Apex Legends Legacy patch notes are absolutely massive

To me, Apex Legends is that battle royale game that I periodically get back into long enough to check out new heroes and remind myself how good it is. But taking a closer look at the upcoming Legacy update, complete with new legend Valkyrie and the 3v3 Arenas mode, this may just be the season that makes me stick around.

Legacy doesn't drop until Tuesday, May 4, but the exhaustive patch notes coming in with the update are live right now. Respawn is tweaking just about everything under the sun: weapons, starter loot, hero abilities, loot pools, and even the circle. It's a massive patch that will undoubtedly change the free-to-play battle royale game forever.

We've listed the biggest highlights below to look out for. For the full patch notes, head over here.
Valkyrie, the new legend

As much as I was hoping Respawn's titan-related teases meant the next legend would hop into the cockpit of a giant robot, Valkyrie's jetpack is pretty cool too. She can't shoot while she's soaring through the air, but she can combine that mobility with her missile barrage tactical to send big damage in a rectangular area. Her ultimate seems especially handy as the match goes on, allowing her and both teammates to fly high in the air and quickly reposition.

    Passive: VTOL Jets
    Tactical: Missile Swarm
    Ultimate: Skyward dive
    Class: Recon

Arenas, the new 3v3 mode

That's right, Apex is no longer a battle royale game exclusively. Arenas is a 3v3, round-based elimination mode that sounds like Call of Duty's Gunfight mode and with a splash of CS:GO weapon economy.

Arenas is launching with five maps, two original to the mode and three based on areas from battle royale maps:

    Party Crasher
    Phase Runner
    Artillery (King's Canyon)
    Thermal Station (World's Edge)
    Golden Gardens (Olympus)

Bocek, the new weapon

Pronounced "bow-check," Apex's latest weapon is its first ever bow. It comes with its own rare ammo type (arrows) that can be retrieved when stuck in objects or looted from fallen enemies. It's a powerful precision weapon, but you'll need a disciplined aim to be effective.

Gone are the days of landing on the map and immediately scrambling to find a helmet, armor, and healing items. You'll start with all that automatically now, but you'll still have to find a gun on your own. Come on, Respawn, not even a pistol? I thought Call of Duty: Warzone solved this problem.
Legend balancing

A total of eight legends are getting significant updates in Legacy, including Octane, Crypto, Bloodhound, Loba, Fuse, and Bangalore. You can see the full rundown in the official patch notes, but the biggest changes by far arrive with Lifeline's rework and a significant nerf to Horizon's popular Gravity Lift tactical.

Lifeline rework

    Combat Revive: No longer deploys a shield. Can now revive two players at the same time. Can now cancel active revives in progress to allow your teammate to defend themselves with their knockdown shield.
    D.O.C. Heal Drone: Heal rate increased from 5hp per second to 8hp per second. Deployment time before healing begins reduced by roughly 33%.