Apex Legends Mobile continues its success, with plenty of updates frequently adding new maps and features to play with. Season one added Loba, one of the main games’ most famous legends, into the mobile port. Now, season two promises to be an even more significant update offering several new maps, two new game modes, and a brand-new legend that has never been seen before.
Meet Rhapsody
Rhapsody is a “Rhythm Slinger,” a DJ from the planet Kómma, which is ruled by the tech giant Pythas Inc. Rhapsody saw an opportunity to wipe out her family’s debt to Pythas by uploading a computer virus during a performance in the wealthy district on Kómma, but things went awry as the virus corrupted the finances of the entire district. Now the only way for Rhapsody to pay off her debts is to compete in the Apex games under the banner of the company she hates.
With the lore out of the way, we can focus on Rhapsody’s kit. Her tactical ability, “Hype Anthem,” plays a music track that gives her entire squad a speed boost while slowly restoring their shields. The effects of this ability last until you take damage. The passive ability, “Gifted Ear,” lets you hear footsteps from further away and makes the footstep indicator UI appear from a greater distance than usual. Finally, we have “Rowdy’s Rave,” Rhapsody’s ultimate ability. When triggered, Rhapsody’s robot dog (it’s as cute as it sounds) projects a large wall of flashing lights. Rhapsody and her squad can see through it, while other squads can only see the disco lights, and not even Bloodhound’s scan can penetrate it. But be careful when utilizing the ability, as it allows bullets and ordinance through both ways.
To unlock Rhapsody, you’ll need to grind out the Battle Pass challenges and reach level 25 to get her for free. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can unlock her immediately for 750 Apex Coins.
Game modes
We’ve received two new modes this season — Gun Game and Hack. Both modes are played with two squads of six competing to win. In Gun Game, every player starts a random weapon, which will be changed for another each time you get a kill. The concept is solid, forcing you to use what you’re given rather than looting for something else. Once you’ve started, the HUD will tell you which weapon you’ll get after the next kill, so you can plan and make sure you’re in a position to use the next weapon effectively. The team to reach the elimination goal first wins.
In Hack, two squads of six compete once again, but stacking up eliminations isn’t the objective. One team will play as the Hackers, and the other squad will fulfill the role of Defenders. In orbit of the map is a satellite with modified ring emitters (the ring that fries you as it closes in battle royale). The map has two points of interest (POI) the Hackers will want to hack into while the Defenders hold them off. There’s a two-and-a-half-minute timer for each round. If the Hackers can’t hack either POI within that time, the Defenders get the point. If either team kills every member of the other team during a round, they get a point.
When either team gets three points, the satellite will lock onto the losing team and blast them with ring energy, killing them and ending the round. The first team to win three rounds win the match.
Long live the king
The battle royale mode offers a new map this season — King’s Canyon. This is a fan-favorite map from the PC/console version of the game, and it’s great to see it on mobile. There are plenty of POIs to explore, including explosive holds. These holds contain high-tier loot, and can only be opened by lodging a grenade into the locking mechanism on the door, so make sure to stock up on Arc Stars!
Pythas Block 0 is a brand-new map exclusive to mobile, where you can play Team Death Match, among other game modes. Based on Rhapsody’s home world, this map is full of vibrant colors and sounds.
The wrap-up
Overall, Apex Legends: Distortion is shaping up to be an excellent second season, with plenty of new content to play with. While King’s Canyon has been ported over from the main game, everything else is brand-new for mobile, and I hope we see some of it added to the main game at some point.
If you’re new to Apex Legends, we have a handy guide with everything you need to know to get started. Once you know what you’re doing, you’ll want to check out our five tips for winning matches.
