Apex Legends recently rolled out the highly anticipated Arsenal Ranked update, introducing a series of changes aimed at creating consistently competitive matches by focusing on Battle Royale gameplay and teamwork. Now that players have had ample time to try out the update, the development team has carefully analyzed the data and is ready to share their insights on the current state and the immediate future of Ranked Play.
Arsenal Ranked Update: Evaluating Changes and Challenges
The primary goal of the Arsenal update was to offer players a learning experience by adapting to the new ruleset and matchmaking. However, the combination of certain aspects and some lingering bugs in the Ranked system led to unintended consequences, particularly in Ladder Point (LP) gains. The generous distribution of LP resulted in an excessive number of Masters players, causing an imbalance in the rank distribution.
For Season 18, the focus will be on lowering the amount of LP distributed per match to create a more balanced distribution of players across ranks.
Addressing Bonus System and Rank Distribution
The bonus system, which withholds bonuses when a player's ranking significantly surpasses their Matchmaking Rating (MMR) equivalent, also faced challenges due to the inflated LP values. As a result, some players were denied bonuses sooner than expected, leading to discrepancies between their rank and MMR. Season 18 will see the addition of a minimum elimination bonus increase based on the player's MMR to exempt it from bonus withholding, alongside a slight increase in the elimination bonus.
Furthermore, the inflated LP values contributed to an inflation of Masters players, as depicted in the rank distribution graph. To rectify this, LP gains per match will be decreased in Season 18, and a specialized ruleset will be introduced exclusively for Diamond+ players. These changes are expected to slow the pace to Masters for the average player and enhance matchmaking accuracy and quality, particularly in Diamond+ ranks.
Enhancing Battle Royale Gameplay
The Arsenal update has brought about more climactic endgames with intense firefights and multiple squads vying for victory, which has been well-received by the player community. Additionally, the development team has been monitoring "Perceptive Play," a macro-focused playstyle revolving around ring positioning, but they have observed an increase in "ratting" behavior where players hide and avoid confrontations.
To address this, Season 18 will feature adjustments to ring timings to encourage more mid-game encounters, ring damage tuning to promote playing inside the ring, and fixes for "ratting" spots.
Improving Matchmaking Quality
The new matchmaking algorithm has generally led to more competitive matches overall, as reflected in increased Total Damage per Match gameplay metrics. However, inflated LP values caused a decline in match fairness starting around May 18. Additionally, the team acknowledges that queue times have been too short, leading to players being matched outside their appropriate MMR range.
Season 18 will focus on addressing these matchmaking issues and providing more consistent, high-quality matches, especially for high-skilled players who have been experiencing wide MMR ranges.
Season 18 and Beyond: Future Plans
The Apex Legends development team is dedicated to refining the Arsenal data, addressing bugs, and further improving the Ranked system. The upcoming Season 18 updates will focus on reducing LP gains, implementing a specialized ruleset for Diamond+ players, and fine-tuning the elimination bonus system. These changes are aimed at delivering the best possible Ranked Battle Royale experience with tight matchmaking and challenging competition at all rank tiers.
The development team has decided not to reintroduce Splits for now, opting to focus on continuous monitoring and further improvements. They eagerly anticipate sharing more updates on Ranked play, with Season 19 already in the works.
