5 things Apex Legends needs in 2022

Apex Legends is about to head into its third year, and if the past two years have taught us anything, the innovation won’t stop. But there are some major absences still present for a game of its age and popularity. Here are the five features Apex Legends needs to add in 2022.

2021 saw the biggest innovations in Apex since launch, namely with Arenas, and the new map Storm Point, which introduced a number of new gameplay mechanics.

However, players have also complained about a general lack of content, with very few limited-time modes, and events focusing more on new cosmetics than new gameplay experiences.

There are also glaring omissions such as a lack of cross-progression and next-gen updates for the latest console releases – originally announced for 2021, but clearly, that’s not happening now.

This is what Apex needs to prioritize in 2022.

Cross-progression & console updates

By far the most requested features for Apex, cross-progression capability and next-gen updates are an absolute must for Apex this coming year.

It’s taken far too long for both of these to be implemented, particularly cross-progression. With cross-play available, players should be able to switch seamlessly between platforms without having to start a brand new account, losing all their progress and unlocks.

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Respawn has said many times that adding cross-progression has proved difficult, but at this point, it’s simply a must-have at all costs.

Next-gen updates were announced by EA soon after the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S were launched, but missed their schedule for 2021. Hopefully, we will see FPS improvements for these more powerful consoles in the early part of 2022.

Support Legends

There were four new characters added in 2021: Fuse, Valkyrie, Seer, and Ash. Seer is a ‘recon’ Legend, of which there are multiple, and assault Legends make up the rest – of which there are arguably too many.

One area that is severely lacking in the Legend roster is more support characters. We have Lifeline and Loba, but Lifeline is the only character really focused on healing, with Loba’s kit built around loot.

Another medic-like character would give players at least some variety if they want to play this way. A shield support Legend would perhaps be the obvious option here.

Firing Range Updates

Bar a few minor changes and fixes, the Firing Range has remained largely unchanged since its release over two years ago. Meanwhile, the firing range in Apex Legends Mobile is better in every single way.

Unlimited ammo, different game modes and challenges, training routines, and everything a complete firing range needs, feature in the mobile version of Apex.

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Respawn devs previously teased firing range updates for the main game, but these didn’t come in Season 11 as expected. Season 12 is hopefully the target.

Team Deathmatch

Arenas is a good mode, and Ranked Arenas provides another great option to grind and prove yourself. But, it’s a very structured mode, with economy, small teams, and a round-based system.

Apex would certainly benefit from some looser, casual modes, where players can just practice weapons, abilities and equipment freely, against other opponents. The aforementioned Firing Range updates might provide some of this, but a team-deathmatch or free-for-all mode would be a great addition.

Again, this is a feature that is already available in Apex Legends Mobile, which has a 6v6 mode played on Arenas maps. Fingers crossed that this mode will make it to the main game too in 2022.

Creator Codes

This isn’t a game feature, admittedly, but creator codes do have a unique advantage of potentially growing the Apex Legends player base indirectly.

Creator Codes provide incentives for influencers to play, stream, and make content about Apex Legends. We’ve seen in 2021 that a number of big-name streamers have come to Apex for the first time, including NICKMERCS, Tfue, and Ninja.

Maintaining a strong base of content creators in the game and gaining more is one of the best ways to increase the overall popularity of a game. Fortnite has proved this in abundance, and EA already has creator codes for other games in its catalog, so why not Apex yet?

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Of course, there are lots of other small improvements that could be made to Apex, including more LTMs, rotating all four BR maps, buffs to some of the forgotten Legends (Crypto).

With Apex Legends having a very strong year in 2021 despite some of these gaps, 2022 could be a massive year of growth and expansion for Respawn’s franchise.