Apex Legends’ next season increases the level cap and removes self-revive

By Tomas Franzese Published August 1, 2022

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This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

Season 14 of Apex Legends is almost upon us, so Respawn Entertainment and EA revealed some of the major reworks coming to the game with when the Hunted season begins. Namely, the developers highlighted the redesigned Kings Canyon, increased level cap, and balance updates like the removal of self-revive.

In 2020, Loba blew up Skull Town in Kings Canyon. Now, the entire map is seeing a rework as part of Season 14 to improve the pacing and balance of matches on the map. Skull Town is now called Relic and is a bit bigger, the Cage was reworked to be a little lower and more vulnerable, Hillside’s interiors were removed, and Broken Relay is now called Basin and got new buildings. Those, along with the other visual update Kings Canyon got, should make this old Apex Legends map feel brand new again.

An bird's eye look at the reworked Kings Canyon map in Apex Legends. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Another big change is coming to account levels. Previously, there were 500 levels for players to work their way through. Starting with Season 14, players can work their way to level 500 three more times, technically increasing the level cap to 2000. This means that players will now be able to earn 544 Apex Packs and an Heirloom by leveling up. The start of Season 14 will also introduce some notable balance changes to Apex Legends, as is to be expected.

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Some notable changes are that SMGs and pistols have a new laser sight attachment, the Wingman will now use sniper ammo, the Spitfire will now light ammo, the EVA-8 will see an increased fire rate, handling, and reload speed, and more. Most notably though, self-revive is getting removed. This is complicated by a change to Gold Equipment perks, including a new one for the Backpack called Deep Pockets that increases the number of medical supplies players can carry.

Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. Season 14 begins on August 9.

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As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor release date pops up on Steam ahead of Game Awards

Cal Kestis with BD-1 droid on his shoulder.

The release date of the highly anticipated Star Wars game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor leaked on the game's official Steam page.
A Steam Page for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor went live with this release date information on Monday morning, seemingly ahead of a heavily rumored appearance at The Game Awards. The store page description reveals more details about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as well as its Deluxe Edition, which contains cosmetics that make protagonist Cal Kestis look like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and the pre-order bonus with a costume, Lightsaber, and Blaster based on Obi-Wan.

The "About This Game" section also provides more details on the game. Narratively, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Steam page explains that "Cal is driven to make a stand during the galaxy’s darkest times -- but how far is he willing to go to protect himself, his crew, and the legacy of the Jedi Order?" On the gameplay side of things, new Force abilities, Lightsaber fighting styles, and enemies to take down are teased. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor looks like it will be a galaxy-trotting adventure like its predecessor the description hints that there will be lots of planets to explore and that they'll be bigger and have more secrets than the ones in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
EA and Respawn Entertainment have been relatively quiet regarding Star Wars Jedi: Survivor since announcing the game in May, so it's exciting to get a lot of new information about the game like its sooner-than-expected release date. If the rumors are true, this may have deflated the hype from one of The Game Awards 2022's big reveals.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 15, 2023.

Gaming

Everything announced at the September 2022 Nintendo Direct

Link overlooks Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom key art.

While digital video game showcases are more frequent than ever, no one does it quite as well as Nintendo. As such, this September 2022 Nintendo Direct really excited Nintendo Switch fans. So far, 2022 has been a great year for Nintendo thanks tp games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Splatoon 3. During this show, we received a clear idea of how Nintendo plans to close this year out and kick off 2023.
We hoped to see a mix of announced games, DLC, remasters, and Nintendo's early 2023 lineup. While not every leak was true, we were pleasantly surprised by the likes of Fire Emblem Engage and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (yes, Breath of the Wild's sequel finally has a name). If you weren't able to watch it live or just want a recap of what was shown, this is everything Nintendo announced during the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo Direct 9.13.2022
Breath of the Wild 2 is officially titled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Coming May 12th, 2023 – Nintendo Switch
After more than three years of secrecy, Nintendo confirmed that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is titled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This trailer also served as our first good look at gameplay for the game, as we see Link skydive off a sky island, launch himself into the air, climb, and even fly around.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released on May 12, 2023.
Fire Emblem Engage lets you fight with classic Fire Emblem characters
Fire Emblem Engage – Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch
To kick off the show, Nintendo announced a brand new traditional Fire Emblem game called Fire Emblem Engage. We saw both cinematics and tactics gameplay, and while it plays like the strategy game fans would expect, players can also equip rings to get help from classic Fire Emblem characters.
Fire Emblem Engage will be released on January 20, 2023. It will also get a Divine Edition with collectible items.
Pikmin 4 is finally launching in 2023
Pikmin 4 – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch
Shigeru Miyamoto showed up for the Nintendo Direct. After giving updates on the Mario movie, Nintendo's theme park at Universal, and Pikmin Bloom, he announced Pikmin 4 with a trailer showing off its gorgeous-looking environments. It scheduled to launch sometime in 2023.
We didn't see gameplay, but he confirmed that you can view the game from the Pikmin's perspective on the ground. Pikmin 4 is a long time coming, considering that Miyamoto first teased the game in 2015.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe announced
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe – Nintendo Direct 9.13.22 – Nintendo Switch
To continue the Kirby 30th anniversary celebration this year, Nintendo announced that the Wii game Kirby's Return to Dream Land is coming to Nintendo Switch. Titled Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, it adds a Mecha copy ability, a new subgame, and the ability for everyone to play as Kirby.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches on February 24, 2023.
Octopath Traveler II is coming to Nintendo Switch
OCTOPATH TRAVELER II - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch
Although it leaked just beforehand, this Nintendo Direct couldn't go without an HD-2D game as Square Enix announced Octopath Traveler II. Like the original, this is a turn-based RPG stylized like the SNES classics where players follow the journey of eight different characters in a fantasy world.
Octopath Traveller II will be released on February 24, 2023. It's also coming to PC, PS4, and PS5.
Everything else

It Takes Two is coming to Nintendo Switch on November 4.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse gets a remaster in early 2023.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 expansion pass adds a new character called Ino, Challenge Battles on October 13.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake gameplay was shown off.
Fitness Boxing First of the North Star comes to Nintendo Switch in March 2023.
Ubisoft announced Oddballers, launching in early 2023.
Tunic is coming to Nintendo Switch on September 27.
Front Missions 1st: Remake launches in November, Front Mission 2: Remake launches in 2023, and Front Mission 3 is getting a remake.
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is getting a remake in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life in summer 2023.
Splatoon 3's first Splatfest is "What would you bring to a deserted island?" The choices are Gear, Grub, and Fun.
Fae Farm was announced by the developers of Dauntless.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line launches on February 16, 2023, and it will get DLC based on other Square Enix franchises.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope gameplay highlighted progression and Sparks.
Rune Factory 3 Special was announced with a 2023 release window, while a new game in the series was confirmed to be in development.
Pilotwings 64, Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Stadium 2, 1080 Snowboarding, Excitebike 64, and Goldeneye 007 are all coming to Nintendo Switch Online.
Apple Arcade game Various Daylife is coming to Nintendo Switch today.
Factorio is coming to Nintendo Switch.
Indie game Ib was announced for Nintendo Switch.
Mario Strikers: Battle League's second update adds Pauline and Diddy Kong alongside more gear and a new stadium later this month.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key launches on February 24, 2023.
Merry Mountain from Mario Kart Tour and DS Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS are coming to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass Wave 3 this holiday
Nintendo Switch Sports is getting a golf mode with 21 courses and eight-player online support this holiday.
Just Dance 2023 Edition got a new trailer.
Harvestella is getting a demo today ahead of its November 4 launch.
Bayonetta 3's eclectic cast was highlighted during the Direct, with a new trailer being released on Nintendo's YouTube channel afterward.
The creators of Danganronpa announced Master Detective Archive: Rain Code.
Capcom is bringing Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3 to Nintendo Switch, but they will be cloud versions of the games.
Sifu comes to Nintendo Switch on November 8.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion launches on December 13.
Radiant Silvergun launches for Nintendo Switch today.
Endless Dungeon is coming to Nintendo Switch.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered was announced for Nintendo Switch and launches in early 2023.
Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered, Lego Bricktales, Disney Speedstorm, and Fall Guys were featured in a sizzle reel.

Gaming

Narrative RPG Pentiment is the Xbox exclusive to watch this fall

Andreas paints in Pentiment.

This holiday season is shaping up to be an unusual one for Xbox owners. Players aren’t getting a big-ticket game like Halo Infinite or Forza Horizon 5, leaving parents scrambling to figure out a clear gift this year. Instead, Microsoft is pushing a series of smaller titles set to debut on Xbox Game Pass. That list includes comedic shooter High on Life, biopunk horror game Scorn, and indie darling Slime Rancher 2. But the most intriguing game on Xbox’s slate is also the most atypical: Pentiment.

Pentiment – Official Announce Trailer - Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022