Apex Legends limited-time Solo mode out now with new skins, loot

Plus, new cosmetics have some folks upset about their exorbitant pricing structure.

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Been anxiously awaiting a solo version of Apex Legends to play on your own? Thanks to the Iron Crown event, the game just got a massive update.

What's going on with all the new additions? The event has added a brand new area to the map, new challenges, skins, loot, a balancing patch, and most importantly, Solo mode. Players will head into Kings Canyon on their lonesome to fight on their own and become the last player standing. It's a lot more difficult than it sounds – will you be the one to emerge victorious? The new Gauntlet map area is found in Kings Canyon and features an entirely new area inspired by Octane with a ring of fire in the middle surrounded by plenty of ways to get some air, and there's plenty of other fun stuff to discover on your way through the new update. Mostly, that Solo mode is worth writing home about. It really should be a permanent addition to the game, but it looks like that's not going to be the case. 

Of course, we can't forget about the skins and cosmetics available for those who participate. Crowns are a unique currency to this event alone and you can earn them by completing different challenges. There is one cosmetic that's upsetting people a bit, though. The pricing and availability of Iron Crown event packs is a bit expensive, breaking down to abut 700 Apex Coins per pack, which equates to around $7 in real money. There are 24 you can collect, but only two may be earned through regular gameplay. Should you wish to unlock the rest, you'll have to pay a whopping $140. As expected, players aren't happy with this turn of events. Respawn has yet to comment on the matter.

You can find the full list of patch notes below.

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed issue where assigned challenges not resetting properly and giving rewards.
  • Fixed bug causing incorrect calculation of Kill/Death Ratio in player stats.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes a Care Package would clip into map geometry.
  • Fixed a bug that was sometimes showing Apex Predator ranked players RP as zero when viewing the badge in the Lobby.
  • Fixed issue with players having connection issues when trying to join a squad that has already played a match.
  • Fixed issue where Daily and Weekly Challenges would reset earlier than communicated in the game.
  • [Xbox Only] Fixed bug where players would sometimes not receive “The Player” achievement when hitting level 50.
  • Fixed a bug where sometimes Arc Stars would attach to players and some objects at a distance and appear to float off of them.
  • Fixed bug where sometimes Arc Stars would not explode or do no damage when it detonates.
  • Fixed issue with players sometimes unable to unlock the “Double Duty” Badge.
  • Fixed bug where sometimes using a healing item while experiencing bad ping would cause them to heal for twice as much.

QUALITY OF LIFE

  • Added a Death Recap to the end of match summary that will display a damage summary of your last battle.
  • Improved the UI during the Match Summary to better show Battle Pass progression.

Added In-game Survey

  • While playing you may get a prompt that will pop up asking if you enjoyed the last match. This data will be helpful to us so please provide your input when you see it.
  • Added option to spectate your squadmates after dying.
  • Added option to “Invite Squad” in the Squad Tab.
  • Players should no longer lose RP when experiencing a server crash or disconnect in Ranked Mode.
  • Fixed issue where squadmates could not ping a friendly Wraith portal.
  • Fixed issue where players could pull other players out of a match by joining them, and then joining another friend from the Lobby.
  • Fixed issue where sometimes a player would get left behind from their squad in the Lobby after they enter a match.
  • Fixed issue where players would sometimes get a “Party Not Ready” error message even though they were no longer in a party.
  • Fixes that should improve overall game stability to reduce crashes.

WEAPON BALANCE

Disruptor Rounds with Alternator:

  • Reduced Shielded damage multiplier 1.7 -> 1.55.
  • Designer Notes: Disruptor rounds on the alternator are shredding shields a bit too quickly and still proving to be stronger than intended, so we’re reducing the disruptor rounds multiplier on shield damage.

RE-45:

  • Increased Magazine Size for all tiers to the following:
  • Base: 16
  • Common: 19
  • Rare: 22
  • Epic: 25
  • Designer Notes: We’re giving the RE-45 a small boost in power by giving it one more round for every mag size. Downing a non-fortified enemy with the RE-45 with 0, 50, 75, and 100 shields requires 10, 14, 16, and 19 shots respectively, so this extra round gives the gun the ability to one-mag more armored enemies instead of leaving them barely alive.

R-301:

  • Increased vertical and horizontal recoil. Slightly increased recoil pattern randomness.
  • Designer Notes: We’ve made these changes as we’ve seen that the R301 is a bit stronger than intended at long range. We’ve adjusted recoil to balance keeping it effective at medium to close range--which is the original intent--but it should be more difficult for players to auto fire and still laser enemies at long distances.

LEGENDS

General

  • Made adjustments to Pathfinder’s and Low-Profile Legends hitboxes.
  • Taking shots to the hip now does torso damage instead of leg damage. This should more closely match the behavior of the other Legends.
  • Fixed a bug where activating a healing item would cancel the Ultimate for Legends that need to prime it [Bangalore / Pathfinder / Caustic / Gibraltar / Bloodhound]
  • Fixed an exploit where players would sometimes be able to still shoot while downed.

Bloodhound

  • Increased the distance that Bloodhound can see traversal clues left by other players [but not other kinds of clues] to 25 meters.
  • Adjusted the area of effect for Bloodhound’s Tactical to 125 fov.

Wraith

  • Based on player feedback, we’ve reduced the “hum” audio that’s playing while using Wraith’s Kunai.
  • Fixed issue where actions for Wrath would have a slight delay when her weapon is holstered and crouching or sliding while the kunai is equipped.
  • Fixed an exploit that allowed players to remove the cooldown for Wraith’s Tactical Ability.

Mirage

  • Fixed bug where Mirage was able to stay invisible and still be able to shoot and melee when using his Ultimate on a zipline.

Octane

  • Fixed bug where sometimes Octane’s Jump Pad would not launch the player.

The event will last two weeks, so if you're looking to get your solo play on, you'd better jump on while you can.

Senior Editor

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!

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