Apex Legends has just rolled out the details for its mid-season Space Hunt Event, and it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest updates yet. With new cosmetics, a universal heirloom, and extensive gameplay changes, including significant buffs to Valkyrie, this update is packed with exciting content and meta-shifting adjustments. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s coming with the new update and how it’s set to impact the game.
Valkyrie Buffs: A Major Overhaul for the Recon Legend
One of the most talked-about changes in this update is the series of buffs to Valkyrie, turning her into a more powerful and versatile Recon Legend. Valkyrie’s transformation includes several improvements, starting with her gaining access to Survey Beacons, giving her more utility for locating enemy squads during matches. But the changes don’t stop there.
Valkyrie will now also get Threat Vision while aiming down sights (ADS), allowing her to detect enemies through smoke or gas—something usually reserved for legends like Bloodhound or Seer. Moreover, her jetpack handling has been made more agile, with faster refueling. Players will experience a smoother flight, reminiscent of Valkyrie’s initial release.
Her tactical ability, Missile Swarm, has also received some significant improvements. The explosion radius is increased by 20%, while the slow duration has been extended by 50%, making it much easier to land impactful hits. The missile fire rate has been bumped up to 25 from 18, making Valkyrie a more formidable force in both offensive and defensive situations.
But what’s perhaps most game-changing is Valkyrie’s new “Eyes in the Sky” perk, which allows her to detect enemies through walls while skydiving. This means that when using jump towers or Evac balloons, Valkyrie will have full threat vision, able to scan for enemies even if they’re behind cover. This enhanced recon ability makes her an invaluable asset in high-stakes matches.
Mid-Season Gameplay Changes and Patch Notes
In addition to the Valkyrie buffs, the mid-season update brings a host of gameplay changes aimed at balancing the meta.
- Fuse has been adjusted to reduce the scan radius of his Ring of Fire ability. The max radius is now capped at 450, which prevents exploits where players could use glitches to enlarge the ring and gain an unfair advantage.
- Revenant also sees a nerf, with his Forge Shadows ultimate having its shield health reduced from 75 to 50, and the activation time doubled. These changes make Revenant’s ultimate less dominant, forcing players to time it more carefully.
- Rampart’s Sheila turret gets a small quality-of-life buff, reducing the delay before re-entering the turret from 1 second to 0.15 seconds, allowing for quicker repositioning during fights.
Weapon Adjustments: Turbocharger Removed & R-99 Tweaks
The Turbocharger has been removed from the loot pool, meaning the Havoc rifle will no longer have access to this high-powered hop-up. While this may reduce the immediate burst damage potential of the weapon, its overall viability in the game remains largely unaffected.
The R-99, one of the most iconic submachine guns in the game, has also been adjusted. The damage fall-off has been increased to 11 at 11+ meters, but its recoil has been improved to make it more controllable. These changes provide a slight nerf to its long-range capability while giving it better handling in close-quarters engagements, striking a balance between risk and reward.
Ammo now spawns as single bricks rather than multiple smaller stacks, which should make looting more efficient by reducing the clutter of small ammo stacks on the ground. Additionally, the spawn rates of certain hop-ups and other powerful attachments have been reduced to maintain balance.
Space Hunt Event: Skins, Cosmetics, and a Universal Heirloom
The Space Hunt Event is the centerpiece of the mid-season update, and it features 36 brand-new cosmetics with a space pirate and cowboy theme. Highlights include an awesome Wraith cowboy skin, a stylish Mirage look, and a particularly cool Gibraltar skin with a mustache that fits perfectly into the space pirate aesthetic. Players can also expect a range of themed weapon skins, some with wooden handles and intricate metallic detailing.
However, this event is classified as a milestone event rather than a collection event, which means that while there will be milestone rewards, unlocking the coveted Serpent Sting Universal Heirloom may be more challenging. The Serpent Sting is a hook sword and marks the first universal heirloom that any legend can equip. It comes with its own unique customization options, including a Crimson Ripper holographic kill counter. As players rack up kills, red holographic triangles will appear on the heirloom, maxing out at five kills. Additionally, if a player becomes the kill leader, a unique crown hologram will be displayed on the heirloom.
For those lucky enough to open every event pack, the Serpent Sting can be unlocked, though it’s worth noting that there’s a chance it will also appear in the heirloom store for 150 heirloom shards later down the line.
Knockout LTM: A New Way to Play
The Space Hunt Event also introduces the Knockout LTM, where 20 squads of three drop into a battle royale map and compete to capture zones or rack up kills by collecting EVO. After each round, the five lowest-scoring squads are eliminated, with the remaining teams battling it out until only one squad is left standing. With infinite respawns and an emphasis on zone control, this mode promises to be a refreshing take on Apex’s core gameplay, blending elements of traditional battle royale with objective-based mechanics.
Duos Mode Returns (Temporarily)
For those who love Duos, there’s good news and bad news. Duos is returning for the duration of Season 22, but unfortunately, it won’t be a permanent addition. While many in the community have been requesting Duos as a permanent mode, for now, it remains a limited-time offering.
Quality of Life Updates
The update also brings several quality-of-life improvements:
- Valkyrie can now cancel her tactical by melee punching.
- Players can now manage their inventory while healing or ziplining, adding more fluidity to gameplay.
- The E-District map has received tweaks, including the addition of more loot bins and adjustments to loot distribution to improve overall gameplay flow.
With all these changes, Apex Legends continues to evolve, offering players new ways to engage with the game. The Space Hunt Event, Valkyrie buffs, and a range of quality-of-life improvements ensure that the mid-season update will keep things fresh for veterans and newcomers alike. For more details on the patch notes and upcoming events, visit Apex Legends Official Blog.
