Apex Legends Update For Season 1 Adds Octane And Battle Pass

The most significant update to Apex Legends since its surprise release in early February has arrived. Respawn Entertainment had promised that the game's first battle pass would launch in March, and after weeks of wondering whether that was still on track, the big day has arrived. A new Apex Legends patch launched on Tuesday featuring the release of the battle pass and Octane, as well as welcome changes to characters' hit boxes.

The Season 1 Battle Pass costs 950 Apex Coins (roughly $10 / £8). A Battle Pass Bundle is also available for 2800 Apex Coins, which also instantly unlocks the next 25 levels for the season. In addition to a variety of rewards you unlock immediately by buying the Battle Pass, you'll be able to level it up to earn other skins, cosmetics, and even Apex Coins. A select number of rewards are available to all players, but the vast majority require you to buy the Battle Pass. If you do pick it up--which you can effectively do for cheaper with EA/Origin Access--you can earn up to 1,000 Apex Coins, letting you earn back the cost of entry, and enough to buy the next Battle Pass.

Each battle pass will include about 100 rewards, including seasonal items for all players and some exclusive kit for battle pass owners. Rewards will apply retroactively if you decide to buy your battle pass later. Purchasing the battle pass will also net you extra Apex Packs as part of your rewards, giving you more chances for random skins and other cosmetics beyond the exclusive ones offered directly. You can read more about the process in our breakdown of how the battle pass works.

One thing that's absent from the battle pass that some expected were challenges akin to those in Fortnite. Unlocks will be earned simply by leveling up the battle pass through XP from playing matches, not by completing any special objectives. In a blog post, Respawn explained, "Our first Battle Pass is all about letting you continue to learn and experiment with the core Apex Legends experience while earning awesome loot at the same time. You'll notice the first version isn't built around a complex quest system where you need to do a 720 backflip off of Watchtower Artemis and get two Wingman headshots before hitting the ground. While we think there's really cool design space in quests and challenges for future Battle Passes, we wanted the initial version to allow our players to just play and learn the game."

As suspected, the new character is Octane. The PlayStation Blog outlined his powers, including an Adrenaline Junkie ability to trade health for speed, and a limitless supply of Stim health. He also has his Launch Pads as an Ultimate Ability, giving himself and teammates a serious vertical boost. Notably, Octane will be released alongside the battle pass but will be a separate purchase. He will cost the same as Mirage and Caustic did at launch--12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Apex Coins. In addition to all of the rewards you can obtain with the battle pass, there are also a bunch of Octane skins to check out now that the first new legend has been added to the game.

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Octane appeared in an accidental update on the Origin storefront, which Respawn later acknowledged was an "unintentional update about Season 1." Later jump pads began appearing in the game, all but confirming the rumors about the new character's power set.

Season 1 is slated to last through June, when it will be replaced by the next seasonal battle pass. Two more after that are planned for 2019, in September and December.