Apex Legends is getting a new mode that is faster and offers more gunfights but should be less sweaty.
What is this new mode in Apex Legends?
- Season 26 in Apex Legends starts on August 5, 2025. Among the new content that the update brings is a new permanent game mode: Wildcard.
- Wildcard is a smaller battle royale mode with fewer players and on smaller maps.
- The mode aims to be less sweaty and competitive than the normal battle royale, while focusing on fast and aggressive gameplay.
More fights, more action, less sweating
How does the new mode work? Wildcard is a kind of arcade mode played on smaller maps with only 30 players, where fast, aggressive gunplay is the focus. Accordingly, you should have as many skirmishes as possible and also be able to continue playing if you lose a gunfight.
In Wildcard, respawns are active. As long as a member of your team is alive, you can return to the ongoing match. However, the respawn cooldown will get longer the further the match progresses. Additionally, each player regenerates health over time without needing to pick up healing items.
The focus of the mode, however, is on the so-called wildcards, which offer different abilities and perks. Each player can equip up to 3 wildcards, crafted at replicators. When you craft a wildcard, various randomly selected cards are available for you to choose from – comparable to the skill selection in a roguelike when you enter a new room.
The perks of the wildcards include “automatically reviving a teammate when you get a kill”, wall running like in Titanfall, fast reloading, and a type of chain lightning wildcard that redirects a portion of the damage dealt to nearby enemies. This allows developers to experiment with different mechanics across the maps that wouldn’t fit into regular competitive Apex and could harm the competitive spirit of the base game.
In addition to the new wildcards, the mode features the so-called Evo Orbs, which you collect during the game and come in various rarity tiers. These orbs provide Evo XP that you use to level your weapons. You can find them in loot bins and as ground loot. They are also dropped by defeated players. Certain actions like kills, downs, and assists also grant Evo XP.
To allow you to dive straight into the next gunfight after a kill, you also regenerate some shield charge by collecting Evo Orbs and start the regeneration of your health without delay. Collecting Evo Orbs, as well as ammunition and shield cells, occurs automatically in Wildcard mode when you walk over the loot of a defeated opponent.
Season 26 brings buffs for Caustic and Bangalore
What else is new in Season 26 of Apex Legends? Season 26 of Apex Legends comes with exciting new content in addition to the new permanent Wildcard mode, including buffs for Caustic and Bangalore.
Here’s a summary of the highlights from Season 26:
- Caustic receives a new ability called “Field Study” and his toxic gas now deals more damage.
- Bangalore’s smoke can now break down doors and can be upgraded with an EMP charge that shocks enemies and destroys traps.
- Lootable passive abilities: Amps – players can equip the so-called “Amps” during gameplay. These are passive abilities that include unlimited ammunition, healing upgrades, or bonus armor.
- Hop-ups are now integrated directly into weapons and must be unlocked through gameplay.
- A new elite weapon: the RE-45 with 3-shot energy salvos.
- E-District is now playable during the day.
- In ranked, there is no longer a jumpmaster; squads are now assigned a POI drop zone.
- You can now farm aura in ranked. Aura is a cosmetic item that allows opponents to see your current rank.
- You can earn various rewards that grant you bonus XP after a match.
Apex Legends remains one of the best shooters you can play even years after its release – and constantly proves this with regular updates. To see which shooters we recommend, check out The 25 best shooters of 2025 – These PvP and PvE games impress with their gameplay
