Top Apex Legends players accused of cheating in ranked play

Competitive Apex Legends players are not happy after some of the top Predator-ranked Xbox players were supposedly caught teaming in ranked play, seemingly to boost their MMR.

Since the release of Apex Legends’ ranked play in July 2019, many hardcore fans of the game have been aiming to reach Predator rank and unlock that prestigious badge that comes with it.

However, it is very challenging to climb through the ranks, as there are plenty of players who are also looking to prove themselves in the arena as some of the best in the world.

Apex Legends is designed to be played in squads of three, and requires players to make the most out of their Legends’ kit to win the game, although some highly-ranked Predators had other ideas on how to remain on top of the ladder.

• Read More: Respawn reveal why Apex Legends didn’t get a new gun in Season 5

Many fans of the battle royale were disappointed after it was revealed, on May 12, that some of the top Predator players had been teaming together in ranked to boost their MMR.

A clip of the incident was shared by u/kaleinrm on the Apex subreddit, claiming both Xynoa and Skittles, who currently hold the number one and two spots on the ranked ladder across all platforms, were teaming with an enemy squad to secure a strong finish.

• Read More: New Loba Twitch Prime skin revealed for Apex Legends Season 5

All six of the players involved received massive backlash, with many calling on Respawn to punish those who were teaming for ruining games and potentially costing others their hard-earned rank.

Unfortunately, they were not the only Apex Predators that had been apparently cheating on May 12, as another clip surfaced only hours after. This one featuring 6 other highly-ranked players who had done similar, with one supposedly threatening to DDoS anyone who planned on exposing them.

“This is “Need a Soda”, who was #5, threatening to get my IP address and boot me offline after I called him out,” Reddit user MittnXBL claimed, later sharing screenshots of the back and forth.

Update, May 14, 4:19AM EST: Respawn has now responded to the allegations, confirming that they are investigating the claims and will take appropriate action.

It’s unclear what kind of punishment the players might receive. Teaming is certainly against the rules, but the severity of the punishment for it may depend on a number of factors.