Apex Legends Season 22 Shockwave brings a whole new energy to the game next week

Developer Respawn Entertainment has officially revealed Apex Legends Season 22 Shockwave, which launches on August 6, 2024. The trailer and gameplay details show an energized season with a bright new map lit up with neon lights, duel wielding, and changes to Revival game modes.

The biggest additions with Apex Legends Season 22 Shockwave are the new map and dual-wielding. E-District, as the neon-soaked map is called, is reminiscent of a cyberpunk Tokyo, and Respawn explains that it’s got a lot of verticality for players to practice their skills in. Of course, this season’s main highlight will be dual-wielding, which you can do with P2020s and Mozambiques. If that doesn’t change the meta in a meaningful way, I don’t know what will.

New energy, new battle pass system

I want to touch on the Battle Pass system quickly because it’s been a subject of quite a lot of controversy. Initially, Respawn Entertainment announced that the Battle Pass for each season would be split into two, one for each half and that players could only access them with real cash. However, the backlash from this news caused the developer to reverse that initiative.

I’m pleased to say that you can get the Shockwave Split 1 Battle Pass for free by completing in-game challenges in Apex Legends. The Shockwave Split 2 Battle Pass must be purchased with Apex Coins, but the important thing here is that it still can be purchased with that in-game currency.

Dual-wielding is a brand new feature for Apex Legends, but it’ll only be possible with the two weapons I outlined above. To dual-wield, you’ll need to grab two of the same weapon, and your character will hold both automatically. You can toggle the second weapon on and off, so you can still opt for a single handgun if that’s more your jam.

Battle Sense is a fancy name for some new UI elements that have been added with Apex Legends Season 22 Shockwave. When you damage an enemy this season, you’ll be able to see their health bar and judge how much more you need to deal. You’ll also get a visual ping when enemies enter a certain radius, which is going to be an absolute godsend for me.

Finally, we have changes to Revival game modes. Straight Shot Revival and Bot Royale now feature unlimited revives until the end of round 4. This will make it easier to keep going and get more practice in for Battle Royale. There will also be new Legend Class Perks that will completely change how you play.

These haven’t been detailed at the time of writing, but it sounds like the new Perks are designed to help controller players stand a better chance in each match. I know from speaking with pros at ALGS events that PC is seen as the best way to play. Perhaps these Perks will change that.