Apex Legends season 17 Arsenal patch notes, battle pass, and more

Apex Legends’ season 17, “Arsenal,” begins on May 9, bringing with it both a new character and a new (or, at least, noticeably remade) map. Ballistic is the new character, and fans have met him, but only in lore. They don’t know about his abilities or the changes to the gameplay. And the map, we’ve gotta say, does look nice — with one big point of interest worth exploring for Easter eggs if you’re not getting shot at.

Here’s everything confirmed on Monday in season 17’s first gameplay reveal — a lot of this was leaked out earlier by the usual cadre of data miners. Ballistic is a big part of what’s coming to the free-to-play, hero shooter/battle royale, but there is plenty more on the table than a new face and lore to go along with him.

Image: Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

Who is Apex Legends’ new character for season 17?

August Montgomery “Ballistic” Brinkman was already introduced in a lore trailer on April 24 and then again in a launch trailer on April 26. During a media/influencer preview shown under embargo two weeks ago, Ballistic’s backstory, as a flamboyantly lethal killer in the Thunderdome Games (the Apex Games’ forerunner) was revealed in detail. But we haven’t heard — officially anyway — about the 24th Legend’s gameplay characteristics.

Now, let’s see what they look like:

• Passive:Ballistic is equipped with a Sling. This Sling can be used as an additional weapon. The limitation is that this gun cannot have any attachments; the bonus is, well, that’s tied into his Ultimate.
• Tactical: This is called The Whistler, and it’s both simple (a smart bullet that tracks an enemy after locking on) and complicated (all the stuff that happens after that). Should The Whistler strike its target, they won’t suffer damage per se, but they suffer a debuff that overheats their weapon the more it is fired. The Whistler can overheat and explode, causing damage to the target. If The Whistler misses its target, the area it left behind will also apply the overheating effect to any weapons that enter it.
• Ultimate:Ballistic is transformed into an arsenal by The Tempest (hence, the name of season 17), boosting his teammates as well as himself: they gain unlimited ammunition, faster reloads and a faster speed for armed movement. What about the Sling, then? This weapon has been upgraded to Gold, and it is now possible to choose what to bring in the Sling.

Additionally, Ballistic is an Assault class legend — and under the class overhaul Apex Legends Last season, he was given the assault perks (instead of getting a brand new character). You may want to remember that these are:

• Open a secret compartment within a red Weapon Supply Bin, which gives Assault characters access to gear and attachments that fit their current loadouts

• Assault Legends can carry an extra stack of ammunition, per inventory slot

Ballistic is a character that will be incredibly dynamic in the hands those who enjoy running around and shooting.

Image: Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

What’s the map in Apex Legends Season 17?

Though players don’t expect a new map every season, they also didn’t get one in season 16 as Respawn developers focused on larger, structural changes to the battle royale’s gameplay. With that work out of the way, they’re delivering both a new hero and a new map in season 17.

It’s a pretty significant overhaul of World’s Edge, the game’s second battle royale map (introduced in season 3, during the game’s first year), and which last got an update in season 10 (August 2021). World’s Edge is a resource-extraction colony on the planet Talus, riven by violent volcanic activity.

The terraforming there had attempted to cool World’s Edge’s lava flows to allow mining, but a malfunction in one of its control towers left it a ghost town with many ruined buildings — i.e., a perfect place to stage the Apex Games.

Well, apparently the lava flows have cooled on their own, although not entirely, allowing some additions and changes while still leaving intact what fans love about World’s Edge. The first is a few new features.

• Monument: This is essentially a rework of the Fragment East point of interest at the center of the map, and it’s the biggest change, by far, coming to World’s Edge. Under the rocket-like monument-like structure, there is a Museum with glass ceilings, which tells the story of Apex. This Museum POI is similar to a bunker. However, it also has quick-access positions for snipers at the Monument. Additionally, the bunker’s glass ceiling (basically the floor of the Monument) will allow players to peer inside, both to get a look at the exhibits, but more likely to get the drop on who fled down there, ostensibly to safety.
• Stacks: Lava City is replaced by this new area in the southeast of the map. This red building, under construction with ziplines running down both sides, was once a Fragment landmark. Lava City is based on that building and offers a great deal of vertical gameplay, as well as many interconnected roofs.

Image: Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

Can you really learn about Apex Legends’ history at the Museum?

The developers at Respawn say yes, you can — both in-world and as a video game. The Museum is a timely inclusion given Ballistic’s involvement with the little-discussed Thunderdome Games, the Apex Games’ predecessor. (The Thunderdome was a location on the King’s Canyon map, but it was destroyed three years ago in season 5). The Museum will chart the lore behind the Apex Games’ rise from the end of the mostly-underground Thunderdome Games, all the way to present day. There will be a section dedicated to the original legends as well as one to Respawn’s development of the game, including some of the studio’s earliest design concepts.

Grid View

What updates to the game will Apex get for Season 16?

Respawn has stepped back from season 16 to allow players more time to adapt to a constantly evolving game. But season 17 will introduce a Weapon Mastery system — a form of progression that will not reset each season. Any time players are fighting with a weapon, they’ll be generating XP for that weapon, whether by dealing damage, getting kills, or using certain features.

There are plenty of account-level cosmetic unlocks on each weapon’s Mastery track (badges, banner frames, performance trackers) but it all culminates in a legendary skin for that gun once players have fully mastered all of its challenges.

A second set of upgrades and changes will be made to Apex Legends’ Firing Range, which got an update in season 16 as Respawn moved to make the game more accessible to newcomers. To begin with, players can fire AI combat dummies back. There’s a Duel Pit to allow them to practice fighting one-on-one, and a Vert Course where they can practice more sophisticated traversal techniques. Players can also practice using every weapon in the game on the Combat Range.

Finally, updates to the game’s famous (and very useful) ping wheel will improve nonverbal communication among teammates, and a new “Evac Tower” will let players deploy a balloon (with certain tactical limitations) that lets players zipline up high and skydive out of a particularly hairy firefight.

When are Apex Legends season 17’s start and end dates?

Apex Legends season 17, “Arsenal,” goes live at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST on May 9. The end of the season hasn’t been revealed (presumably because it would have prematurely announced the start of season 17), but the season will begin in May. Apex Legends Usually, the season ends around early August.