Apex Legends was "negatively impacted" by solos, Respawn says Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Apex Legends was "negatively impacted" by solos, Respawn says Wingman required. News by Emma Kent Contributor Updated on 8 Apr 2020 39 comments From almost the first day Apex Legends burst onto the battle royale scene, fans started calling for a solos option to be included alongside the standard squads of three. Eventually, their prayers were answered in August last year with a limited-time event. But it seems unlikely solos will return as a permanent option anytime soon, as Respawn says the mode was detrimental to the overall game. The reason for this, as explained in the latest patch notes, is that solos harmed game balance and made Apex Legends less appealing to new players. "When we introduced solos as a limited-time mode last year we saw it actually negatively impacted the game, especially when it came to new player retention," the blog post explained. "We've also purposely designed legends and their abilities to compliment teamplay and squad composition, but when played solo some legend abilities become useless." The conversation around solos resurfaced recently because Apex Legends added duos as a permanent mode - which makes sense, as the mode means the game's outstanding cooperative features (such as the ping system) can still be used. It's not quite the end of the road for solos yet, however, as Respawn said it's "still exploring ways to allow a solo experience". Meanwhile, alongside the new cosmetics and town takeover introduced via the Bloodhound event, the latest patch has brought some noteworthy game balance changes. Lifeline mains will be pleased to hear the character is now even more of a loot goblin, with the addition of blue crates with compartments only she can access. Revenant's death totem ultimate has similarly been given a buff, with players now respawning with 50 health instead of a measly one HP. To encourage players to use the new EVO shields, the amount of damage required to evolve them has been slightly dropped. And, finally, an exploit which allowed some players to use Wraith's portal ability to survive the final rings has been patched. Portals will now disappear after four seconds if both ends are outside the circle, so players can no longer ricochet between the two to avoid taking damage. Guess that renders the tactic null and void. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store