If you’re looking to hit the ground running in Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy, with the new legend Valkyrie, Arenas mode, the Bocek Bow and more – you’re in the right place.
Apex Legends underwent a major content overhaul on May 4, as developers shook up the meta with a boatload of buffs and nerfs for the legends, as well as weapons. Speaking of weapons, firing a Bocek Bow is something brand new for the community, so there’s a lot to learn in Legacy.
With a new 3v3 Arenas mode, Apex Legends has added a bit of math to the game as well. Knowing how to get the most materials, what to spend your money on, and which guns work best will take time for every player to figure out.
This guide, though, will help speed up the learning curve for not just Arenas but all of the new content as well – from the Battle Pass to best weapons.
How to play Valkyrie
Tips to master Valkyrie in Apex Legends
The game’s newest legend is, of course, Valkyrie. She likes to take to the skies and certainly has a very different set of abilities to her opponents in the Apex Games.
Last season, Fuse came bursting onto the scene with fire and fury, but this one is all about that flying life. Jetpack? You bet.
Here’s a description of her abilities:
- Passive: VTOL Jets – Press Jump while in the air to engage jetpack. You can switch between hold and toggle in the options menu.
- Tactical: Missile Swarm – Fire a swarm of mini-rockets which damage and disorient the enemy.
- Ultimate: Skyward Dive – Press once to prepare for launch. Teammates can interact with Valkyrie to join the launch. Press again to launch into the air and skydive.
Bocek Bow
Here’s one that may take a bit of getting used to, the Bocek Bow.
Just like the bow Epic Games introduced in Fortnite, there’s so many factors that can impact your success or failure using this weapon. It takes time to read the distance it can be effective from and how much the bullet dips, but the Hop-Ups it uses are very easy to get to grips with.
Bocek Bow Hop-Ups
- Deadeyes Tempo: Firing in an indicated pattern will increase the bow’s fire rate
- Shatter Caps: Rounds split into a blast pattern upon firing
How these look in-game:
The Deadeye's Tempo hop-up will increase fire rate if you fire during the sweet spot. Check out the difference here.
It's easy in Firing Range, not so easy in game! 😬 pic.twitter.com/fb13PVZ1DF
— Apex Legends News (@alphaINTEL) April 29, 2021
From there, you’ll need to know how much damage this thing is capable of, before deciding to make it one of your go-to weapons in Apex. Check out our full guide for everything you need to know about the new weapon.
Arenas
Arenas shop guide – Best weapons, abilities & heals to buy
How it works – rules
Unlike battle royale mode, in Arenas your squad will all arrive in the starting menu and then enter a shop. Here, you can purchase weapons, items and abilities with the materials you have collected.
You will start with a set amount of crafting materials, as will teammates and enemies, and then based on performance (kills) you will earn more in-game. The more you earn, the better equipment you can buy from the shop. No bought gear follows between rounds, either.
You can become a greater threat by upgrading your weapons, too, including attachments. There are no respawns, but there are revives, so taking people down once they’re knocked is more important than in battle royale.
In the middle of each round, a supply drop will come in with three weapons. The rarity of these weapon drops also increases each round. The team that makes the most of those, and their purchased equipment, will be in a good position to be crowned the winner.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The first team to score three victories with a two round margin are the champion. In the case of a 4-4 tie, it goes to sudden death.
Starter weapons
- P2020
- Mozambique
How to get materials
- Round bonus: Increases each round
- Kills: 75 materials
- Canister: 200 materials
Legend buffs and nerfs
Full breakdown of Season 9 legend buffs and nerfs
Tracking legend buffs and nerfs are important if you would like to stay on top of the meta in Apex Legends.
We’d like to think some players are out there still trying to play Pathfinder in the same way they used to, but that’s just one example where a legend drastically fell down the pecking order due to previous changes. In terms of tier lists, the robot fell off a cliff in Season 5.
This season, however, here’s all the legends that were buffed and nerfed.
Buffs
- Lifeline – Combat Revive revives two players at once, can cancel revives. D.O.C. Heal Drone heal rate increased, with faster deployment. Care Package cooldown reduced, and drops will give Lifeline upgrades adapted to her gear
- Loba – Burglar’s Best Friend speed increase, bugs fixed
- Fuse – Knuckle Cluster sees reduced cooldown and comes in two stacks
- Crypto – Can open care packages with drone
- Bangalore – Thicker smoke
Nerfs
- Octane – Reduced cooldown on Stim, but higher health cost. Increased bullet spread for low Launch Pad trajectory
- Horizon – Abilities now zapped by Wattson pylons. Gravity Lift gets increased cooldown, slower lift speed, and reduced acceleration
- Bloodhound – Minor nerf, but will no longer receive assists for Eye of the Allfather ability
- Loba – Increased cooldown on Black Market Boutique
Weapon and loot pool changes
Full breakdown of Season 9 weapon buffs and nerfs
A number of changes have been implemented, including buffs for the Mozambique & P2020.
Both the Hammerpoint and Skullpiercer hop ups have been vaulted in Season 9, replaced by Shatter Caps and Deadeye’s Tempo. The former can be used on the 30-30 Repeater and Bocek Bow, while the latter works for the Sentinel and Bocek Bow.
Fully kitted out weapons
For fully kitted out weapons, too, there’s been some changes to the rotation.
Weapons added
- Wingman
- Bocek
- R99
- Hemlock
- Sentinel
Battle Pass
Full list of Apex Legends Season 9 Battle Pass tiers and rewards
For many of us, starting a new season means grinding through the Battle Pass.
With Legacy, there’s plenty of eye-catching rewards up for grabs. These all can be unlocked at different levels.
New skins
- Level 1 – Octane, Mirage, Bangalore
- Level 25 – Rampart
- Level 50 – Wraith
- Level 100 – Devotion
- Level 110 – Devotion
Even if you don’t buy the battle pass, you can earn these items for free:
Free rewards
- Valkyrie Character skin
- 7 Apex Packs
- 12 Weapon Skins
- Legend Win Trackers
- Music Pack
- 300 Apex coins
Legacy pack with Valkyrie skin
How to get Legacy Valkyrie skin pack
On May 13, the Legacy starter pack will be available, which includes the Turquoise Sun Valkyrie skin and 600 Apex coins. Typically, these starter packs cost $4.99 and will be available from the digital store on your platform of choice.
Good luck in Apex Legends Legacy, and hopefully after reading this guide you’ll be well equipped to dominate this season! For more news, guides, leaks and updates, follow us on Twitter @TitanfallBlog.