Apex Legends: Everything You Need to Know About Ranked Mode

We finally have details on Apex Legends' long-awaited Ranked Mode.

One of the most awaited features coming to Season 02 of Apex Legends is the new Ranked League. Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has revealed details on this hotly anticipated feature in an official Reddit post on the r/apexlegends subreddit.

How Ranked Mode Works, Straight from the Devs

According to that post, the upcoming competitive-oriented mode promises the following features to make Apex Legends more competitive:

• “Reward competitive players for the time they invest in Apex Legends. We do this through a ranked ladder that shows how you stack up against the rest of the player base. Additionally, you will receive in-game rewards at the end of the season based on the rank you achieve.
• Ensure competitive integrity through skill-based matchmaking. No one can really say they’re the best if all they do is stomp n00bs in Skulltown, so matchmaking in Ranked Leagues is focused on putting players of similar skill in the same match. You won’t always be playing against players of your exact tier (Silver players may compete with Gold players, for instance) but it will be as close as possible for your region and time of day.
• Create a space at the top of the ladder for the best players to establish a high-skill meta without forcing a playstyle. We do this by rewarding match placement and kills, with some specific limits. After all, support or strategic players shouldn’t be rewarded less because they’re not getting 15 kills a game. We’re approaching scoring with an even hand that ensures the focus is on winning above all else.
• Create a true measure of skill in Apex Legends. We’re starting out with a score-based ranked system (detailed in the Scoring section below), but we don’t intend for this to last forever. We’ll be watching Ranked players closely to see what determines success on the ladder, what types of players climb the quickest, and how the high-skill metagame plays out. Our goal is to take data from the launch of Ranked Leagues and adjust the system over time. So, players should expect seasonal soft-resets where your ranks get pushed back down for a new season, as well as changes to the scoring system, matchmaking system, and ultimately the ranked format entirely over the course of future seasons.”

Respawn has divided Ranked Mode into six tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and the much coveted Apex Predator. Each tier (except for Apex Predator) is further divided into four divisions, with IV being the lowest ranked and I being the highest.

How Can Players Play Ranked Mode?

The most surprising feature of this Ranked mode is players have to spend the points players accumulate during matches used to determine one’s rank – Ranked Points (RP) – in order to play Ranked matches above Bronze. (Bronze matches are completely free to play.) All players will start in Bronze. By simply playing Ranked matches, they will earn RP that determines their rank. Once players get into Silver and above, however, they must spend the points they earn to play in matches of that corresponding tier. RP costs for matches of each tier range from just 1 point per Silver match, all the way up to 5 points for Apex Predator.

Earning RP

Players earn RP by both playing in matches and getting kills. Each kill a player scores during a match will earn them 1 point, up to a maximum of 5 points (in other words, any kill past a player’s fifth kill during a match won’t earn any points). Placement in the match is the main way players will earn points. Simply placing Top 10 will earn players 2 RP, and obviously, the higher players place in a match, the more RP they earn. Placing first will earn each player on the winning team a cool 12 RP.

In the case of premade parties, the party will participate in the tier of the highest-ranked player, but each player will only have to pay RP for their corresponding tier. And of course, there are rewards. It wouldn’t be a proper Ranked mode without rewards for those who achieve the best. Mere bragging rights aren’t enough these days! There will be at the very least weapon cosmetics for those who place in Gold tier or above. Respawn Entertainment hasn’t revealed what the specific rewards will be yet, but we’re sure they’ll be worth it.

Rank It Up!

The addition of a Ranked mode for Apex Legends is nothing short of awesome considering how there’s already an esports scene around the game. This will further cement the competitive nature of Apex Legends. However, a few details caught us by surprise. For one thing, the cap for earning RP via kills is a shock, as it might encourage players to avoid confrontations early in the game. This was a problem in Fortnite esports matches, where players wouldn’t engage each other until the final moments of the match, at which point the game would lag due to an insane amount of players confined in a small space.

Then again, the rules for future esports matches will most likely differ from the main game’s Ranked mode. Esports is of a caliber that is much different from everyday play. Regardless, this addition of a Ranked mode is a welcome one and will certainly spark interest in the game again once Season 02 comes out on July 2!