Apex Legends: Season 2's New Weapon And Balance Changes Further Detailed

Season 2 of Apex Legends is almost here. The new season of Respawn's battle royale game kicks off on July 2, and as EA revealed during E3 2019, it'll introduce a new playable character to the game, along with some new skins, other cosmetics, and a few new weapons, which we've now learned some more details about (along with additional details about how Season 2 wants to mix things up).

In a post on Reddit, Respawn's principal weapons designer on Apex Legends, Sean Slayback, discussed some of the weapon changes coming in Season 2, starting with the L-Star LMG--a returning weapon from Titanfall. The L-Star fires slower projectiles than other guns in the game; however, these projectiles are also much larger than normal, allowing players to get good hits in even if their aim isn't completely accurate.

Respawn warns the L-Star will also overheat if you hold the trigger down too long; when this happens, the gun's lens will break and need to be replaced. The developer says this process "takes some time," so you'll need to be careful using the weapon. The gun also comes with a limited supply of ammo, and you won't be able to find additional rounds for it, so once you've run out, you'll no longer be able to use the gun.

Beyond the L-Star, Respawn is also introducing two new hop-ups to the game in Season 2. The Disruptor Rounds are compatible with the Alternator and RE-45, and they dish out more damage to shielded enemies; the Hammerpoint Rounds, on the other hand, can be used with the P2020 and the Mozambique, and they deal increased damage to unshielded foes. Respawn is also adding new Energy Mag attachments for the Havoc, Devotion, and Triple Take guns.

Additionally, Season 2 will introduce a new set of gold weapons in King Canyon; Respawn says the full list of these will be shared in the Season 2 patch notes. The developer is also making some other balance tweaks to the Arc Star and adjusting ammo stack sizes. You can read more details on Reddit.

Season 2's new Legend is Wattson, a young technology prodigy who can lay down electrical walls and pylons. Like Fortnite, Season 2's Battle Pass will also be challenge-based, and Respawn is adding a new competitive Ranked mode. Season 2 is still a couple of weeks away, but ahead of it, dragons have started appearing in the game, potentially heralding some kind of world event ahead of the new season.