Apex Legends Arenas guide: Match format, maps, gear, more

Apex Legends is getting a new permanent game mode and it is going to shake up everything.

Arriving with Season Legacy aka Season 9, Arenas is a brand new 3v3 competitive mode where you will face off against opposing squads in custom maps, competing over multiple rounds until one team is left standing.

It has the potential to bring Apex Legends' esports to a new level and allow players to truly test their skills against the best, in the hopes of being the best.

The mode also features a new gearing system introducing something similar to those from tactical shooters like CS:GO and Valorant where based on your previous round performance, you can purchase new gear for the next round.

It all looks mightily exciting and something which is sure to energise the current player base, bring back those that have left and introduce a whole new slew of players to the mix.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at what Arenas actually are and how this new game mode works.

Apex Legends Arenas Match and rounds format

(Picture: EA)

First thing first, Arenas are not a battle royale mode. You won't be playing against dozens of other teams and players.

• Apex Legends Arenas is a 3v3 mode, where one team of 3 players faces another team of 3. And that's it, just six players and two teams in total.
• Each Arenas match consists of several rounds, and rounds are won when one team kills all players on the enemy squad. 
• In Arenas, once you are dead you won't be able to respawn, but your teammates can still revive you if you are knocked down.
• To win a match, a team needs to win at least three rounds and be ahead of the enemy team by two points.
• This means that a team wins if the score is 3-0, 3-1, 4-2 or 5-3.
• If no team achieves a 2-round advantage and the result is 4-4, the ninth round will be a sudden death mode. Whoever wins round nine wins the whole match.

There will be a new piece of UI designed specifically to track progress. The scoreboard will be clearly visible to both teams and the widget will turn blue when a team is one round away from winning.

Apex Legends Arenas Gear system: Materials, upgrades, supplies

Choosing how to spend materials will be a very important part of the strategy. (Picture: EA)

The Arenas mode will also introduce a new round economy system, which works quite similarly to those seen in games like CS:GO and Apex Legends, but it has quite a few of its original traits.

We will still have to see it work in practice, but for now, these are the basics.

• Each player starts each round with base equipment and some materials.
• Materials can be used to get weapons, upgrade them, and pick up any additional supplies.
• Weapons don’t carry over from round to round.
• Purchasing a weapon gives you the base gun with no attachments.
• Weapons can be upgraded to white, blue, and purple, which adds all available attachments of that tier.

During rounds, players can collect material canisters scattered around a map that provide members of the squad with 200 bonus materials to be spent in the next round.

Each kill provides 75 bonus materials for the team in the next round, and you can also loot items from the dead enemies.

Additionally, a care package filled with upgraded weapons will drop in as the round goes on and the ring starts to close.

Apex Legends Arenas Ultimate and Tactical abilities

Phase Runner (Picture: EA)

In the Arenas mode, Legends' Ultimate and Tactical abilities won't work the same way as they work in the regular battle royale.

You will be severely limited with how much you can use your abilities, as there will be only a limited number of charges.

• Each player will have a limited number of uses each round, there will be no unlimited recharging.
• Legends start rounds with some Tactical charges.
• Additional charges and Ultimate abilities can be purchased with materials when starting the round.
• Unused Ultimate and Tactical charges carry over to the next round.

Respawn explains that this will allow for more strategic depth and emphasize decision-making skills, as players will need to think wisely about how they want to use their abilities, especially powerful Ultimate abilities which can turn the tide of a battle.

Apex Legends Arenas maps

Party Crasher (Picture: EA)

As a part of the new Arenas mode, Respawn will release two brand new maps, specifically designed for Arenas.

These maps are much smaller and symmetrical, and the design goal was to allow players to make proactive plays.

"That means creating spaces that give you plenty of room to analyze the other team, make meaningful choices, and utilize your Legend’s capabilities to come out on top," Respawn explains.

With the Legacy update, Party Crasher and Phase Runner will be the first two new maps released for this mode, alongside Artillery from Kings Canyon, Thermal Station from World’s Edge, and Golden Gardens from Olympus.

Apex Legends Arenas release date

The Arenas mode is coming to Apex Legends as a part of Season 9 Legacy, slated for release on 4th May 2021.