How Arenas works in Apex Legends: Maps, Shop, Rules, Ranked

A new permanent game mode is now in Apex Legends, Arenas, and it’s totally different from the game’s main battle royale format. Here’s exactly how Apex’s new 3v3 mode works.

Apex Legends Legacy released on May 4, and it’s one of the biggest new Season launches yet. From the new high-flying Legend Valkyrie to the long-range Bocek Bow, it’s fair to say Respawn is on track to knock this major update out of the park.

Despite all of these exciting additions, it’s the brand new permanent mode that’s got the whole community extremely excited. Apex has always centered around the battle royale genre and Arenas will be the game’s first leap into new territory.

With custom-built maps and the potential for a ranked queue in the future, Arenas has the opportunity to offer players a completely new Apex gameplay experience.

How do Arenas work in Apex Legends?

Put simply, Arenas is a round-based 3v3 competitive mode where teams fight against each other on a set of new custom maps. The first squad to take down every member of the enemy team wins the round. Teammates can be revived but there are no respawns once a player has been killed in a round.

Apex Legends Arenas rules

• Wipe the other team to win the round
• First to three rounds, but must win by two
• If the match ties 4-4, it goes to Sudden Death
• No respawns, but you can revive teammates

There is no ground loot in Arenas, instead, players are put in a prematch buy period that takes place before each of the rounds, where you can spend crafting materials on a loadout of your choice.

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Each squad is given a set amount of crafting materials to spend each round, but players are given bonuses depending on their recent performance in the match. You can also pick up more crafting materials during rounds at a few locations on the map.

Arenas works in a best of three format, but in order to pick up the victory, a squad will need to win by two rounds total. The maximum amount of rounds is capped at four apiece for each team, at that point, the match turns to sudden death and a final round is played.

Legends & abilities in Arenas

When it comes to picking your Legend in Arenas, players will follow the standard format of locking in their character before a match. However, abilities act a little differently in Apex’s brand new mode.

In order to maintain balance and force players to use strategy, abilities will need to be purchased in the prematch shop before the round for a set amount of materials. This means players will have to choose between a better loadout or more charges of their Tactical or Ultimate.

While players will receive a set amount of free charges at the start of rounds, those who prefer to spam their Tactical will need to spend precious materials in order to do so. Different abilities cost different amounts, and have a limited number of charges that can be bought.

Apex Legends Arenas shop and loot

One of the most exciting aspects of Arenas is the pre-round shop that allows players to choose and customize their loadout. This is a brand new feature for Apex and will be a refreshing change from the loot-based system of the battle royale mode. There is no loot on the map, but players will drop loot on the ground when killed (there are no death boxes).

There is a care package each round though, that will drop in a central location. The contents of the care package will improve in later rounds.

Buying weapons and equipment

The Arenas shop is laid out in an easy-to-navigate menu that allows players to purchase each of the in-game weapons for a set price. These include sniper rifles, ARs, SMGs, shotguns, and grenades.

If you’re not sure what to buy each round, we’ve put together this guide to help.

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In terms of attachments, rather than equipping them individually, weapons can be upgraded in set tiers. This way, each of the attachments in each tier are all added at once so players don’t have to pick and choose.

It’s worth noting that players can refund and change their minds when customizing their loadout as much as they want during the allotted time before a match. Just make sure you’re all equipped before the timer hits zero.

Apex Legends Arenas maps

At the release of Legacy, Arenas will have two custom-built maps and three battle royale-inspired locations for players to fight on. You can check out the list of maps below:

Custom Arenas maps

Party Crasher: Mirage helped to create this map by crashing his ship into a downtown plaza. The result has formed a dimly lit location filled with vantage points and flanking opportunities. With so many buildings and areas to hide, players will have to be careful not to be taken by surprise by any lurking enemies.

Phaserunner: Based in an experimental zone surrounded by mountains, Phaserunner is a circular map that contains the Phase technology found in Olympus. This snowy and nature-filled map is open and offers long-sight lines for players with great aim. On top of this, there’s a phase portal that can be a risky yet potentially rewarding option for squads.

Battle royale inspired maps

These locations from the classic maps will be on rotation and change every two weeks in Arenas.

• Artillery (Kings Canyon)
• Golden Gardens (Olympus)
• Harvester (World’s Edge)

The three maps in rotation (2 custom and one BR-inspired) will rotate every 15 minutes.

Arenas Badges

Stats, trackers and Badges are all separate for Arenas. At launch, there are four badges you can earn:

• Shutout
• Survivor
• Impress Me (Win Streak)
• Legend wins

Ranked Arenas

At launch, Ranked Arenas are not available in Apex Legends, but Respawn has promised a ranked playlist will come in a future update.