Apex Legends Cipher, the game’s 31st season, launched on November 3, 2026. Respawn’s official patch notes make Crypto’s drone management central to the update, alongside Strongholds, Akimbo Wingman and a new ranked legend-ban system.
Crypto’s drone now has a battery
Crypto’s Surveillance Drone has a 25-second battery and a six-second recall. Recalling it allows redeployment without a cooldown. Its scan uses line of sight, and marked enemies remain tagged for eight seconds. Crypto can also deploy EMP from himself when the ability is available, without damaging himself.
The season’s designer notes frame the changes around more active information gathering. For players, battery management makes the timing of a drone flight more important: scouting, recalling and rejoining the squad need to be planned together.
Strongholds and Akimbo Wingman
A Stronghold drops as Round 2 closes, creating a capture-zone contest for valuable loot. The notes warn that its landing can crush players, so standing directly underneath the drop is a risk.
Picking up a second Wingman enables the new Akimbo setup. Lifeline and Revenant also receive changes, but some benefits are selectable upgrades rather than automatic additions to every loadout.
How ranked legend bans work
At Diamond and above, each player can request one legend ban. Two legends are then chosen randomly, with the chances weighted by the share of votes. This means the system does not simply guarantee that the two most-requested legends will be banned.
Check the full patch notes before rebuilding a preferred setup: the update also adjusts other legends, weapons and upgrades beyond these headline changes.
The official Apex Legends Cipher gameplay trailer shows the season’s featured mechanics.
Follow further announcements in our gaming news coverage.
