Despite Impending Shutdown, Apex Legends Mobile Update Introduces Horizon, Olympus, And Tournaments

The announcement that Apex Legends Mobile will be permanently taken offline on May 1 came shortly after the announcement that Season 4 was to be postponed. As such, many fans assumed that Season 4 would never see the light of day, with EA unlikely to put a significant amount of new content into a game that will no longer be functional in the near future. But a recent tweet from the official Apex Legends Mobile Twitter account indicates otherwise. It seems that the plans for the upcoming season are still on, with Horizon set to join the legend squad when Apex Legends Mobile Season 4: Aspire goes live on February 15.

The tweet links to an update page with an expansive list of patch notes (including bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements). Aspire has all the makings of a new season: a new Legend (Horizon), a new map (Olympus), and a new Signature Weapon. It's also introducing tournaments and a number of other new features to the award-winning mobile game.

New Signature Weapon: The Afterburner

Signature Weapons are the mobile game's equivalent of the Heirloom Weapons available in the console and PC versions of Apex Legends. So far, the mobile-exclusive legend known as Fade is the only character to have received one. Fade's Signature Weapon, The Constellation, was introduced via a fully animated trailer revealing the story behind the weapon. But interestingly, the Signature Weapon launching alongside the new Aspire Update isn't for the mobile-exclusive Rhapsody, nor is it for a character like Ash, who has yet to receive an Heirloom Weapon.

Instead, The Afterburner is a Signature Weapon for Octane, who already has an Heirloom Weapon called The Butterfly Knife. This seems to imply that, were Apex Mobile not on track to be shut down, all legends from console and PC would get unique, mobile-exclusive Signature Weapons instead of their traditional Heirloom Weapons. The Afterburner is a baseball bat that, just like The Constellation, has several visual evolutions that can be unlocked by accumulating Signature Merits via gameplay. It's unclear whether Octane's Signature Weapon will also be accompanied by a lore trailer revealing its origins.

New Legend: Horizon

Though an introductory trailer has yet to be released on Apex Mobile's YouTube or Twitter accounts, players who update their game and log in will see bits and pieces of an intro trailer starring Horizon. This trailer may debut online in the near future, but there's also a possibility that it may not. Players who are unfamiliar with Horizon should check out her episode of Stories From The Outlands. It appears that players will need to purchase Horizon and the Aspire battle pass, as the in-game store still allows players to purchase Syndicate Coin.

In addition to her standard trio of legend abilities, Horizon also has the following mobile-exclusive perks:

• Swift Landing: Briefly accelerate after falling from a great height.
• Gravitational Pull: While knocked down, you can still use Gravity Lift.
• Leap for Mankind: You can jump higher when your Tactical and Ultimate are deployed.
• Cosmic Lift: Gravity Lift’s height increases by 50%.
• Extra Dimension: You remain in the Gravity Lift longer.
• Dark Matter: Black Hole destroys all enemy traps within its vicinity.
• Deadly Momentum: Using your Finisher reduces your Ultimates cooldown by 30%.
• Battle Adaptation: Using your Finisher adds 100 points to your EVO Shield.
• Tactical Advantage: Using your Finisher charges your Tactical.

New Map: Olympus

Just like Season 7 of Apex on console and PC, the new update will introduce Horizon along with a new map based on a floating city where Horizon once lived and worked. The map may have undergone some changes to adapt it to mobile gameplay--the patch notes page makes no mention of the Trident hovercars players use to get around on Olympus, but it does allude to a map traversal feature called a "Gravity Elevator" that may serve the same purpose. Though Olympus won't be playable until February 15, players who download the update ahead of time will see the lobby's background altered to display scenery from Olympus.

New modes, events, and tournaments

Team Deathmatch is currently unavailable in Apex Mobile (though console and PC players will soon have access), but two new modes, Lightning Battle and Deja Loot, will appear over the course of the season. Lightning Battle features rapid ability cooldowns that lets players push legend abilities to the limit, while Deja Loot features fixed loot. According to the Aspire patch notes page, "Airdrop points, supply ship routes, safe zone locations and respawn points are also fixed, but updated daily." TDM is also scheduled to return to mobile, though the patch notes do not say when.

A number of limited-time events giving players a chance to earn free loot will also take place over the course of the season, with dates listed alongside the patch notes.

Perhaps the most interesting new feature is the addition of tournaments, which come in three flavors:

• Elimination Tournaments focus on damage done along with number of kill and knockdowns.
• Legend Tournaments require use of a specific legend or set of legends.
• Ranked Tournaments presumably take place in Ranked mode, but are only described as "difficult challenges for the best players."

The announcement of Season 4's impending launch sent Apex Mobile players into a frenzy, with some hoping the update means this isn't the end for Respawn's mobile battle royale. But the developers describe the new season as a "farewell tour" for the game, so it's unlikely for EA to change their plans at the eleventh hour. Still, #SaveApexMobile trended on Twitter over the weekend. EA has stated that although the game is still scheduled to go offline on May 1, 2023, this may not be the end of Apex Legends in the realm of mobile gaming. Players, however, may be reluctant to try another mobile Apex game given the fact that the first one shut down under a year after launch.

Apex Legends Mobile Season 4: Aspire launches February 15 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. The mobile game will sunset on May 1, 2023, at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET.