Apex Legends Winter Express LTM is usually a fan favorite, but the game mode did not garner as much hype this year.
Apex Legends Season 15 added a new map and legend, but some players disapprove of the game’s direction. Tensions reached a boiling point when the community launched ‘Operation Fresh Different‘ to formalize demands for meaningful updates and new content.
Players want fresh new content instead of rehashed and reskinned material. One user argued: “We want a fresh meta for characters and guns, new modes and LTMs, and different context experiences.”
Winter Express made its long-awaited return for the first return since December 2021. Fans have previously complained when the game mode is removed because they are so fond of it.
However, this year, lobbies are failing to even fill.
Is Apex Legends Winter Express LTM losing steam?
The Winter Express LTM pits three teams of pre-equipped Legends up against each other in the hopes of capturing a Train or eliminating all enemies. The LTM has appeared in three holiday seasons, always boasting a solid player base.
A Reddit user shared a much different experience, claiming players keep leaving games.
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“Why does everyone leave? I played it every year, and I can’t remember it being like this.”
One user responded, “I don’t understand how we’ve been three years with a handful of LTM’s. How hard is it, realistically, to put together a limited-time, for-fun game mode that doesn’t need to be super balanced.”
A second player added, “I played two games, and it just feels not as fun. It’s wild. I was waiting for an event, and then the first one a month into the season is crippled.”
Some community members theorized the decreased popularity is a result of the game mode removing the ability to shield heal.
“The loadouts are sh**, and the mode is worse due to lack of healing. It used to be my favorite game mode but playing it after playing all the previous ones, it just feels like a shell.”
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that the once-popular LTM has failed to recapture the same holiday magic as the first three iterations.