What to expect from Apex Legends Season 18 ranked

Apex Legends is a fast-paced battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment. With its eighteenth season on the way, a lot of much-awaited changes to its ranking system will hopefully bolster the enjoyment for beginners and make it more competitive in the higher ranks. Ranks and rank points in Apex Legends have been very rewarding, which has made it difficult to differentiate the top-tier players from the others.

This will finally change, with it becoming more difficult to climb ranks in season 18.

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What changes to expect in Apex Legends Season 18 ranked?

Decreased overall LP gains

Ladder Points (LP) at the moment is awarded very generously throughout all the ranks. This has led to an uneven distribution of ranks, with players reaching Masters without having the required skill set. This is set to change in season 18 as LP gains will be reduced, making you work harder to climb the ranks.

Elimination bonuses will, however, be increased in general to motivate players to take fights instead of ratting until the final ring.

Special ruleset for players above Diamond rank

If your rank is diamond or above, you will have higher stakes and increased LP losses. To complicate matters, rating bonuses and loss mitigations will be reduced.

Ring Damage Adjustments

Overall damage outside the ring will be increased to force players to stay inside the ring at all costs. This will change a lot of rotations and passive gameplay and increase encounters.

Ring Timing Adjustments

Ring-closing timings will be adjusted to create more mid-game fights and avoid final ring cramping.

Matchmaking Adjustments

If a player’s LP exceeds their MMR, their ranking will be used while matchmaking instead. For example, if a Silver MMR player has an LP ranking of Gold, he will be matched in a Gold lobby.

Queue time for higher ranks will be slightly adjusted to place them in similarly skilled lobbies. Higher ranks in Apex Legends have always suffered, with huge skill differences among players being a source of frustration. This is likely to change with season 18.

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What do these changes bring?

Respawn is hoping to make the overall ranked experience better for players. With these changes, many players who had left the game due to the poorly ranked system might return.

Apex Legends also aims to distribute all players equally among the ranks. You can still rank up fairly easily, but you would need that extra effort to compete with the very best. The ultimate goal is to make the ranked system fair and just.