Apex Legends Season 16 Start Date, Changes, And Everything We Know So Far

With Apex Legends Season 15: Eclipse wrapping up and Season 16 just a few days away, speculation about the upcoming season's content has reached a fever pitch. Players want to know who the new legend will be, what kind of battle pass cosmetics players can look forward to, and what kind of gameplay changes to expect going forward.

Although we don't have all the answers, we've compiled a list of info about the upcoming season's content (including both confirmed facts and speculation based on leaks), and will update it as we uncover more information. Here's everything we know about Apex Legends Season 16 so far.

Confirmed: Launch date

Apex's current battle pass ends on February 14, with Season 16: Revelry set to launch on February 14, 2023 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

Confirmed: No new legend

The Revelry trailer confirms earlier reports from various dataminers and content creators--including reliable Apex Legends leakers like iLootGames, KralRindo, and ThordanSmash--that claimed a new legend was not part of the plan for Season 16. This will mark the first-ever time that an Apex Legends season has been launched without a new legend to accompany it (but don't worry--the developers still have plenty of things up their sleeve for the season)

This may sound rather far-fetched, but there's actually a good chance it could be accurate. Last May, Respawn confirmed that it may slow down or space out legend releases in the future. While this could mean the pre-season hype train takes a bit of a hit, it could actually be a good thing. It would likely go over well with a great deal of the playerbase, as it would give Apex developers a chance to focus more energy and resources on the parts of the game that need attention, like sound design, next-gen console optimization, and cross-progression.

Confirmed: No cross-progression (yet)

Speaking of cross-platform progression, iLootGames also said he could personally confirm that the highly requested feature will not be coming to Apex Legends in Season 16, much to the chagrin of console players who want to swap. But recent comments from developers say it is definitely on the way--there's just no word on when it will arrive.

Confirmed: A party-themed battle pass

The Season 16: Revelry battle pass has a rave/party aesthetic, with a bright color palette and musical design motifs. Some Apex players and content creators think these cosmetics may be setting the stage for Rhapsody--a deathmatch-loving DJ from Apex's recently canceled mobile game--to make her grand entrance later on down the line. But Lifeline is also a notorious lover of music, and it plays a major role in her backstory, so it's possible these cosmetics are just hinting at more Lifeline lore.

Confirmed: TDM

Another unique feature of the season's launch trailer is the revelation that Team Deathmatch would be making its first-ever appearance in the game, beginning its run as a new permanent mode when the season debuts. Apex Legends Mobile launched with a permanent TDM mode last March, but console and PC players have never gotten to experience it--not even as a limited-time mode. The new mode is easily the biggest permanent feature to hit the game since Arenas debuted in Season 9, but it won't just be all-TDM all the time: Three weeks into the season, TDM will be replaced with Mixtape Mode, which features Control, Gun Run, and TDM. The developers hosted a series of LTM-focused AMAs in 2022 when Gun Run was first launched, and in retrospect, it's not too surprising to see it on the Mixtape.

Confirmed: New Weapon

A new assault rifle called the Nemesis will appear in the game once the new season goes live. Dataminers claim that the Nemesis is an AR that takes energy ammo and deals 17 damage per hit (headshots are presumably higher). The weapon's existence was initially uncovered last March, when an unknown individual leaked a massive amount of information about future Apex Legends content on reddit. That leak accurately predicted the arrival of Newcastle, Vantage, and Catalyst, along with Valkyrie's Heirloom Weapon and the Broken Moon map, so it's very likely that Nemesis is going to make an appearance. The real question is when, not if.

Confirmed: Ranked map rotation

One rather surprising change to the game is the ability of Ranked players to play on all three currently active maps. Previously, the Ranked map would be assigned by developers each season. Starting with Season 16, Ranked mode will change maps ever 24 hours. Season 16's Ranked maps are listed below:

• Broken Moon
• Storm Point
• World's Edge

Confirmed: Legends are getting a major makeover

According to a developer blog post, several legends are getting nerfs and buffs in addition to the Remastered Legend Classes recently announced by Respawn. These two features are going to shake-up gameplay like never before, with characters in each class gaining unique passive abilities, like the ability for Recon legends to Respawn a teammate whose Banner Card has already timed out.

Confirmed: Collection Event with Heirloom Shards

Apex celebrated its 4th anniversary on February 4, and Season 16 is all about festivities with opportunities for players to earn free loot. The Anniversary Collection Event goes live alongside Season 16 and features a free reward track with free loot items designed by Apex Legends community artists. Players who collect all 24 premium collection cosmetics will unlock a set of Heirloom Shards, allowing them to unlock any item in the Mythic Store. In addition to the standard free reward track, players will also gain access to two login rewards during the first and second week of Season 16.

Log in during the first week to unlock Crypto free of charge and receive a Crypto Thematic Pack. This offer starts at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on February 14 and ends at 9:59 AM PT / 12:59 PM ET on February 21.

Log in during week two to unlock Ash for free and earn a free Ash Thematic Pack. This offer starts at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on February 21 and ends at 9:59 AM PT / 12:59 PM ET on February 28.

Confirmed: New legend classes

As confirmed in the latest developer blog, Respawn has sorted legends into five categories, each of which has a special class-exclusive ability that only applies to legends within that class. Further details regarding the specifics of each class can be found in our Remastered Legend Classes guide.

Rumor: Kunai knife redesign

Another tidbit uncovered by dataminers is what appears to be a redesigned version of Wraith's Kunai knife. Called Wraith Kunai 2.0 in the leaks, the weapon features a curved blade with a red glow--a sharp contrast to Wraith's original Kunai throwing knife, which has a symmetrical arrow-shaped blade with a blue glow. The original Kunai lacks the plethora of unique animations that the other legends' Heirloom Weapons feature, and it seems that the majority of the playerbase (or at least those who own the Kunai) want the weapon reworked. The Kunai's comparatively lackluster design has evidently left some players disappointed after seeing the wildly creative animations displayed when players inspect other characters' Heirloom Weapons.

It's unclear exactly how the new Heirloom Weapon might be made available to players, but because the original Kunai design plays a major part in Wraith's backstory, the new Kunai 2.0 is unlikely to be a replacement weapon simply handed out to current Kunai owners free of charge. It's also possible that the new and improved Kunai may instead come as a reward for completing a future Collection Event, or simply appear in the Mythic Store when the season launches.

Confirmed: New-player friendly

Season 16 will see the Firing Range get a makeover that gives the target practice dummies additional skills like strafing that will make them a better for skill-building. Additionally, bots will now appear in lobbies with the goal of helping new players get familiar with the game, and a new Orientation Match system will assist with this. A currently unreleased tutorial trailer unearthed by dataminers may make an appearance in the new Firing Range, but it's also possible that the trailer is simply a placeholder for something else.

According to the developer blog, the aim with Orientation Matches "get their bearings, learn the core mechanics, and have a little more space to breathe while they learn how to play Apex Legends." New players will undoubtedly gain a great deal from the implementation of the Orientation Match system, which in turn will likely please veteran players who are tired of always having to show the FNG the ropes.

That's all we know about Season 16 for the moment, but stay tuned--this page will be updated as more information becomes available.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available to play on Android and iOS devices, but will be sunset on May 1, 2023.