Apex Legends Season 28’s mid-season update brings meaningful adjustments that you need to know before jumping back into the arena. You will see balance changes for Gibraltar, Wraith, and Wattson, along with tweaks to the Hemlok Breach and broader gameplay systems.
The patch also introduces audio improvements and launches the Aftershock event in Wildcard, adding fresh elements to your matches. These updates shape how you approach fights, team composition, and overall strategy in Season 28’s evolving meta.
Apex Legends Season 28 mid-season patch notes
You see targeted balance changes for Gibraltar, Wraith, and Wattson in this update. Respawn focuses on improving underused picks while adjusting how they function in fights and rotations.
Gibraltar gains stronger mobility and defensive tools after slipping in pick rate. His new Momentum Boost passive helps you reposition and rotate faster.
You also benefit from quality-of-life tweaks across his base kit. His Dome of Protection resets more quickly and stands up better to aggressive pushes.
His ultimate now offers more flexible upgrade paths, letting you tailor it to your preferred playstyle. These changes aim to give you clearer choices between defense and utility.
Wraith receives shorter cooldowns on both her tactical and ultimate abilities. You can activate her portal faster, which improves tempo during fights and escapes.
Her upgrades now lean further into team value, giving your squad more consistent repositioning options.
Wattson gains new interactions with Hardlight Mesh structures. You can use her kit in more creative ways when playing around the updated environmental mechanics.
Apex Legends Breach Mid-Season Patch Notes
Gibraltar Updates
You gain several core improvements that make Gibraltar more aggressive and mobile.
Passive – Momentum Boost (New)
If you keep sprinting for a short time, you trigger a speed increase. This only works while unarmed or when holding a weapon without sprint penalties. Your melee now deals double damage to Hardlight structures.
Tactical – Dome Shield
- Cooldown reduced from 17s to 13s.
This shorter downtime lets you cycle defensive plays more often during extended fights.
Ultimate – Defensive Bombardment
- Base radius increased by 20%.
- Faster missile call-in.
- You can throw the ultimate before the equip animation finishes.
You apply pressure more quickly and cover a wider area without relying on previous upgrade tiers.
Upgrades
| Level | Upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Thunder Dome | Dome electrifies on placement, dealing 50 damage and slowing the first enemy who enters. |
| 2 | Healing Dome | Dome lasts 4s longer and doubles small healing item effectiveness inside. |
| 3 | Triple Bombardment | Splits ultimate into 3 smaller charges with reduced radius and missile count. |
Several older upgrade options have been removed, narrowing your build path toward offensive or sustain-focused dome play.
Wraith Changes
You access faster ability rotations and stronger portal setups.
Tactical – Into the Void
- Cooldown reduced from 20s to 15s (now baseline).
Ultimate – Dimensional Rift
- Cooldown reduced from 2.5 minutes to 1.5 minutes (now baseline).
- Faster activation animation.
You reposition your squad more often and deploy portals with less risk during fights.
Upgrades
- Phase Dome (Level 2): When you begin channeling your ultimate, you create a dome that sends anyone inside into the void. It lasts 30 seconds or until you place the portal.
- Phase Jumper (Level 3): Tactical duration increases from 4s to 6s, and you gain a double jump while phased.
These upgrades reward aggressive portal entries and extended invulnerability plays.
Wattson Adjustments
You reinforce Hardlight structures and deal more punishment with fences.
Tactical – Perimeter Security
- Fence damage increased from 20 to 35.
- Deployment time reduced from 1s to 0.5s.
- Placing a fence in front of a Hardlight mesh reinforces it and rebuilds it if destroyed.
Ultimate – Interception Pylon
- The pylon now reinforces Hardlight meshes within its area.
- Destroyed meshes rebuild automatically while inside the zone.
You lock down fortified areas more reliably and restore defensive cover during sustained pressure.
Apex Legends S28 mid-season patch notes: Weapons, Olympus, and audio
This update adjusts several core weapons and introduces a reworked Hemlok Breach as an elite-tier option. You also see targeted map and sound changes that affect competitive play and moment-to-moment awareness.
Weapon balance changes
| Class | Weapon | Key Adjustments |
|---|---|---|
| AR | Hemlok Breach (Elite) | Burst and single-shot modes removed. Gains Automatic mode (23 body / 32 head, slower fire rate, built-in suppressor) and Breach Charge (single explosive shot, 15s cooldown, 38 damage with falloff, bonus damage to Hardlight and structures). |
| Marksman | 30-30 Repeater | Base damage increased from 41 to 43. |
| Pistol | RE-45 | Burst variant becomes standard; elite visual treatment removed. |
| Pistol | P2020 | Hammerpoint unlock cost reduced to 425. Base magazine increased to 9. |
| Shotgun | EVA-8 | Faster reload speed. |
| SMG | Prowler PDW | Shorter delay between bursts and improved recoil control. |
These changes raise the viability of light weapons and tighten the performance of burst options.
On Olympus, Elysium shifts to the northeast near Rift. This move separates it from Somers University to reduce forced early fights in ranked and competitive matches. You also encounter terrain adjustments in the surrounding area, and one smaller POI has been removed to streamline rotations.
Audio receives focused tuning. Hardlight Mesh break sounds now play at a lower volume.
Enemy footsteps become more noticeable when opponents move outside your field of view. The sound grows louder as they move from your side toward directly behind you, improving spatial awareness during close engagements.
