Nov 2, 2026
View on Steam↗Apex Legends™: Cipher Patch Notes
5/5 Game-Changing
Akimbo Wingman and Strongholds arrive in Season 31 alongside a massive Crypto rework and Legend Banning for Diamond+ Ranked players.
Key Changes
- 1Akimbo Wingman added (Heavy Ammo, 45 base damage)
- 2Strongholds introduced as mid-game loot and level-up structures
- 3Legend Banning system launched for Diamond+ Ranked matches
- 4Crypto Rework: Drone now uses a 25s battery but has no redeploy cooldown
- 5Ranked Scoring: Added Challenger (-30% cost) and Goliath (+50% cost) match types
- 6Akimbo Mozambique moved to Care Package with Executioner Hop-Up
- 7Lifeline Buffs: Tactical CD reduced to 15s and Revive Shield upgrade added
- 8Hemlok and L-Star returned to floor loot with balance adjustments
- 9E-District Night visibility and lighting overhaul
- 10Engine Optimization: Game disk size reduced by ~30 GB
All Changes
🏆Ranked(7)
- newRanked Mode: Introduced Legend Banning for Diamond+ matches, allowing players to vote for two Legends to be removed from the match.
- newRanked Mode: Added Challenger Matches which discount entry cost by 30% when the squad is 2+ tiers below the lobby tier.
- newRanked Mode: Added Goliath Matches which increase entry cost by 50% when the squad is 2+ tiers above the lobby tier.
- changeUI: Reworked the Waiting for Players screen to display Squad Tier, Lobby Tier, Entry Cost, and Match Type.
- newUI: Added a new Ranked tab in the inventory menu to track RP goals and scoring rules during a match.
- newUI: Added RP information to the kill feed, showing RP earned per kill and placement gains.
- changeRanked Mode: If a teammate fails to connect, the Squad Tier is now decreased by one full tier for scoring calculations.
🎮Gameplay(5)
- newStrongholds: Strongholds now airdrop during Round 2, providing indestructible cover and high-tier loot upon capture.
- newStrongholds: Capturing a Stronghold now awards a Level Up to each living member of the capturing team.
- changeCare Package: Updated Airdrop timing: 2 Care Packages in Round 1, 1 Care Package and 1 Stronghold in Round 2.
- changeWildcard: Wild Cards are now granted via a HUD selection UI at the start of Rounds 1, 2, and 3.
- removeWildcard: Replicators have been removed from the Wildcard system.
👤Legends(17)
- nerfCrypto: Drone now uses a battery system with a 25s limit instead of infinite duration.
- buffCrypto: Drone can now be redeployed immediately after recall without a cooldown.
- newCrypto: Added a marking ability to the drone that tracks enemies for 8s even if the drone is destroyed.
- buffCrypto: Drone scan zone increased to 360 degrees but no longer scans lootbins or doors.
- changeCrypto: EMP now deals 50 damage and a light slow if line-of-sight is blocked, or full damage/heavy slow with LoS.
- buffCrypto: Crypto no longer takes damage from his own EMP.
- buffLifeline: D.O.C. now heals Lifeline while she is gliding.
- buffLifeline: Tactical cooldown reduced from 25s to 15s.
- newLifeline: New Level 3 Upgrade: Revive Shield (D.O.C. deploys shield while reviving).
- buffRevenant: Tactical cooldown reduced from 20s to 15s and charge time sped up.
- buffRevenant: Ultimate cooldown reduced from 180s to 150s.
- newRevenant: New Level 3 Upgrade: Silence (Landing from Tactical leap releases an AOE silence pulse).
- nerfLoba: Tactical cooldown increased from 25s to 30s.
- nerfLoba: Ultimate cooldown increased from 120s to 150s.
- nerfAxle: Sliding lateral control reduced by 50% for base kit and 25% for Nitro Gate users.
- nerfAxle: Nitro Gate initial push speed reduced from 700 to 650.
- nerfAxle: Kickstart drone max chase time reduced from 10s to 8s.
🔫Weapons(12)
- newWingman: Akimbo Wingman added; uses Heavy Ammo and Heavy Magazines instead of Sniper variants.
- nerfWingman: Base damage decreased from 50 to 45.
- nerfWingman: Akimbo Mode: Headshot multiplier decreased to 1.25x (56 damage), increased reload time, and increased recoil.
- buffMozambique: Akimbo Mozambique moved to Care Package with increased damage (18) and new Executioner Hop-Up.
- nerfL-STAR EMG: L-STAR returned to floor loot; damage reduced from 21 to 19 and overheat threshold reduced from 28 to 22.
- changeHemlok Burst AR: Hemlok Burst AR returned to floor loot; Elite variant and Breach Charge firing mode removed.
- changeBurst Weapons: Prowler, Hemlok, Nemesis, and Akimbo Wingman now support tap fire queuing in auto fire bursts.
- changeEVA-8 Auto: EVA-8 Auto: Double Tap Trigger removed; Disruptor Rounds added.
- nerfNemesis Burst AR: Nemesis Burst AR vertical recoil increased.
- buffPeacekeeper: Peacekeeper rate of fire increased; Shotgun Bolts now improve rechamber rate.
- nerfProwler Burst PDW: Prowler Burst PDW recoil increased and Selectfire Hop-Up removed.
- nerfRapid Sniper Stock: Rapid Sniper Stock rate of fire multiplier reduced from 1.2x to 1.1x for G7, Longbow, and Triple Take.
🗺️Maps(4)
- buffE-District Night: E-District Night visibility overhaul: reduced contrast between light and shadows to improve enemy player visibility.
- changeMaps: Standardized world lighting and material values across all maps for consistent character contrast.
- changeMaps: Atmospheric fog re-architected to preserve sightlines and sharpen depth perception.
- changeMap Rotation: Pubs and Ranked rotation set to Storm Point, E-District Night, and Broken Moon.
⚙️Performance(2)
- fixEngine: Reduced total disk usage by ~30 GB (~17 GB on Switch 2) through texture recompression.
- fixEngine: Cubemap textures are now streamable, reducing GPU memory usage.
📅Coming Soon(1)
- newRanked Ladders: Ranked Ladders 1 through 5 scheduled to run weekly from November 10th to December 13th.
🐛Bug Fixes(5)
- fixGameplay: Fixed bunny hopping during Death Box respawn interactions.
- fixMaps: Resolved over 35 rat/hiding spots across all maps.
- fixMirage: Fixed Mirage decoys floating in place during skydiving.
- fixHeirlooms: Fixed issue where bright Heirloom effects could be seen through cloaking.
- fixEngine: Fixed crash occurring when Bluetooth audio devices disconnected during a match.
Summary
Season 31: Cipher
Apex Legends: Cipher introduces the highly anticipated Akimbo Wingman, which now utilizes Heavy Ammo and features a unique burst-fire mechanic. The update also debuts Strongholds, mid-game airdropped structures that teams must capture to earn high-tier loot and a guaranteed level up.
Ranked Overhaul
Ranked play receives its most significant update in years with the introduction of Legend Banning for Diamond rank and above. Additionally, new Challenger and Goliath match types adjust RP entry costs based on lobby skill gaps to ensure fairer progression.
Legend & Weapon Meta
Crypto has undergone a substantial rework, replacing his infinite drone duration with a 25-second battery system and a new marking mechanic. Lifeline and Revenant receive significant buffs and new upgrades, including the return of Lifeline's Revive Shield. The weapon meta shifts as the L-Star and Hemlok return to floor loot, while the Akimbo Mozambique moves to the Care Package.