but also takes his matches seriously and shotcalls for his team. Sweet has nearly 450,000 followers on Twitch.
Nokokopuffs is an Apex Legends streamer for those who like a funny guy that keeps it real. “Koko,” as his community calls him, is a talented player who is outspoken about Apex. He often points out issues he sees with various maps, in-game bugs, and the ranked system as a whole. His honesty and candor are refreshing, and his memes are top-tier. Koko has nearly 300,000 followers on Twitch and plays a lot of Octane.
Oct 7, 2021 2:43 pm APEX LEGENDS
This Apex Legends Bloodhound cosplay is almost perfect
All they need is a real-life Artur.
Emily Morrow
Screengrab via Respawn Entertainment
One person’s in-progress Bloodhound cosplay is well on its way to perfection.
Reddit user and new cosplayer astronautgecko created the outfit themselves, which included the painstaking process of sculpting and painting the helmet and body armor. In the comments, they mentioned that this is their first time cosplaying and “foamsmithing,” or working with foam to create lightweight imitations of armor. Not everything was made by hand, though. They used firm grip gloves to imitate Bloodhound’s own gloves.
Even though the cosplay isn’t quite finished yet, astronautgecko received many glowing comments on Reddit. Some fans asked for tips and tricks, which astronautgecko was happy to share. (They recommend finding templates online for complicated designs like Bloodhound’s helmet and scouring Goodwill for cheap, used clothing that can be repurposed.) One fan even wanted to buy astronautgecko’s ax, which they made by hand with EVA foam, a popular choice for cosplayers.
Astronautgecko’s design joins the legions of cosplayers who have already portrayed characters like Wraith and Loba. The complex yet approachable character design of Apex Legends invites recreation and it’s great to see cosplayers and artists everywhere take up the challenge.
If you’re looking for more progress photos of the cosplay, astronautgecko has a close-up photo of the helmet on their Instagram.
Oct 7, 2021 1:16 pm APEX LEGENDS
Here are all the skins dropping in Apex’s Monsters Within event
It's spooky season for your wallet.
Adam Snavely
Screengrab via Respawn Entertainment
With the Monsters Within event beginning on Oct. 12, the Apex Legends gods have blessed us with a new set of creepy skins to satisfy our spooky season sensibilities.
The Halloween event skins are usually popular among fans, and this year should be no exception, with the new skins leaning into some classic horror characters as inspirations for their newest offerings. Fans of Halloween skins past will also be happy to know that several skins will make a return in the event store during the three-week event.
All in all, it looks like another great round of cosmetic additions to the game, even if it’s a little scary for your wallet.
Here are the skins arriving in the Monsters Within event.
Revenant
Screengrab via Respawn Entertainment
In addition to these skins, an epic Loba skin will be available via a free reward track, and data miners have also uncovered epic skins for Horizon and Gibraltar not features in the Monsters Within trailer.
And finally, you can celebrate Día de los Muertos with Octane’s new Muerte Rápida epic skin, which will be available from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1.
Oct 7, 2021 10:58 am APEX LEGENDS
When does Apex Legends’ Monsters Within Halloween event begin?
It's coming earlier than you'd think.
Pedro Peres
Screengrab via Respawn Entertainment
Apex Legends’ 2021 Halloween event, Monsters Within, is bringing a slew of new additions, from cosmetics to a new Arenas map. The event ends with the return of Shadow Royale, last year’s limited-time mode.
See Apex Legends on Amazon
The event is bringing Monsters Within packs and three separate reward tracks, all with a series of event-specific cosmetics inspired by horror movies. Classic skins from previous Halloween events will also show up in the in-game store.
Players don’t need to stock up on cosmetics right away, though. Monster Within items “can always be crafted with crafting metals,” according to Respawn. But buying an event pack guarantees one non-duplicate item from the 40-item collection.
When does Apex’s Monsters Within Halloween event begin?
The celebrations for the Monsters Within event kick off on Oct. 12, but players should keep a tight eye on the calendar if they want to get the most out of the event. Each week will bring its own prize track with unique rewards, including a legend skin, a gun charm, and a series of Holo-Sprays. Maxing them out takes 3,000 points and Respawn has released what will be up for grabs each week.
Image via Respawn
In addition to the weekly prize tracks, players will get the chance to dive into Shadow Royale, last year’s Halloween limited-time mode. Legends who die respawn as a Shadow Form with infinite lives and can only use melee attacks. The last team with a living legend wins the match.
Players have until Nov. 2 to participate in the harrowing celebrations before they disappear, but the Monsters Within items will stay permanently and will be available for crafting materials. Their price may even drop in a couple of seasons, according to Respawn.
Oct 7, 2021 10:44 am APEX LEGENDS
Monsters Within is Apex Legends’ Halloween event
Prepare to get spooked.
Emily Morrow
Screengrab via Respawn Entertainment
Respawn has introduced this year’s Apex Legends Halloween event, titled Monsters Within. The event starts on Oct. 12 and runs until Nov. 2.
See Apex Legends on Amazon
The biggest reveal is Encore, a new Arenas map that was partially leaked last month during a data mine. The map is located on Boreas, Seer’s home planet, and features an open layout with opportunities to flank and control the high ground. On one side is a VIP Lounge, while on the other side is the Performance Stage, both of which stem from Seer’s lore.
The Shadow Royale mode will also be making a return during the last week of the event, or from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. In Shadow Royale, killed teammates respawn in Shadow-Form and are able to help squadmates who are still alive. Squads aren’t eliminated until the last living member dies and teammates have infinite Shadow lives.
Each week of Monsters Within will have a different reward track that grants exclusive charms, holosprays, and event packs. Completing the final track rewards a new epic Loba skin. Other than the items on the reward tracks, there are 40 new Monsters Within-themed items that can be found in Apex Packs, including skins for Revenant, Caustic, Bloodhound, and Seer.
Some of previous years’ Halloween cosmetics will be available for purchase in the shop during the event, including Wraith’s Mistress of Evil skin and Crypto’s Deadly Byte skin. From Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, a Dia de los Muertos-themed bundle for Octane will also be available in the shop.
During the event, players can purchase limited-edition Monsters Within packs for 400 Apex Coins. These packs contain at least one non-duplicate event item. Regular Apex Packs will still have event items in them, but Monsters Within packs guarantee at least one event item. Event items can also be crafted, as usual.
Finding a new way to tell a story doesn’t make it a good way to tell a story. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good to take away from the exercise.
The story of Apex Legends is much like the game itself: twisting and turning, never wanting to be pinned down, and evolving into something similar, but at the same time new. Just as new legends, guns, maps, and game modes fundamentally change the way people play the game every season, Respawn continually switches up the way it reveals more and more of the Apex lore to its players. Its animations and Stories from the Outlands videos gave way to Quests, mini-PvE objectives, comics, and most recently Apex Chronicles with the newly completed “Old Ways, New Dawn” storyline.
Apex Chronicles seeks to deliver “bite-sized” story objectives directly to the player through actual gameplay, which sounds like a great idea. In actual practice, however, much of the Bloodhound-centric chronicle felt underwhelming.
Set up at the beginning of the season by introducing Bloodhound’s feelings of anger and guilt over what has become of their home planet, how Hammond continues to destroy it, and their role in all of this, the in-game portions of the Chronicle consist entirely of following around special tracking pings left behind by an injured prowler, an occasional disembodied voice, and Bloodhound mumbling lines to themselves about the quest at hand. It enters into a rarefied air of fetch quests: objectives that actually eliminate most of the fetch part altogether. There is nothing to do and nothing to bring back. You just follow the dots on the screen until they end.
The finale of the chronicle delivers much more than the prologue or its three chapters in-game do, and it ends the bite-sized story event with an interesting payoff. But the story reveals incredibly little compared to previous quests and Stories from the Outlands, preferring to delve into emotions and Bloodhound’s inner turmoil over their participation in the Apex Games while Talos crumbles, rather than advancing a plot line very far. Add this to the lack of clarity of how to actually start completing the objectives when the prologue first appeared, as well as the fact that the map rotation in the non-ranked playlist left players waiting for hours (or days) to complete the World’s Edge-exclusive chronicle, and you can see why the chronicle feels just a little disappointing. The in-game concept also opened players to enemy squads blatantly griefing their attempts to complete the objectives, although some players found kindred spirits instead.
I expected an interesting new way to delve into one of Apex’s most interesting characters. Instead, it frequently felt like I was simply disrupting my and other players’ gameplay in exchange for a couple voice lines. And that’s about the attitude I maintained on the exercise until I got about halfway through the story.
I dropped into World’s Edge as Bloodhound by myself, choosing the “no fill” option so I didn’t grief other player’s matches and saddle a team with someone who had no intention of actually playing the Apex Games as they were originally intended. Not bothering to pick up any weapons or other loot to speak of, I landed on a white raven and began the familiar pattern of following the pings from the wounded prowler. It quickly became apparent that this trail would take me through Fragment West, and nearby gunshots confirmed what I already suspected. Half the lobby dropped there, and I was going to either figure out my way around them, or swiftly die with just a white shield to my name, delivering up two shield cells and two syringes to some Octane player with 5,000 kills and a Diamond ranked badge on their banner.