Stack Your Legends and Respawn Faster: Apex Legends’ Wildcard Mode Is Here to Stay
Apex Legends Introduces Wildcard Mode – Stack Legends and Jump Into Fast-Paced Action
Apex Legends is shaking things up with its brand-new Wildcard mode, launching alongside Season 26: Showdown. This permanent game mode is all about quick, high-energy battles and giving players the chance to stack Legends in their squads. Curious about how it works? Let’s dive into the key details.
- Play with multiple copies of the same Legend in your squad
- Engage in faster fights on smaller maps with 30 players max
- Respawn system lets teammates come back as long as one player survives
- New Wildcards craftable mid-match with unique abilities like wall-running
- EVO Orbs speed up respawns and boost weapon and shield stats
- Arenas mode is temporarily removed to make room for Wildcard
Stack Your Favorite Legends and Craft Wildcards
One of the coolest features of Wildcard is the ability to have multiple players pick the same Legend on a squad. Imagine a team full of Mirages pulling off chaotic decoys — Mirage à trois, anyone? This adds a fresh twist to the usual Apex meta.
Additionally, during matches, you can craft Wildcards at Replicators. These give you handy perks like temporary wall-running, opening up new tactical options. Respawn teased this earlier with a scene in the Season 26 “Anthem trailer” showing Ash and Alter chasing each other along a building.
Smaller Maps, Faster Action, and Respawns That Keep You in the Game
Wildcard mode is played on smaller, modified maps with only 30 players instead of the usual 60. Matches start inside a much tighter ring, so you’re forced into quicker engagements and can expect more intense firefights.
Another big change is the respawn system, borrowed from the Revivals mode. As long as one teammate is alive, fallen squad members will automatically respawn after a short delay. This keeps the action flowing and reduces downtime.
EVO Orbs: The New Loot to Watch For
When you take down enemies, they drop EVO Orbs — spherical loot that you automatically pick up. These orbs do more than just speed up your respawn timer; they also level up your weapons, recharge your shields, and help regenerate your health and Ultimate ability faster. However, weapons still need to be looted from Death Boxes.
What About Arenas?
With Wildcard making its permanent debut, Respawn has decided to put the 3v3 Arenas mode on pause for now. Arenas was first introduced in Season 9, removed before Season 16, then brought back temporarily in Season 25. Respawn mentioned they gathered a lot of player data and plan to return Arenas in a future season — so don’t count it out just yet.
Get Ready for Season 26: Showdown
The new season and Wildcard mode launch on Tuesday, August 5, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. If you want to see Wildcard in action, check out the official gameplay trailer below and get hyped for the chaos ahead!
