After the recent announcement of Season 22 introducing two battle passes, Apex Legends’ Steam page has been bombarded with negative user reviews. Before the announcement, the game received around 150 to 300 negative reviews per day, alongside a similar number of positive reviews. However, the tide turned drastically following the news, with a staggering 35,035 negative reviews pouring in, plummeting the game’s July score to “overwhelmingly negative.” Only 1,997 of the reviews posted since July 8 are positive.
Since the launch of Season 1: Wild Frontier in March 2019, Apex Legends has adhered to a consistent formula for its battle passes, offering 110 levels of cosmetics and in-game currency for players to unlock after purchase. Initially priced at 950 Apex Coins ($9.50 USD), players could also opt to pay 2,800 AC ($28 USD) to unlock the first 25 levels automatically. However, with Season 22, Respawn has introduced a significant alteration to the battle pass system. Now, each season will feature two 60-level battle passes, with one releasing at the beginning of the season and the other at the midpoint.
In addition to the structural changes, there has been a shift in pricing as well. The new battle pass now costs $10 USD ($20 USD for the upgraded version), and players can no longer purchase battle passes with Apex Coins – a change that has irked many in the community. Previously, completing a battle pass rewarded players with enough Apex Coins to purchase the next season’s pass, effectively making it free for diligent players. However, with the removal of this feature, players now face a doubled cost per season, cannot use Apex Coins for pass acquisition, and must contend with 120 levels of content instead of 110.
Time Constraints and Player Investment
Another point of contention among players is the shortened timeframe for completing the battle pass content. With the introduction of two passes per season, players have roughly six weeks to unlock all 60 levels of each pass, as opposed to the previous three-month window. This change not only puts pressure on players to grind levels faster but also diminishes the sense of accomplishment and reward for long-time players who relied on free pass progression.
Many players have expressed their disappointment and frustration with the new battle pass system. One review from a player with over 1,500 hours in the game lamented, “”Buying the battle pass for free with the money from older ones is literally the only thing that makes you feel rewarded as an older player and they removed that from us.” This sentiment is echoed in the flood of negative reviews that have contributed to Apex Legends’ July score decline.
The recent changes to Apex Legends’ battle pass system have sparked significant backlash within the player community. The shift in structure, pricing, and timeline has left many feeling dissatisfied and undervalued, leading to a wave of negative feedback. It remains to be seen how Respawn will address these concerns and whether adjustments will be made to restore player trust and satisfaction in the game.
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