Respawn Entertainment has detailed the mid-Season 28 update for Apex Legends, outlining balance changes that target both Legends and weapons. As you reach the midpoint of the season, you can expect adjustments designed to refine the current meta and keep matches competitive.
Although the battle royale no longer dominates headlines as it once did, you still find it among the most-played titles across platforms. Regular seasonal updates, new content, and ongoing balance patches continue to shape how you approach each match and adapt your strategy.
Gibraltar Gains a Fresh Passive for Season 28
You gain more mobility with Gibraltar’s new Momentum Boost passive in the mid-Season 28 update. When you sprint for a short time with your weapon holstered—or while holding gear that does not limit sprint speed—you trigger a temporary movement speed increase. This change rewards positioning and rotation without altering his core defensive role.
His melee also interacts differently with Hardlight structures. Gibraltar now deals double melee damage to these objects, giving you a stronger option when clearing specific defensive setups.
Respawn also strengthened parts of his kit beyond the passive:
- Dome of Protection now benefits from balance improvements and new upgrade paths.
- Defensive Bombardment can be modified through upgrades, including a version that grants three separate Ultimate charges.
- The triple-charge option reduces blast radius and missile count, trading area control for flexibility.
These adjustments shift Gibraltar toward a more adaptable playstyle. You can rotate faster, pressure fortified positions more effectively, and tailor your Ultimate to fit different combat scenarios.
Wraith Receives Significant Mid-Season Improvements
You gain more consistent access to Wraith’s core abilities in the Season 28 mid-season update. Developers moved previous cooldown reductions for her Tactical and Ultimate into her base kit, so you can enter the void and place portals more often without relying on upgrade selections.
These baseline changes open room for stronger perk choices later in the match.
New upgrade options include:
- Level 2: Activating your portal also creates a temporary Phase Dome, letting teammates phase with you for added team mobility and safer rotations.
- Level 3: Your Tactical lasts longer, and you can perform a double jump while phased, giving you more control during repositioning or escapes.
You can pressure fights, rotate squads, and reset engagements with greater flexibility than before.
Wattson's Fences Are Becoming More Dangerous
Wattson’s tactical kit now interacts more effectively with Hardlight structures. When you place fences or an Interception Pylon near Hardlight, you can restore and strengthen the surrounding mesh, giving you more control over fortified spaces.
Her fences also deploy faster, which lets you secure doors and choke points with less delay. Damage per tick rises from 20 to 35, turning careless pushes into real risks. Enemies who ignore your perimeter now lose shields and health much more quickly.
You can use these faster nodes to:
- Lock down interior rooms before a squad collapses on you
- Rebuild defenses during extended fights
- Punish aggressive legends who rely on mobility
These changes push you to play proactively rather than reactively. Instead of waiting for enemies to misstep, you can shape the battlefield and force them into disadvantageous angles.
Weapon balance updates arrive alongside these adjustments. The standard Hemlok rotates out in favor of the Hemlok Breach AR, an Elite-tier weapon with two firing modes:
| Mode | Function |
|---|---|
| Automatic | Sustained fire for mid-range pressure |
| Breach Charge | Charged shots for heavier impact |
Other weapons, including the 30-30 Repeater and P2020, receive tuning passes. The RE-45 Burst remains available despite earlier expectations of a swap.
Aftershock Event Launch Details
You can expect the Aftershock event to run from March 31 through April 21. The update also modifies the Wildcard mode and adds new cosmetic rewards, including a Prestige skin for Fuse.
Apex Legends Mid-Season 28 Update – Patch Notes
Audio Experience Updates
You will notice clearer directional cues during fights. The sound of Hardlight mesh breaking now plays at a lower volume to reduce audio clutter in close engagements.
Enemy footsteps behind your field of view now scale more aggressively. As opponents move from your side to directly behind you, their steps grow progressively louder. This change strengthens audio tracking and helps you react faster to flanks.
These refinements focus on positional awareness without overwhelming other combat sounds.
Legend Adjustments
Gibraltar
Gibraltar gains a new movement-focused passive. If you maintain sprint speed for a short duration, you trigger a temporary speed boost, provided you are unarmed or using a weapon without sprint penalties. His melee attacks now deal double damage to Hardlight structures.
His Dome of Protection returns more often, with cooldown reduced from 17 seconds to 13 seconds. His Defensive Bombardment now covers a 20% larger area by default, lands faster after activation, and allows you to throw it before the full equip animation completes.
You can now specialize Gibraltar through new upgrade paths:
Level 2 Upgrades
- Thunder Dome – The dome electrifies on deployment, dealing 50 damage and slowing the first enemy who enters.
- Healing Dome – Dome duration increases by 4 seconds, and small healing items restore double health while used inside.
Level 3 Upgrade
- Triple Bombardment – Splits the ultimate into three separate charges with reduced radius and missile count per strike.
Several older upgrades have been removed to support these new options.
Wraith
Wraith’s base kit becomes faster and more flexible. Her tactical cooldown drops from 20 seconds to 15 seconds by default.
Her portal cooldown decreases from 2.5 minutes to 1.5 minutes, and she activates it more quickly thanks to a faster cast animation. You can reposition your squad more often and with less exposure.
Her new upgrades add team utility and mobility depth:
Level 2 Upgrade
- Phase Dome – When you begin channeling your portal, you create a dome that sends anyone who enters into the void. The dome lasts 30 seconds or until you place the portal.
Level 3 Upgrade
- Phase Jumper – Your tactical void duration increases from 4 to 6 seconds, and you gain a double jump while phased.
These changes strengthen your role as a skirmisher who creates openings and safe rotations.
Wattson
Wattson interacts directly with Hardlight structures. If you place a fence node in front of a mesh, it reinforces that structure. If the mesh breaks, the fence rebuilds and strengthens it again.
Her fences now deal 35 damage instead of 20 and deploy in 0.5 seconds instead of 1 second, letting you secure space faster during fights.
Her Interception Pylon now reinforces Hardlight meshes within its area. If enemies destroy a supported mesh, the pylon restores and fortifies it automatically.
You can anchor defensive positions more reliably and punish pushes with higher fence damage.
Weapons
Assault Rifle
Hemlok Breach AR (Elite)
The Hemlok shifts into a fully automatic platform. It no longer supports burst or single-fire modes.
Primary Automatic Mode
- Slow rate of fire
- 23 body damage
- 32 headshot damage
- Integrated suppressor
Breach Charge Mode
- Single explosive projectile
- 15-second cooldown
- 38 damage to players with radial falloff
- Increased damage against Hardlight and deployable structures
You can pressure fortified positions and dismantle defensive setups more effectively.
Marksman
30-30 Repeater
Base damage increases from 41 to 43. This change restores consistency in mid-to-long range fights without returning extreme headshot spikes.
You will see more reliable two- and three-shot breakpoints at range.
Pistols
RE-45 Burst
The energy burst version becomes the standard configuration. It no longer carries the Elite visual treatment, but its burst energy identity remains permanent.
This move keeps the light weapon class distinct and avoids overlap with other automatic light options.
P2020
- Hammerpoint unlock cost reduced from 500 to 425 points
- Base magazine size increased from 8 to 9
You can access its upgraded damage profile earlier and stay in fights longer without reloading.
Shotguns
EVA-8
Reload speed improves at base. You can cycle shells faster and recover more quickly between close-range engagements.
SMG Updates
Prowler PDW
Burst delay has been shortened, making the weapon feel more responsive in tight spaces. Recoil adjustments improve control during sustained bursts.
You should notice smoother tracking in close-quarters combat and better follow-up potential after initial bursts.
Map Rotation and Changes
Olympus
Elysium relocates to the northeast corner near Rift. This adjustment removes the frequent forced contest between Somers University and Elysium in competitive and ranked play.
Terrain in the surrounding area has been reworked to support the relocation, and a minor point of interest has been removed to make room for the shift.
Public Matches & Ranked Rotation
- Olympus
- Storm Point
- World’s Edge
World’s Edge continues to feature its Season 28 map update, including previously introduced environmental and structural adjustments.
Mixtape (March 24 – May 5, 2026)
Team Deathmatch
- Skull Town
- Fragment
- Estates
Control
- Labs
- Thunderdome
- Lava Siphon
Gun Run
- Monument
- Skull Town
- Thunderdome
You cycle through a structured set of arenas across all three modes during this window.
Wildcard Playlist
Broken Moon Wildcard runs from March 31 to May 5, 2026.
Charged Up (March 31 – April 21, 2026)
This limited-time variant modifies gameplay conditions on Broken Moon during its active period.
April Friends Day (April 1, 2026)
A one-day event encourages lighter, social-focused gameplay elements within the Wildcard rotation.
You can expect temporary rule adjustments and playlist changes tied specifically to these dates.
Ranked Updates
Ranked Ladders arrive later in the split.
You can compete in the following Ranked Events:
| Event | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ranked Event 6 | April 2, 2026 | April 5, 2026 |
| Ranked Event 7 | April 9, 2026 | April 12, 2026 |
| Ranked Event 8 | April 16, 2026 | April 19, 2026 |
| Ranked Event 9 | April 23, 2026 | April 26, 2026 |
| Ranked Event 10 | April 30, 2026 | May 3, 2026 |
Each event runs across a focused competitive window, giving you multiple opportunities to earn placement and climb during the split.
BUG FIXES
Legend-Specific Fixes
You will notice more consistent behavior across several Legends after these updates.
- Bloodhound: Eliminating dummies in the Firing Range now correctly triggers all effects tied to knockdowns.
- Catalyst: Piercing Spikes no longer has a safe spot at its center where enemies could avoid damage. In the Firing Range with friendly fire enabled, the ability also stays inactive when you move into its radius as the owner.
- Octane: Stim Surge no longer remains visible in your off-hand while you use Akimbo weapons.
- Fuse: The Level 3 Reignition upgrade now activates properly against training dummies.
Visual and interaction issues have also been addressed.
- Sparrow’s SWAT Scout skin no longer appears overly bright at long range.
- Newcastle’s wall no longer destroys Mad Maggie’s Wrecking Ball when placed too close.
- Mirage revives no longer reveal hidden parts of Catalyst or Conduit’s Heart Machine skin.
- Crypto’s Destiny Gundam Spec II decals no longer stay visible while cloaked.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Season 28 continues to refine core systems that shape how you move, shoot, hear, and communicate. These changes target clarity, consistency, and performance across platforms.
Weapon visuals received targeted adjustments. The 30-30 Repeater “Long-Distance Agony” skin now uses an iron sight that matches the alignment and clarity of the weapon’s other variants, so you no longer deal with a sight picture that feels offset from the rest of the lineup.
Octane players gain more flexibility during engagements. You can now trigger a double jump from his Launch Pad while using healing items, which lets you reposition mid-recovery instead of remaining predictable in open space.
The Alternator SMG in Double Tap mode no longer displays shotgun-style extra hit markers. This cleans up the reticle area and makes it easier for you to track targets during sustained fire without unnecessary visual noise.
Vault Keys no longer change the color tier of a death box. You still find them as rare loot, but they no longer create false expectations about high-tier weapons when you approach a red box.
Smarter Combat Bots
AI-controlled opponents now react more like real squads under pressure. When you damage them, they actively look for nearby cover and attempt to heal during a fight.
You can use that window to push aggressively or reposition. Bots no longer stand exposed as often when low on health.
Target selection also improves. Bots evaluate threats more intelligently and shift focus based on danger, which makes flanking less reliable if you approach carelessly.
Movement patterns feel more assertive. Bots can strafe while advancing, allowing them to close distance instead of sliding side to side in place.
Weapon handling adapts to range:
- At long range, they favor appropriate primary weapons.
- At close range, they swap to shotguns if available.
- Mid-range engagements trigger faster, more situational switching.
Traversal expands as well. Bots now use environmental tools such as:
- Ziplines
- Ziprails
- Jump towers
- Other map mobility features
You encounter AI that rotates and pursues using the same routes you rely on, which creates more natural combat flow.
Sound Adjustments
Audio consistency improves across platforms, especially on consoles. The audio mix setting now saves correctly, so you no longer need to reapply your preferred configuration between sessions.
Hardlight Mesh destruction sounds play at a lower volume. This reduces audio spikes during defensive breaches while keeping the cue noticeable.
Enemy footsteps outside your field of view now stand out more clearly. The system increases their volume dynamically based on position:
| Enemy Position | Footstep Intensity |
|---|---|
| Beside you | Loud |
| Slightly behind | Louder |
| Directly behind | Loudest |
This directional scaling gives you clearer awareness of threats approaching from outside your camera angle. You can react faster without relying only on visual confirmation.
On PC, microphone input now uses the Windows Audio Session API (WASAPI). This enables support for Windows 11’s Voice Clarity enhancement, which filters background noise if you enable it in system settings.
If you use multiple microphones, you can:
- Select a specific input device directly in Apex’s Voice Chat settings.
- Set a preferred device as the default communications mic in Windows and use the System Default option in-game.
These adjustments give you tighter control over voice quality and device selection.
Engine & Performance Updates
Rendering performance improves through backend optimization. Static world objects now use bindless resources and batching, which reduces draw calls and lowers CPU workload during map rendering.
Olympus benefits from refined occlusion culling generation. The updated data structures reduce unnecessary rendering calculations, which slightly improves CPU efficiency on that map.
On supported PC systems, the game now uses Resizable BAR (ReBAR) for faster GPU data transfers. This can:
- Reduce model and texture pop-in
- Lower CPU overhead
- Improve frame stability in busy scenes
Visual tuning also receives attention. Reflections in darker environments now display more accurate intensity, which prevents surfaces from appearing unnaturally bright or muted.
Ambient occlusion and specular occlusion gain clarity adjustments. You see more consistent depth definition around objects and better separation between surfaces under varied lighting.
These refinements work in the background, but they directly affect how stable and readable each match feels.
