Apex Legends has quietly changed the rules for the new Top 5 Elite mode. However, almost no players noticed until it was too late. Our author Jürgen also got caught.
This happened to me recently in Apex: I, Jürgen, had a strange experience in Apex Legends yesterday. I qualified in a Top 5 round and was doing well. We had made it to the last 5 squads again and were just about to loot the bodies of the enemies and properly equip ourselves for the final battle.
The death zone was getting closer, but who cares, I was playing as Lifeline and I could easily heal the little zone damage, the safe zone wasn’t far away. My teammates thought the same and continued to loot calmly.
I was still in the inventory trying to make room for ammunition, when suddenly I was dead. And not just me, my whole squad died instantly and we were out of the race! What the hell happened?
Update quietly changes zone damage
What has the update done? The cause of our surprising deaths was the death zone we stood in for a brief moment. It normally does little damage, so players don’t take it too seriously and often linger there to collect valuable loot.
Due to a small update before the latest mini patch, the zone damage in Elite mode was increased immensely. Now, just a few seconds are enough to kill a player. This has happened not only to me; a player on Reddit recorded the drastic reduction from 12 to 3 squads in a video.
Whole Server Dies to the New Ring! (12 Squads left down to 3!) from r/apexlegends
How the community reacts: All of this is bad enough, but the issue with the zone damage was not mentioned in any patch notes, as the update had already come on June 10th. Therefore, some players are seriously upset about it. Others, however, defend the new mechanic on Reddit:
- “If you can’t handle the elite zone, just play the normal mode!”
- “Anyone who complains because the zone is deadly is a damn idiot!”
- “You do realize that your character even warns you and a timer counts down? It’s not like the damn thing is hiding!”
How the new zone changes the game: But one thing is certain. If the zone stays as it is now, it will radically change the game in Elite mode. Until now, you only had to fear the zone when you were really far from the safe zone. Now, however, you have to be extra careful and keep moving constantly. Casual looting and camping are no longer an option!
Jürgen’s conclusion: As shocked as I was at first, I actually like the new zone rule now. Especially at the beginning of my battle royale phase, I had enormous respect for the zone and fled immediately when it approached. That brought adrenaline and excitement to the game.
Later, I realized “Hey, this thing doesn’t do any damage, so I don’t have to rush!”. But that took the excitement out of the game again. An ultra-deadly zone, from which players flee in droves, and which mercilessly eliminates careless or overly greedy people, fits very well in a battle royale game where the ultimate survival is at stake.
As far as I’m concerned, it can stay like this, even in the regular mode.
