Apex Legends Season 22 will now require players to spend real money to purchase the Battle Pass, sparking controversy within the community. This shift eliminates the option to buy the Battle Pass using Apex Coins, an in-game currency previously earned through gameplay.
Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, Apex Legends is a popular free-to-play battle royale game set in the Titanfall universe. Players, organized into squads of three, use characters known as Legends, each with unique abilities. Despite its success, the game's latest changes have met with significant criticism from its player base.
In the upcoming season, the Battle Pass will only be purchasable with real money, priced at $9.99 for the Premium Pass and $19.99 for Premium+. EA claims this change aims to make the Premium+ Pass more affordable.
Additionally, the Battle Pass will now be available per split, rather than per season. Players can earn the first Premium Battle Pass by logging in and completing challenges within the first two weeks of Season 22. The required levels to obtain key cosmetic items like reactive skins have been reduced from 110 to 60 per Battle Pass. Rewards from previous Battle Passes that were infrequently used have been removed, and the Free Track rewards have been refreshed to include 200 Apex Coins, seven Apex Packs, one complete Epic set, and more per split. The Premium Track now offers 2400 Crafting Materials, 1300 Apex Coins, 10 Exotic Shards, various Apex Packs, a reactive weapon skin, a legendary weapon skin, and multiple legend and weapon skins per Battle Pass.
The community backlash has been strong, with players expressing concerns that this change could negatively impact the game's future. Some have accused EA of punishing loyal players and failing to address the game's core issues. The shift has led to threats of players quitting and hopes that the change is merely a joke.