Apex Legends Season 17 Everything We Know: Ballistic, Weapon Mastery, and More

Apex Legends Season 17: Arsenal is just around the corner, and while some aspects of the season remain a mystery, developer Respawn Entertainment has revealed most of the numerous fresh features set to arrive when Season 17 launches.

Alongside the confirmation that a new legend will join the roster for the first time in six months, we have the inside scoop on Ballistic’s origins and abilities, as well as information on the upcoming changes to Ranked Mode, the introduction of the Weapon Mastery system, and the massive revamps of both the Firing Range and World’s Edge. Additionally, dataminers have discovered some intriguing details, so read on to explore all the new content coming to Apex Legends in Season 17.

Table Of Contents

Launch Date

Respawn has verified that Season 17 will launch on Tuesday, May 9th at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET in UK Time and 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, precisely one minute after the conclusion of the Veiled Collection Event.

New Evac Tower Item

In the Arsenal gameplay trailer for Season 17, a new Survival Item will be introduced to the loot pool. Players can find Evac Towers on the ground, inside Supply Bins, and in Care Packages. When activated, a rocket launches into the sky and creates a yellow redeploy balloon. The balloon’s anchor descends to the ground, providing players with a zipline for a hasty getaway.

However, be cautious when using Evac Towers. Their deployment takes some time, and the large explosion may draw the attention of opposing teams. Moreover, these towers are temporary, taking damage over time and eventually vanishing. Enemies can also damage and destroy them, so ensure the area is safe before utilising Apex’s latest Survival Item.

Brand New Legend Ballistic

All the information we have about Ballistic comes from his official bio and the Season 17 trailers released so far. Respawn has disclosed that he is an Assault-class legend, which means he will have the same class perks as other Assault legends, in addition to his unique abilities.

The animated short, Stories From The Outlands: Encore, provided players with their first glimpse of the 63-year-old newcomer. The story portrays a lonely father estranged from his son, living a secluded yet opulent life for years before deciding to re-enter the limelight. Encore delves into the reasons behind his departure from the bloodsport competition and discloses his intriguing motives for his return.

However, Ballistic faces more than just family issues – he seems to struggle with alcohol addiction and is hinted to rely on an anti-ageing medication from Silva Pharmaceuticals. To learn more about the new legend’s background and abilities, explore our comprehensive article on Ballistic, covering his abilities, history, and character traits.

The Ranked Mode Revamp

Once the new season commences, Ranked Mode will undergo significant revisions, with some notable changes. The most prominent change is the elimination of the usual mid-season Ranked Mode split. Going forward, players’ ranks will only reset at the start of a new season.

A new scoring system has been implemented, replacing Ranked Points (RP) with Ladder Points (LP). As explained in Respawn’s recent blog post, the new scoring system “focuses on Bonuses that enhance your LP gains and minimise your LP losses.”

Bonuses come in various forms, with Skill Bonuses being particularly interesting. These bonuses are applied when a team faces significantly stronger opponents or when a team “performs exceptionally well in a disadvantageous match.”

Additionally, players who have not yet claimed their Ranked Arenas rewards should log in before Season 17 launches on May 9th to receive their rewards. Ranked Arenas will not return, as the mode has been permanently retired. Therefore, players looking to claim their final Arenas rewards should mark their calendars and ensure they launch the game to redeem them before the season concludes.

Update For The Firing Range

Since its initial launch in late 2019, the Firing Range has undergone numerous updates. However, the various adjustments and enhancements made to the practice arena over the years cannot compare to the substantial update arriving this season.

Respawn has reconstructed the Firing Range from scratch, entirely revamping the map and significantly expanding its dimensions. The new range, as described by the developers, features a “rearranged Core” (the central area where all weapons, armour, and attachments are available), an Agility Course, a Duel Pit, and a POI-sized town. Simulated death boxes are also distributed throughout the space, allowing players to access fresh gear wherever they choose to practice.

Additionally, the new course includes customizable Firing Range dummies that can be set to spawn, move, and shoot at players in various ways. Players no longer need to activate a complex Easter egg to make the dummies attack; instead, the “Full Combat Mode” option allows players to simulate an actual match, battling to stay alive while the dummies aggressively pursue and shoot at them.

Non-humanoid targets have also been upgraded, featuring colour changes that provide players with a clearer understanding of where their shots land. Furthermore, players can enable Hit Markers (found in the “Customise Range” section of the settings menu) to familiarise themselves with shot patterns for each weapon. Finally, the Dynamic Stats function can now be manually reset at any time, offering players more flexibility in tracking their real-time performance.

Map Update For World’s Edge

As showcased in the Season 17 gameplay trailer, numerous visual updates are arriving in Apex this season. World’s Edge appears to be the primary focus, with the addition of two new Points of Interest (POIs): Monument and Stacks. Furthermore, the Harvester POI has also received an update.

Brand New Loot Vault

World’s Edge, renowned for its Loot Vaults filled with high-tier treasures, will see a new vault emerge in a tunnel leading to Skyhook in Season 17. Moreover, the chances of obtaining Vault Keys from downed Cargo Bots have increased. Developers also mention “Vault loot has been relaxed,” though the exact implications remain unclear. Skyhook is experiencing colder weather, with snow now covering parts of the map. Respawn states, “Hammond’s Climatizer technology has advanced, cooling the region. Extra Climate Seeding Towers have been placed in the vicinity of Skyhook to enhance their endeavours.”

This information seemingly confirms Torres Silva’s claims, as the Climatizer is now operational and World’s Edge appears to be “healing” as predicted.

The Harvester POI

World’s Edge lava mechanics changes have also led to modifications in the planet-draining POI. The lava depth has been reduced, and a captivating new feature is introduced. When squads successfully land at the bottom of the central tube from the drop ship, they find themselves in a safe landing zone with high-quality loot. However, they’ll be surrounded by lava, so a Skirmisher-class legend is necessary for safe transportation across the lava. Yet, if you’re fast, taking a few hits from lava damage won’t matter much, except during a firefight.

New shortcuts are added to the Harvester POI, such as a zipline spanning the circular arena from below and an open window for players to jump down from the centre room onto the platform beneath. The latter is risky but can serve as a lifesaving escape route when needed.

New Stacks POI

A significant alteration in the Fragment section of World’s Edge involves the removal of the Construction Stack building, a well-known hot-drop location.

However, the structure hasn’t vanished—it has merely been relocated. Lava City has been replaced by the “new” Stacks POI, situated close to Rampart’s Big Maude Town Takeover. The gameplay trailer discloses that “World’s Edge is healing.” It appears Torres “Duardo” Silva and the other Syndicate members have made substantial efforts to fix the damage caused to World’s Edge by Hammond Industries’ Planet Harvester in Season 4. Yet, an in-game transition screen hints that the Climatizer, installed by Hammond to reduce the damage, might be a facade. Although the Climatizer could have been fixed and Silva might be truthful, considering what players know about the primary antagonist of Apex Legends, he tends to lie incessantly. Time will reveal if the health of Bloodhound’s cherished homeworld is genuinely improving.

The Monument POI

The Monument POI houses the new Apex Legends Museum, sponsored by Silva Pharmaceuticals, and is situated over the remains of Fragment East and Fragment West—two map sections that have divided players due to the vast lava fissures and the precariously positioned narrow bridge structures linking both Fragment ends.

Although the lava fissures remain, they seem considerably smaller based on the trailer footage. They no longer possess an updraft to lift players who fall over the edge back to the surface. Instead, the lava fissures’ depth has been significantly reduced, and players who fall in will land in the lava, taking damage the longer they stand in it. Fortunately, there seem to be boxes and crates available to help players climb back up.

The Apex Museum within the Monument POI narrates the history of the Apex Games, from their initial creation as the Thunderdome Games to the present. The museum features a large gift shop filled with legend-themed merchandise and hosts several exhibits listing former Thunderdome competitors, along with bios for all current Apex Game competitors. Intriguingly, each bio reveals the year each legend joined the Apex Games—a fascinating lore detail previously unrevealed by the developers.

Brand New Weapon Mastery System

The new Weapon Mastery system in Apex aims to make Apex Legends more accessible to new players while providing long-term players with something to strive for once they’ve completed their seasonal battle pass and reached the maximum account level.

With a total of 100 levels per weapon, players can earn Weapon Mastery XP by dealing damage, securing kills, and even just equipping the weapon. Every 20 levels, players will face a weapon-specific trial, which offers rewards upon completion. Players who attain level 100 and finish all five trials will receive weapon-specific badges, lifetime performance trackers, Legendary weapon mastery banner frames, and a guaranteed Legendary skin for each mastered weapon.

That’s everything you need to know about season 17 of Apex Legends. If you found this post useful why not leave a comment below and let us know how excited you are about the upcoming season. We’ll have more Apex news for you weekly so check back periodically to stay right up to date.