Apex Legends devs hint Titanfall-style PvE modes could be coming soon

Apex Legends could be dipping into Titanfall 2’s wheelhouse again in Season 5. Respawn devs Moy Parra and Tom Casiello have teased PvE gameplay inspired by the company’s past FPS franchise “possibly” coming soon.

At its core, Apex has always been about players-vs-player combat — after all, that’s the point of a battle royale. Still, fans have been eager to see the character-rich title transcend that and deliver a narrative, along with PvE elements.

AI combat is one of the battle royale’s most-requested features. Respawn loyalists know the devs can deliver too. They shipped a highly-praised single-player Titanfall 2 campaign before Apex. Now it looks like fans may finally be getting their wish.

The player-vs-environment hype machine rumbled back to life earlier this week when Loba came face-to-face with an old Titanfall enemy: Spectres. These lumbering battle-robots were a centerpiece feature in the franchise’s storyline.

• Read more: Next Apex map potentially teased in Season 5 trailer

The automated warriors debuted in the new Apex teaser, which focused on Loba’s revenge mission against Revenant. Their appearance ⁠— one of the first in Apex ⁠— sparked questions. Mainly, does this mean they’ll be a PvE enemy?

Casiello, Parra tease “bigger role” for Titanfall’s Spectres

YouTuber ‘kandyrew’ was lucky enough to be watching the Season 5 trailer alongside Casiello and Parra, and was able to ask them directly: “Are [the Spectres] going to play a bigger role in PvE action, like the Prowlers?”

Casiello was vague on confirmed details, but did admit Apex fans would “possibly” see more of the Spectres quite soon. “Spectres aren’t as prevalent this season,” the Apex writer added, “but we’re getting things together… figuring things out.”

“There’s definitely a purpose to the Spectres beyond eye-candy,” Parra continued, explaining nothing in their teasers were ever irrelevant. “With these [trailers] we go through a long process to never show something players can’t experience.”

• Read more: Respawn writer hints Forge will return to Apex Legends

For fans, this certainly sounds like they’ll be seeing more of the Spectres as Season 5 rolls on. The enemies played a big role as battlefield combatants in Titanfall and its sequel. Could the robots take on a similar role here, to face Apex’s Legends?

This lines up with what Apex game director Chad Grenier told Game Informer back in April too: “We’re always bringing in stuff from Titanfall…” he said. “There could potentially be a pleasant surprise for Titanfall fans in Season 5.”

For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 11:17 in the video below.

The Respawn animator scuppered any ideas the Titanfall enemy’s debut in the trailer was confirmation Season 5 would have PvE right off the bat, however: “For now, at least, they’re serving the plot of the story happening right now.”

A PvE storyline isn’t the only thing the Apex devs have teased for Season 5 either — Casiello also revealed King’s Canyon could lose more than just Skull Town, and dropped a big hint we may not have seen the last of Forge either.