Apex Legends Season 9: Everything we know

What can we expect from Apex Legends Season 9? We already knew that the game has loads of Titanfall stuff coming, but we now have a clearer understanding of how these shared universes will collide. One thing's for sure, Legacy looks promising, and it's just around the corner.

This week we had our first look at hotshot Titan pilot, Valkyrie, and Respawn has announced that a new weapon is also on the way, alongside changes to the Olympus map. Some of the finer details are yet to be revealed, so I'll be diving into some of the leaks and data-mined info until I can update this article further with official confirmation. For now, here's everything we know about Apex Legends Season 9, including the new legend, weapon, and Arena mode.

Release date

When is the Apex Legends Season 9 release date?

It's official, Apex Legends Season 9 starts on May 4. This gives you a couple of weeks to wrap up outstanding challenges and unlock the final tiers on Mayhem's battle pass. Previous seasons have launched at around 10am PT/ 1pm ET/ 6pm BST, so this is a safe bet for Legacy's release time, but we'll keep an eye out for updates.

Battle pass

How much does the Apex Legends Season 9 battle pass cost?

The Season 9 battle pass shouldn't differ from previous seasons in terms of pricing and cosmetics. The standard Legacy battle pass will likely cost 950 Apex Coins ($9.99/£7.99). This usually includes a small selection of Legend and weapon skins to celebrate the launch of a fresh chapter.

Alternatively, you can part with 2,800 Apex Coins to claim all the goodies in the first 25 tiers of the battle pass immediately. The cheapest way to pick up the bundle is by purchasing 1,000 Apex Coins and 2,000 Apex Coins separately for a combined total of $29.98/£23.98.

Trailer

Watch the Apex Legends Season 9 trailer

The latest Stories from the Outlands episode, Northstar gives us a good look at the new legend and a fleeting glance at her father, Viper, who you may remember from Titanfall 2. We also get to spend some more time with Kuben Blisk, another Titanfall mercenary who now headhunts new competitors for the Apex Games and frequently pops up in these shorts.

The video doesn't give too much information away, but it spends a fair amount of time focusing on Titanfall's mechs, showing us a memory in which Valkyrie took her father's for a spin. You can watch the full episode above.

New legend: Valkyrie

Apex Legends new legend: Who is Kairi "Valkyrie" Imahara?

We don't know much about Valkyrie just yet, but judging by the Northstar episode, she's a force to be reckoned with. She had no problem tracking down Blisk and picking a fight with him, even though she ultimately accepts his invitation to join the Apex Games.

It's also clear that she wasn't afraid of taking a few risks in her younger days when she took Viper's titan for a joyride. From what we can tell, she's spent her life hoping to avenge her father, but she's keen to make a name for herself in the Outlands going forward.

Apex Legends Valkyrie abilities

Respawn are yet to officially reveal Valkyrie's abilities, although they have been posting teasers on Instagram that look as though they link to the new legend. Reliable Apex dataminer Shrugtal shared her abilities on Twitter, outlining that they haven't changed in the game files since last year when her codename was 'Valk'. Here's what her 2020 data-mined abilities were:

• Passive: Hover in the air for a short period of time.
• Tactical: Cluster missile.
• Ultimate: Valkyrie and nearby teammates redeploy (launch into the air and skydive).

These abilities look promising, and Valkyrie's passive sounds plausible given the jetpack pictured in her promo art. The idea of a cluster mine serving as her tactical also sounds roughly on par with other characters' abilities.

What's most interesting is her rumoured Ultimate. Being able to redeploy without relying on the balloons around the map could give Valkyrie and her squad the chance to hunt down a team in the distance quickly. It could also be useful for escaping the ring in later rounds where it deals considerably more damage, and you don't have a Heat Shield to hand.

Map changes

What's happening to Olympus?

Last season, Kings Canyon received a bit of a makeover, but Legacy has its sights set on Olympus. Respawn are keeping the details vague at the moment, but we know that an infestation has surfaced on Psamathe, and the city has been strangled by the roots of some sort of 'natural growth'. Considering Olympus is filled with neat lawns and cherry blossom tree-lined paths, this could twist the map into a botanic monstrosity.

New weapon

Looks like we're getting a bow

Apex has a healthy variety of guns split into several classes, but this is the first season where we'll get to test out a weapon that doesn't rely on bullets or laser beams to score kills. Season 9 will introduce the Bocek Bow, which Respawn has mentioned will be especially potent at medium ranges. This weapon will likely see a new pool of ammo added to the game as it uses arrows. Similar to other games, I'd expect it to be a one or two-shot killer at short-medium distances, but I'm interested to see how it fares at longer ranges.

New mode

Are we getting a new Arena mode this season?

A few seasons ago, data miners spotted a slot for a new mode in Apex's game files. Over the past few weeks more leaks of a brand new Arena mode have surfaced, suggesting that a 3v3 mode is on the way. Shrugtal covered the full details in a video, and it looks as though the mode could focus on specific POIs across each of the maps, dropping teams in at either end of the zone to duke it out. An airdrop filled with high tier loot is rumoured to drop in the middle of the area, and the ring may shrink inwards across two stages.

It's unclear how weapons and gear will be distributed in the proposed mode. Shrugtal speculates that players may be able to choose their loadouts before the first round begins, or that premade loadouts may be available instead. There's always a chance Respawn could follow the Locked and Loaded template that they implemented as an LTM in February where everyone spawns with level one gear. Shrugtal also noted the supply bins in the files don't contain common armour and weapons, which supports this theory.

We've been expecting a new mode for a while, and after a flurry of LTMs in Season 8, now feels like the perfect time to hop into a smaller, more intimate mode that moves away from the standard battle royale setting. Respawn hasn't outright confirmed the existence of Arena just yet, but a teaser found in Apex's Firing Range hints that it's coming soon. In this clip, you can see Shrugtal take an elevator while Ash—another Titanfall 2 character—speaks. She finishes her monologue with the line "the Arena awaits…" So, it's safe to assume it'll arrive sometime in Legacy.

While I love how Apex approaches battle royale, it would be great to have other modes to dip into when things feel a bit stale. Splitting the player base across playlists can introduce its own problems though, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Lifeline adjustments

Lifeline's abilities are changing again

Apex's resident medic, Lifeline is no stranger to reworks, and Season 9 will be tweaking her abilities once more. A recent Reddit AMA saw live balance designer John Larson confirm that her tactical healing will be increased by 60 percent, and her care package will now give us guaranteed upgrades, rather than random items. Unfortunately she'll also be losing her resurrect shield, which was added last year. She'll still be able to resurrect teammates, but with the shield removed it'll be noticeably harder to bring back her squad safely.

Removing the shield entirely sounds quite extreme, but it does feel a bit overpowered in its current state. Having the power to resurrect a buddy while you carry on fighting and being able to stand behind the shield to avoid incoming fire is a very good passive, compared to other legends. It'll be interesting to see whether this needs further tuning down the line.

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