Apex Legends: Upheaval introduces Alter, the wildest addition yet to its growing roster of characters
Alter is the newest Legend in Respawn’s ongoing battle royale, and she brings a cavalcade of questions with her.
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What you need to know
Sometimes you can’t make up your mind. What to eat for dinner, where to go on a date night, exactly what trauma you suffered in another dimension…
That’s the gist for Alter, the latest character coming to Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts’Apex Legendswith Season 21, Upheaval. Alter is a dimensional hopper, someone whose origin lies in another reality as she crosses over space and time to make her way into the games.
Aside from that core fact, she’s not particularly trustworthy, with narrative lead Jaclyn Seto noting that “Her past is what she needs it to be,” and that while she’s clearly had a number of wild adventures, there’s a lot she’ll say that isn’ttrue. One of the few things that is steadfast is part of her culture, as she sometimes speaks Cantonese.
Alter uses her dimensional rifts to easily navigate the battlefield, zipping around obstacles and enemies while aiding her teammates. Here’s Alter’s abilities:
What else is coming with Apex Legends: Upheaval?
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Alongside Alter, Upheaval is bring Solos mode back to Apex Legends. Solos is replacing Duos, and it comes with a few changes since the last time it was around. In Solos, combat is sped up as every weapon players find is fully kitted out, meaning you aren’t waiting around shuffling attachments. Meanwhile, auto-heal and second chance mechanics mean that being knocked isn’t necessarily the end of your time in a round.
The Broken Moon map is also getting some changes this season with the introduction of a new central point of interest: Quarantine Zone. This spot is meant to make combat a bit less chaotic early on, with lead level designer Steve Young noting that “There’s no distinct power positions.”
Analysis: Some fun shake-ups
Apex Legends has continued to evolve with steady updates, additions, and improvements for years now, including recentlyadding 120 FPS support on the latest consoles. Not every change has been perfect, but the developers have clearly shown a willingness to react and evaluate player feedback that is helping to keep the experience fresh.
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I’m really liking what I’ve seen of Alter so far, and I’m definitely looking forward to trying her out when the season arrives.
Apex Legends is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
