Apex Legends Update 2.23 Brings Arsenal Season 17 This May 9

Apr 28, 2023

Respawn has launched Apex Legends update 2.23 and this is for Season 17: Arsenal! Players can expect a new legend in Ballistic, a new Weapon Mastery feature, changes to the ping system and loads more! Read on for the complete Apex Legends May 9 patch notes straight from Respawn.

NEW LEGEND: BALLISTIC

Before the Apex Games, a more brutal competition held sway: the Thunderdome Games! Here, sibling fighters Sok Leng and Kit Siang Phua reigned supreme. They were joined by August Brinkman, Sok Leng's eventual husband. But when August's selfish playstyle led to Kit Siang's death, August would retreat from the Games, from Sok Leng, and from their young son, Nate.

August spent decades as a recluse. When Nate decides to follow his family's legacy into the arena, August returns to strike a deal to reenter the Games in his son's place.

PASSIVE: SLING

Store a third weapon in the sling. Access via inventory or Character Utility Action Button. The sling weapon cannot take attachments.

TACTICAL: WHISTLER

Shoots a projectile that heats up an enemy's gun as they shoot. Overheating causes damage. Hold the Tactical to lock-on.

ULTIMATE: TEMPEST

Nearby teammates get faster reloads, faster-armed move speed, and Infinite Ammo. The sling weapon will be upgraded to gold.

WORLD’S EDGE MAP UPDATE

Read the full breakdown of the new points of interest and other changes in our full blog here.

RANKED UPDATE

Important TLDR:

Read the full breakdown of the new points of interest and other changes in our full blog here.

WEAPON MASTERY

Weapon Mastery is our first new long-term progression system outside of account level! As we look to make Apex Legends more approachable for new players, this system incentivizes learning about the strengths and character of all our weapons. The goal is to deepen player engagement across the board regardless of who you main or which mode you prefer.

At the season launch, all players will start with every weapon at level 1 and can start progressing their weapon levels by using them in any game mode. Having a weapon in hand, dealing damage, securing kills, and fighting with style will all generate Weapon XP for that weapon. Every 20 levels, a weapon-specific trial will unlock for you to test your skill with that weapon and reward you for completion. Get your weapon to level 100 and finish all five trials to fully "master" that weapon and earn the final rewards. Each weapon mastery track will earn players weapon-specific badges, lifetime performance trackers, legendary weapon mastery banner frames, and a Legendary Weapon Apex Pack for each weapon.

FIRING RANGE UPDATES

Read the full breakdown of all the updates coming to Firing Range in our full blog here.

NEW SURVIVAL SLOT ITEM: EVAC TOWER

The Evac Tower is the latest loot item to hit the Outlands. This portable Jump Tower can shape the battlefield in your squad's favor by offering a quick escape or setting up a deadly assault. Harness the power of the skies, but be careful when you use it – players can destroy the Evac Tower and leave you high and dry!

PING SYSTEM UPDATES

Pings are the main method of non-verbal communication in Apex Legends, and coordination is the key to victory! This season, we’ve updated the system to better serve the game as it exists today. We’ve removed some Pings from the default Ping Wheel with lower usage rates, added several new pings, and added quality of life improvements to how pinging operates in game. Our goal is to give all players, especially those not using voice chat, access to some quick combat ‘phrases’ to help orient team action.

On the default Ping Wheel you will see 3 new pings:

You will also see an expanded set of options when you are Downed or in Dropship for the initial drop into the BR.

Lastly, we’ve improved Pinging from the Map behaviors in the following ways:

PATCH NOTES

BALANCE UPDATES

Crate Rotation

Weapon Crafting Rotation

Gold Weapon Rotation

Loot Spawns

WEAPONS

L-Star EMG [Crate]

30-30 Repeater

Triple Take

R-99 SMG

Charge Rifle

LEGENDS

Catalyst

Mirage

Ash

Assault Class

Skirmisher Class

Support Class

MIXTAPE

Control

Gun Run

Team Deathmatch

BUG FIXES

LEGENDS

MODES

QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATES

LIVEAPI IMPROVEMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION

This season will have some updates to the LiveAPI based on player and developer feedback. These include improvements to existing functionality and messages, new events, and extensive additions to documentation including some examples in Python.

More information, including technical documentation, can be found in the LiveAPI folder at the root of the game installation.

Source: EA