Play Apex Legends Season 26 Wild Card Now ⇒ New Mode & Map

Season 26 of Apex Legends, titled Wild Card, marks a transformative moment for the title—redefining the traditional battle royale experience with groundbreaking new mechanics, a permanent game mode, a reimagined loot structure, and sweeping changes to maps, weapons, ranked systems, and player progression. With innovation at its core, Wild Card sets the stage for one of the most ambitious seasons in Apex Legends history.

A Bold New Mode: Wild Card Takes Center Stage

Introduced as a permanent Battle Royale experience, Wild Card completely reshapes how Apex Legends is played. It’s tailor-made for fast-paced, high-agency engagements with shorter matches and fewer players, offering risk-reward decisions at every turn.

Wild Card Mechanics at a Glance

30-player lobbies ensure quicker match times and tighter gameplay loops.
Small ring from the start means instant action.
Automatic respawns for downed teammates, as long as one squad member stays alive.
Self-revive kits return—each player starts with one, and more can be looted.
Legend stacking is enabled, allowing triple instances of the same legend per team.
Simplified loot: say goodbye to knockdown shields, helmets, backpacks, and attachments.
Auto-loot system smartly collects relevant items as you move.
Loot pool limited to key items like weapons, sights, throwables, and Evo Orbs.

King’s Canyon Remastered

This fan-favorite map gets an exclusive, high-impact update for Wild Card mode:

Enhanced traversal systems like zip rails, jump pads, and gravity cannons
Lighting overhaul improves visual clarity and ambiance
Updated structures and aesthetics at The Cage, including skull-themed decor and bridges
Recolored assets for better combat readability

Wild Cards: Passive Power, Your Way

Wild Cards are craftable, passive-enhancing perks that introduce new power scaling inside each match.

Core Mechanics

Crafted at replicators during the match
Earn one slot per round, which cannot be unequipped once selected
Available exclusively in Wild Card mode

Confirmed Wild Cards

Wall running
Shield regen while sprinting
Bonus melee damage
Auto-scan enemies after knocks

Respawn has confirmed even more Wild Cards will debut as the season evolves.

Evo Orbs: The Cornerstone of Loadout Progression

Evo Orbs are an essential part of Wild Card’s progression and loot loop, offering multiple immediate benefits:

Automatically collected when near a defeated enemy
Grant weapon upgrades in place of attachments
Trigger shield and health regeneration
Reduce respawn timers and charge ultimates

Amps: Game-Changing Perks Replace Helmets

The traditional helmet item has been retired and replaced by a new system: Amps. These are perk-like items that occupy the former helmet slot and offer powerful, curated advantages.

Amp Features

One Amp per player per match
Loot-only system—cannot be crafted or unlocked

Confirmed Amps Include:

Infinite Ammo: No need to carry ammo; uses two inventory slots
Bottomless Bats: Unlimited shield batteries when carrying two
Overarmor: Grants +25 bonus shield HP
Power Booster: Speeds up ability recharge and ult charge upon securing knocks
Overflow Healer: Cells and syringes automatically restore full HP over time

Elite Weapons and Evolved Hop-Ups

How Hop-Ups Have Changed

Hop-ups no longer appear as loot
Weapons now have locked hop-ups that unlock through damage dealt
Progress persists slightly after death

Examples:

R-301 – Gunshield Generator
Wingman – Skullpiercer
Spitfire – Paintball Hop-Up
Eva-8 – Elite Paintballs

Elite Weapons

The first is the RE-45: now an energy burst pistol
Charged shot mechanism for powerful strikes
Designed to resemble a pocket-sized Devotion or Nemesis
Elite weapons may rotate by season

Universal Heirloom: The Bat Enters the Game

Usable by all legends
Available in four visual variants
Infused with lore Easter eggs like “R5” and “2019”
Design nods to Octane’s Mobile heirloom
Features in an event with skins for Loba and Bangalore

Expansive Map Updates and Visual Redesigns

King’s Canyon (Wildcard Exclusive)

Remixed lighting, skull art, and improved mobility
New pathways, color-coded assets, and verticality boosts

E-District

Now daytime; visually streamlined
Revamped interiors, new shop setups, and a skyline inspired by Titanfall’s Angel City

Storm Point

Cleaned-up visuals for improved enemy visibility and terrain definition
Lighting rebalancing for clarity

Current Map Rotation

District, Broken Moon, and Storm Point are available at launch
Standard King’s Canyon returns later in the season

Ranked Redesign: The ALGS Format Goes Live

Ranked Changes

Individual dropships: each team drops from its own ship onto a random POI
Eliminates shared drop zones and hot-drop conflicts
Heat shields disabled in ranked mode
Bronze now has entry cost; Gold and Plat see a minor increase
Challenger bonus RP improves while kill/assist RP is reduced

Ranked Auras

Cosmetic aura based on rank
Visible during skydives, emotes, finishers, and revives
Optional display; shown in lobbies and legend select

Track Your Achievements With Accolades

Accolades are Apex’s new seasonal reward system, offering milestone-specific recognition each match.

Accolade System Key Features

Mini-goals such as long-distance headshots, mid-air kills, revives, etc.
Earn bonus XP
Shown in post-match summaries
Resets at the end of each season
Optional display; added to the new Progression menu

Additional System-Wide Enhancements

Requeue with previously matched teammates, including as solos or duos
Class bins now drop appropriate loot regardless of who opens them
Loot pool thinned and focused—no ground-hop-ups or cluttered inventories
New Progression screen animation when lobby loads, showcasing rewards next to a care package