Apex Legends Update 2.66 Patch Notes

Apex Legends update 2.66 is available to download on PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, and Xbox. According to the Apex Legends 2.66 patch notes, the latest update brings an all-new objective based LTM and “Serpent’s Sting” universal melee item, earn Bounty Bucks, and more. Apart from this, today’s Apex Legends version 2.66 also includes stability fixes.

Previously, Apex update 2.35 added new features and changes to the game. Recently, Apex version 2.36 was also released with minor tweaks. Unfortunately, players are still experiencing a number of issues with the game. Today’s Apex Legends patch 2.66 will fix a few of these issues.

Apex Legends version 2.66 Patch Notes

NEW MODE: KNOCKOUT

Introducing the all-new 60-player, 20-squad, Battle Royale experience: Knockout! In this intense, objective-based competition, squads must capture zones and collect EVO to rack up points. The 5 lowest-scoring squads are eliminated after each round, so every point counts. Enjoy infinite respawns until the high-stakes Sudden Death finale. After 3 rounds, the final 5 squads are redeployed for an all-out battle where only one squad will emerge victorious. Will your squad be the last one standing?

AMPED KNOCKOUT TRIALS

For a limited-time, take on weekly challenges to permanently unlock two pivotal Legends:

• September 17-October 15: complete Crypto’s Trials to permanently unlock Crypto
• October 1-October 15: complete Wattson’s Trials to permanently unlock Wattson

PATCH NOTES

BALANCE UPDATES

Gold Weapons Rotation

• Mozambique Akimbo, P2020 Akimbo, EVA-8, VK-47 Flatline, G7 Scout

GAMEPLAY UPDATES

Loot Bin Reset

• Added Announcer voice line when Loot Bin Reset has triggered for improved clarity
• Reduced spawn rate for some high value loot (backpacks, hop ups, gold attachments) after reset
• If a Loot Bin is opened just before the reset happens, loot from that bin will be thrown out onto the ground ensuring players can grab desirable items instead of those items being deleted
• Legendary Loot Bins will roll fewer Gold items via Smart Loot when opened
• Mythic Loot Bins will roll large healing items more consistently
• Updates to Legendary (Gold) Loot Bin spawning logic which reduces the number of spawned Gold Bins and more consistently distributes them across the playable space

Dev Note: You should be rewarded for surviving to the late game. More consistent access to high value loot with Loot Bins has been a great reward, however the rewards were a bit too generous. We’ve reduced the rates of the best items that end the loot chase too soon to maintain the value of continuous looting after Loot Bin Reset. Additionally, no one loves the experience of opening a Loot Bin and seeing something they want, only to have the reset slam it shut in their face. Getting that loot onto the ground ensures you get the full value out of a Loot Bin regardless of the reset timing. 

Loot Ticks

• Greatly improved the contents of loot ticks
  • Removed white and blue rarity attachments and equipment from possible loot
  • Increased the chances to receive gold weapons
  • Removed Phoenix Kit and hop-ups from possible loot

Dev Note: Long have Loot Ticks been a bit underwhelming. We’ve increased their power to be more on par with other, more recent sources of high tier loot acquisition.

WEAPONS & LOOT

Havoc Rifle

• Removed Turbocharger as a Hop-up

Dev Note: Even after our most recent round of nerfs, the Havoc is still overperforming compared to our other weapons. Removing its high-valued chase item is intended to tamp down its power level.

R-99 SMG [Care Package]

• Damage fall-off at 11+ meters increased to 11
• Improved recoil

Ammo

• Ammo that spawns with a weapon will now always be a single brick, but with twice the ammo

Dev Note: Previously, there was a 70% chance to spawn two separate ammo bricks and a 30% chance to only spawn one when a weapon spawned with its corresponding ammo. We’ve changed this to clean up the number of items on the ground and slightly increase the ammo economy.

Hop-ups

• Reduced spawn rate of Gun Shield Generator
• Removed Turbocharger from loot pool

Ultimate Accelerant

• Rarity increased to Purple (was Blue)
• Reduced spawn rate
• Increased movement speed while using

Dev Note: Ult Accelerants are in a tricky spot. Their power is clear to some players, being able to chain multiple ultimates in a single engagement, while other players will leave them on the ground in favor of other loot. We want all of our players to understand the power that comes with the Ult Accelerant, but we also don’t want to mess too much with the careful balancing act that comes with Legend ult timing. This change aims to decrease the cadence with which they can be used while also making their power more obvious and convenient to access.

LEGENDS

Fuse

• Hard capped the max radius of the scan area to be 450 (+50% of default ring/flat surface)
• Disallowed mortar targeting on multiple objects within the players control to prevent perfect setups

Dev Note: We gave Fuse the ability to see enemies inside the mortar ring as a quality of life improvement. The scan area would scale as large as necessary to match the area of the ring. This had the unintended side effect of giving a very large scan area when shot on tall objects. Our intention for the ult is to primarily be an area of effect ability, not an information gathering ability.

Rampart

• Lowered delay before you can re-enter Sheila turret to 0.15s (was 1s)

Revenant

• Forged Shadows
  • Reduced shield health to 50 (was 75)
  • Activation time doubled

Valkyrie

• Now Recon Legend (was Skirmisher)
• Full Tank upgrade now includes a 50% reduction in refuel delay to 4s (was 8s)
• Gains Threat Vision while jetpacking, stays on until feet hit the ground/zipline
• Jetpack UI now has a ‘refuel delay’ timer
• More agile jetpack handling that feels similar to Valk’s release
• Various buffs to improve reliability and output from Tac
  • Move slow stun duration increased by 50%
  • Missile explosion radius increased by 20%
  • Min attack range decreased by 25% (can hit enemies that are closer)
  • Max missile travel time now 4s (was 4.5s)
  • Fire rate for launching all missiles now 25 (was 18)
• Upgrades
  • Aerial Expert: removed
  • Full Coverage: moved to Level 2, added reduced Tac cooldown
  • NEW Eyes in the Sky: ignores the LoS check on skydive HUD scan, increases HUD highlighting range by 40m

Dev Note: As Evac Towers rose, Valk’s fall from grace was no surprise. After 16 months of everyone having access to more macro-mobility, we used this midseason update to improve all facets of her kit and reevaluate her role as a Skirmisher. We felt that gating full ult potential behind upgrades was still an important playstyle decision and power check for someone with a jetpack for a passive. Do you prefer the combat strength gained from jetpack and tactical upgrades? Or will you opt for skydiving upgrades that can help you spot good landing locations in crowded endgames? Regardless, Threat Vision while jetpacking and her skydive HUD solidify her as a unique Recon pick: “They can have the ground, I own the sky.”

MAPS

Pubs & Ranked

• E-District
• Olympus
• Kings Canyon

MODES

Duos 

• Returns September 17, 2024
• Available until the end of Shockwave

New Mode: Knockout

• New 60 player, 20 squad, points-based BR mode
• Squads capture zones and collect EVO to earn points
• Five lowest scoring squads are eliminated at the end of each round
• Players have infinite respawns until the Sudden Death finale
• After 3 rounds, the remaining 5 squads are redeployed for a Sudden Death finale
• Last squad standing wins!

MIXTAPE

• Map Rotations
  • September 17-October 14, 2024
    • TDM: Thunderdome, Skull Town, Estates
    • CONTROL: Caustic Treatment, Labs, Barometer
    • GUN RUN: Wattson’s Pylon, Estates, Skull Town
  • October 15-21, 2024
    • TDM: , Thunderdome, Skull Town
    • CONTROL: , Labs, Caustic Treatment
    • LOCKDOWN: Estates, Skull Town
  • October 22-28, 2024
    • BIG TDM: Estates, Skull Town
    • CONTROL: Thunderdome, Lava Siphon
    • GUN RUN: Wattson’s Pylon, Fragment
  • October 29-November 4, 2024
    • BIG TDM: Thunderdome, Skull Town
    • CONTROL: Labs, Caustic Treatment
    • GUN RUN: Estates, Skull Town

RANKED

Ranked has gone through many different layers through the years and of course every player has their favorite rendition. At the end of Upheaval, we stopped baking you Ranked cakes and started baking you Rumble pies. It was a limited run and some of you ate the pies, but realistically everyone that comes to the cake shop is there for cake.

To cut the metaphors, our very first Ranked Rumble was met with rumbles. It didn’t deliver or align with why you’re playing Ranked: grinding for that sweet, sweet icing RP. You let us know about this misalignment and it was also reflected in our participation data. We set out to create a competitive experience that would offer a different flavor and we missed the mark.

Ranked Rumble will not be going live today or at the end of the Shockwave season. We’re going to take it offline and rework some of the fundamental systems to allow for the following goals to be achieved:

• Ranked Rumble should add to the existing Ranked experience, not be a substitute
• Provide a way to earn bonus rewards for competing directly against other players in your tier
• Provide an opportunity for meaningful competition and comparison once you have reached your skill cap
• Capture some of the Top Predator placement magic at every Ranked tier
• Create some of the best matches that Ranked has to offer by bringing more players together
• Create more opportunities for us to gather and respond to feedback, which allows us to dial-in the experience to be more fun and worth your time investment

Ranked Rumble will see a tentative return next season. We hope you’ll continue to enjoy Shockwave’s Ranked and look forward to us talking about Ranked Rumble again in the very near future.

BUG FIXES

Looking for something else? Our public Trello board is updated weekly with the status of bugs that we can talk about ahead of the patch note drops. We also update our game status here for those of you not on other social platforms.

• DX12 PC: fixed issue that prevented Apex from working on third gen Intel CPUs like 3570 and 3770
• Fixed a long standing bug that could cause servers to crash
• Fixed rare case where you could get crushed when mantling over open Loot Bin
• Legendary Loot Bins will no longer spawn too near each other or in clustered groups
• Low Ammo indicators will no longer spam while you’re unarmed
• Minimap icons for used/empty Perk Loot Bins will no longer display
• R-99 restored to Care Packages in Mixtape TDM and Big TDM
• Restored ADS red dot while using “Celestial Sniper” Longbow skin
• Restored Zipline upwards from the second floor of Wattson’s Pylon on Storm Point
• Teams with all max level players can no longer interact with Evo Harvesters
• Vastly reduced the likelihood of being in a constant state of rubberbanding

Loot Bin Reset

• Fixed rare crash related to opening Mythic Supply Bins after Loot Bin reset
• Loot Bin Reset warnings while spectating now shown at correct times

LEGENDS

• Crypto: EMP will no longer occasionally trigger while recalling Hack
• Mad Maggie’s passive will now trigger when hitting gunshields
• Newcastle’s “Swift Shield” upgrade now works as intended
• Wattson
  • Emergency Power upgrade will now affect teammates and ult accels
  • Resolved issue with health regen in Mixtape

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Added the ability to manage your inventory while healing and ziplining
• Valkyrie: can now cancel the her Tac by melee punching

E-District

• Added assets to aid in climbing up walls in certain areas
• Added two survey beacons to the north side of the map
• Electro Dam’s spillway slope can now be traversed upwards
• Ground loot and Loot Bin count has been increased
  • 100 Loot Bins have been added to the map
  • Buses now have ground loot
  • Various buildings have had their ground loot slightly increased
• Reduced the amount of possible high-tier loot spawning at The Lotus
• Relocated Blossom Drives crafter to the far West side
• Resolved a number of additional bugs and rat spots

GRAPHICS

• DX12 PC: made it easier to use stretched res with a DX12-only CVar, “mat_letterbox_aspect_min”. Setting this value to 1.0 as a launch argument, such as +mat_letterbox_aspect_min 1.0, will let Apex stretch the game resolution as the last-stage of rendering in full screen mode, so that players shouldn’t need to modify anything in system settings or in a GPU vendor’s control panel
• Fixed some performance issues for quad-core CPUs that were introduced Upheaval mid-season
• GPU performance optimizations for rendering FX like legend abilities

• Apex Legends patch 2.66 added additional security improvements
• Airdropping Replicators have beam to differentiate
• Can requeue at end of Pubs BR/Mixtape matches
• Ballistic sling accepts any locked-set weapon (converts tier, restores original state on move out, no red-tier)
• Death Box Flyers prompt auto-ping of Box location
• Apex update 2.66 improved auto-select of consumables for new players
• Improved door interactions with self-res available
• Map spawn audit for Mixtape (Phase Runner, Habitat, Thunderdome, Zeus Station)
• Apex 2.66 upgraded to latest Easy Anti-Cheat
• Pings go through translucent surfaces, can request Grenades
• Thunderdome airdrop and Control point adjustments

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The following changes were added previously.

What is new in Apex Legends Season 21?

New Legend: Alter Meet Alter, the agent of chaos, ready to shake up the Apex Games. Her kit introduces unique gameplay dynamics, allowing her to manipulate void passages and create chaos on the battlefield.

Abilities:

• Passive: Gift from the Rift: Claim one item remotely from a deathbox.
• Tactical: Void Passage: Create portal passageways through surfaces.
• Ultimate: Void Nexus: Establish a regroup point for allies to teleport back to.

Upgrades:

• Level 2 Options: Reduce Ultimate cooldown or extend highlights with Void Vision.
• Level 3 Options: Eternal Nexus makes Void Nexus permanent or reduce Tactical cooldown.

Solos Takeover: Solos mode replaces Duos from May 7 to June 24, featuring enhanced gameplay mechanics for a thrilling solo experience.

Upheaval Map Rotation:

• Play on Broken Moon, Kings Canyon, and World’s Edge maps in both Pubs and Ranked modes for the first half of the season.

Broken Moon Map Update: Explore the revamped Quarantine Zone on Broken Moon. Visit our Upheaval Highlights blog for details.

Apex Artifacts: Discover new artifacts with lore connections and customizations in our dedicated blog.

BALANCE UPDATES

Care Package Changes:

• Wingman returns to floor loot (projectile size reduced, damage: 45, hipfire accuracy reduced, takes Boosted Loader Hop-Up, no longer takes magazines)
• Devotion enters Care Package (damage: 16, magazine size: 54, reserve ammo: 324, empty reload time reduced, Reverse Hipfire feature added)

Gold Weapons Rotation: Nemesis Burst AR, Triple-Take, Peacekeeper, Prowler PDW, Longbow DMR

Guaranteed Weapon in First Opened Bin: The first bin opened by an unarmed player will always contain a weapon.

Retrieving Banners from Death Boxes: Collecting banners no longer locks players out of critical actions. Banner collection animation can be interrupted.

Survival Items & Support Bins: Survival items only spawn from support bin trays if the team needs them.
WEAPONS & ATTACHMENTS

• 30-30 Repeater: Skullpiercer Hop-Up removed
• Charge Rifle: Improved ADS recoil
• Longbow DMR: Skullpiercer and Barrel Stabilizer removed, base recoil improved, reduced projectile gravity and ADS time
• Triple-Take: Now takes Boosted Loader Hop-Up
• Skullpiercer removed from loot pool
• Boosted Loader added (speeds up reloading and overloads next magazine when reloading near empty)
• 1x Digital Threat Optic removed from loot pool and locked set weapons

LEGENDS Ash:

• Arc Snare is now left-hand cast and doesn’t interrupt actions
• Phase Breach highlights nearby enemies

Ballistic:

• Whistler damage increased to 10
• Care Package Insight upgrade removed
• New Sling-Shot upgrade improves sling weapon tiers (blueset at Level 2, purpleset at Level 3)
• Upgrades: Breakout Level 2 – Lasting Bullet, Sling-Shot. Upheaval Level 2 – Lasting Bullet, Sling-Shot.

Bloodhound:

• Beast of the Hunt cooldown increased to 4m, knocks no longer extend duration
• Upgrades: Level 3 – Tactical Cooldown removed, Taste of Blood buffed to 50 HP gain, New Long Hunt (knocks extend Beast of the Hunt)
• Breakout Level 3 – Taste of Blood (25 HP), Tactical Cooldown. Upheaval Level 3 – Long Hunt, Taste of Blood (50 HP).

Catalyst:

• Piercing Spikes cooldown decreased to 20s, Long Cast integrated
• Dark Veil length increased to 45m
• Upgrades: Long Cast removed, Long Veil moved to Level 2, New Ferro-Door (rebuild doors with Passive)
• Breakout Level 2 – Sister Spikes, Long Veil. Upheaval Level 2 – Long Veil, Sister Spikes.
• Breakout Level 3 – Resilient Veil, Ferro-Door. Upheaval Level 3 – Ferro-Door, Resilient Veil.

Caustic:

• Gas effects stop when Caustic is eliminated
• Gas damage ramp changed (4 → 10 max, 4 flat for knocked), lower damage to knocked players

Conduit:

• Radiant Transfer can’t target Revenant during Forged Shadows
• Battery Collection upgrade removed
• New Battpack upgrade (stack up to 3 Shield Batteries per slot)
• Breakout Level 2 – Bigger Jam. Upheaval Level 2 – Battpack, Bigger Jam.

Crypto:

• Network Traffic integrated, drone shows squadcount banners when deployed
• Upgrades: Level 2 – Tac & Ult Cooldowns removed, Network Expansion moved, New Quick Ping (improved drone handling)
• Upgrades: Level 3 – New Satellite Imagery (drone scan persists 1.5s), New Hackathon (half drone cooldown, speed boost on Ult/destroy)
• Breakout Level 2 – Network Expansion, Quick Transmission. Upheaval Level 2 – Network Expansion, Quick Transmission.
• Breakout Level 3 – Network Expansion, Network Traffic. Upheaval Level 3 – Hackathon, Satellite Imagery.

Fuse:

• Big Bang upgrade removed
• New Ring Master upgrade (access Ring Consoles)
• Scar Tissue simplified (20 flat Motherlode damage), Wreckless fixed (32 damage from full Knuckle Cluster)
• Breakout Level 2 – Scar Tissue. Upheaval Level 2 – Ring Master, Scar Tissue.

Newcastle:

• Mobile Shield throw speed increased (~2.5x)
• Castle Wall destroys incoming projectiles, energized duration increased to 1m
• Stronghold upgrade duration increased to 3m

Octane:

• Wreckless upgrade removed
• Mad Hops moved to Level 2
• Thick Skin now Level 2 & 3 (take 5 less Stim damage, can select twice)
• Breakout Level 2 – Thick Skin, Mad Hops. Upheaval Level 2 – Mad Hops, Thick Skin.
• Breakout Level 3 – Mad Hops, Airborne Agility. Upheaval Level 3 – Airborne Agility, Thick Skin.

Wattson:

• Falling Stars Pylons stop spawning Arc Stars when Wattson is eliminated
• Split Circuit no longer reduces shield regen

Wraith:

• Into the Void and Dimensional Rift highlight nearby enemies

MAPS

• Broken Moon map update: New POIs – Cliff Side, Experimental Labs, Solar Pods, Space Port, Quarantine Zone, Underpass. Breaker Wharf updated.
• New Ring Console, Survey Beacon, and Crafter spawn locations added to World’s Edge and Storm Point

World’s Edge:

• Added Ring Console spawns to Mirage à Trois and Survey Camp
• Added Survey Beacon spawns to Survey Camp and The Geyser

Storm Point:

• Added Crafter spawn to Command Center
• Added Survey Beacon spawns to The Wall, unnamed POIs NE of Checkpoint & E of Storm Catcher

MODES
Solos:

• Six week Duos takeover, 50 players
• Second Chance Respawn (auto-respawn once if die in first 4 rounds, converts to EVO if unused)
• Battle Sense (HUD indicator for enemies within 50m), Auto Heals (regen out of combat, after kills)
• Loot pool, circle sizes, round times adjusted for solo play

Mixtape:

• Lockdown mode added (Zeus Station, Monument)
• Map rotation schedule: — Default: Control (Production Yard, Thunderdome), Gun Run (The Core, Wattson’s Pylon), Lockdown (Monument, Zeus Station), TDM (Skulltown, Zeus Station) — 5/24-5/28: Gun Run (The Core, Wattson’s Pylon), Lockdown (Monument, Zeus Station), TDM (Skulltown, Zeus Station) — 6/1-6/7: Control (Barometer), Gun Run (Wattson’s Pylon), Lockdown (Zeus Station), TDM (Zeus Station) — 6/11-6/17: Control (Barometer, Caustic Treatment), Lockdown (Monument, Zeus Station), TDM (Skulltown, Zeus Station)

TDM 24/7 (6/18-6/24):

• Scorelimit 35, Time Limit 10min, increased health regen
• Maps: Skull Town, Zeus Station, Monument, Thunderdome, Wattson’s Pylon, Fragment

LTM Rotations:

• 5/24-5/28, 5/31-6/3: Control (Production Yard, Thunderdome, Caustic, Barometer, Lava Siphon)
• 6/11-6/17: Gun Run (Skull Town, Zeus Station, Thunderdome, Wattson, Fragment, The Core)

RANKED

• Premade squads must be within 3 rank tiers
• No tuning changes to scoring at launch
• Reset: To Rookie 1 if ended in Rookie, else to Bronze IV
• Split 2 timing same as .1 patch (not a week after)
• Rewards based on highest tier in season. Animated badge if match/beat Split 1 rank in Split 2.

Bug Fixes and Changes

• Apex Legends patch 2.66 added additional security improvements
• Airdropping Replicators have beam to differentiate
• Can requeue at end of Pubs BR/Mixtape matches
• Ballistic sling accepts any locked-set weapon (converts tier, restores original state on move out, no red-tier)
• Death Box Flyers prompt auto-ping of Box location
• Apex update 2.66 improved auto-select of consumables for new players
• Improved door interactions with self-res available
• Map spawn audit for Mixtape (Phase Runner, Habitat, Thunderdome, Zeus Station)
• Apex 2.66 upgraded to latest Easy Anti-Cheat
• Pings go through translucent surfaces, can request Grenades
• Thunderdome airdrop and Control point adjustments

GRAPHICS

• Apex Legends update 2.66 adds new “Map Detail” PC setting to adjust environment decoration
• DX12 beta launch argument change
• Improved accuracy/fidelity of baked lighting for static outdoor objects and dynamic objects
• Significantly improved CPU performance of Rendering Hardware Interface (mostly for DX12)

Download free Apex Legends update 2.66 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC.