The new class perks coming to Apex Legends in season 16 are a major evolution for the game

The classes that currently exist in Apex Legends are being entirely reworked for season 16. With the season set to celebrate the game’s fourth anniversary with drastic updates that build the foundations for a fresh start in 2023, legend classes were one of the first things to come under the hammer.

When Revelry launches on Feb. 14, players will find that almost every legend has a new home among five classes: Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller, and Support. Respawn wanted to take the season as a chance to redefine what classes meant and give each one meaningful gameplay perks that represent genuine strategic value.

“The current class system is something weve been wanting to change for a while. Classes were honestly starting to not have much meaning,” said lead legend designer Devan McGuire. “Some legends were in class roles that didnt fit their playstyle, they were just there out of legacy, and only one class actually brought any gameplay value to the team.”

“Value” was a word that came up often in the press event that Respawn hosted last week. The class system is something the team has wanted to change for a while, specifically because of the lack of value each choice represented.

The five new classes and their unique perks mean that your choice of legend extends beyond their core abilities. A team of three can only select up to three of the five classes available, meaning that compromises will always have to be made and squads will need to figure out what they want to accomplish with their team composition in a bigger way than before.

Here’s the nitty gritty on how exactly the new class perks are built to accomplish that.

Apex’s new class perks

Image via Respawn Entertainment

Support

• Legends: Lifeline, Loba, Gibraltar, and Newcastle
• Perks: Support legends can now craft respawn banners for fallen squadmates at a Replicator, even if the banner has expired. They can also open the hidden shelf on blue supply bins for additional healing and survival items, which are now of higher rarity.

The Support class now contains significantly more legends than it did previously, with the focus put on those with kits centered around survival and supply. The ability to craft respawn banners has been a long-requested feature by the community and makes Support an essential inclusion in any squad composition.

Assault

• Legends: Ash, Fuse, Maggie, Bangalore, and Revenant
• Perks: Assault legends are able to carry an additional stack of ammo in each inventory slot, as well as access the hidden shelf on new red supply bins. This hidden shelf will contain upgraded attachments for your team’s weapons, using a smart loot system.

The Assault class has been reworked into something McGuire described as akin to “mobile armories” during the event. Being able to carry additional ammo supplies and provide better attachments for squadmates consistently will have a major impact on your squad’s sustainability in longer fights.

Controller

• Legends: Caustic, Wattson, Catalyst, and Rampart
• Perks: Controller legends can access a new device found around the map called a Ring Console. The Ring Console functions as the Survey Beacon did previously and reveals the location of the next ring.

With the new Controller class defined by legends that want to get into a position of power and set up their defenses, it makes sense that the ability previously owned by the Recon class would be transferred over to them. This will allow the class that most needs to know the next ring location to be able to get that information themselves.

Recon

• Legends: Bloodhound, Seer, Crypto, and Vantage
• Perks: Recon legends can access new modified Survey Beacons, which now reveal enemy positions on the map for 30 seconds.

The Recon class’ new perk is an incredibly powerful tool for teams both setting up or wanting to initiate a fight, but its power is balanced by the fact that nearby enemies will be notified when one of these beacons is used.

Skirmisher

• Legends: Pathfinder, Horizon, Octane, Valkyrie, Wraith, and Mirage
• Perks: Skirmisher legends have improved vision on incoming air drops, with the best loot inside of it highlighted and able to be pinged before it has dropped to the ground.

Skirmishers are defined by their mobility or their ability to rotate their team out of a fight, so their perk is centered around providing knowledge that can influence where they choose to rotate. Knowing if an incoming care package has a Kraber in it ahead of time can give you precious moments to plan a flank toward it. Alternatively, you’ll also know if another team has grabbed it and whether to keep your head down.

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Respawn is expecting these perks to result in a major shakeup to the Apex meta, especially when factored in alongside a new weapon and specific legend balance tweaks. There’s the chance that in the future, class perks can be tweaked or changed to maintain a healthy balance, but this is the foundation that the new system will be built from.