Since Apex Legends launched in February 2019, players have only had access to a single form of permanent progression season over season via the account levels. That’s finally about to change in season 17, though, where Respawn plans to implement an entirely new system to run in parallel with it.
Weapon Mastery is a progression path arriving on May 9 focused on rewarding players for their experience with Apex’s diverse arsenal, allowing them to level up each gun in any matchmade mode and earn rewards at certain milestones on their journey to a max level of 100 on each.
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Respawn’s experience design director Aaron Rutledge broke the new system down for us at a recent press event. “We’re always looking to make Apex more accessible for new players,” he said. “This system actually incentivizes new players and old players to dive in and learn about the strengths and the character of all the weapons across our game.”
It’s part of a wider goal to “deepen player engagement” across the board regardless of what legends or modes a person plays, giving players new goals to strive for and an opportunity to learn more about the plethora of guns that Apex now has in its arsenal.
Progress isn’t retroactive, so fresh faces and veterans alike will all start at level one with all weapons. Dealing damage, securing kills, and “fighting with style” all generate weapon XP for the weapon being used in any matchmade game mode, letting you level up a gun all the way to a level 100 maximum. It’s not just to watch a number go up, either—the system has a variety of rewards to chase as well as you progress.
“Every 20 levels on a weapon, a weapon-specific trial will unlock for you to test your skill with that weapon and get a reward when you complete any trial,” Rutledge said. “If you can get a weapon up to level 100 and finish all 5 trials for that weapon, you will have fully mastered that weapon and earn the final reward.”
Each of these trials features a reward to earn that ties into the weapon it was for. This includes weapon-specific mastery level badges, lifetime performance trackers for both damage and kills, legendary banner frames, and a “guaranteed legendary skin” for each weapon you’ve fully mastered. If you aren’t just grinding out weapons for the love of the game, there are still worthwhile goodies to hunt down throughout the process.
Apex’s Weapon Mastery system will launch alongside season 17, Arsenal, when it drops on May 9.
