'Apex Legend' Season 3' Update Highlights Crypto's Main Strength And Weakness

Respawn Entertainment is adding another new gaming experience for its popular battle royale game, Apex Legends. The game developer this week announced the third season of Apex Legends, the game’s biggest update since its official launch. Season 3 brings new balance changes, new weapons, a new map and a new Legend named Crypto.

In a recent press event, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella and Apex Legends design director Chad Grenier shared some important information about the latest update. As promised earlier by Respawn, Season 3 bring a new recon-oriented hero Crypto and World’s Edge, the game’s first new map since launch.

According to reports, the brand new map World’s Edge will replace the current and old map, the Kings Canyon. This new map features two vastly different environments, a place where chemical ice and molten lava collide. There's snow-capped hills and mountains on one side of the map, while the other area of the map featured rugged rocky place with dangerous molten lava. The lava-filled area brings an environmental hazard and new challenges. The new map also features multi-story buildings and towers. For now, the World’s Edge will be the only map option across both ranked and regular matches.

The latest update also adds a new Charge Rifle, a distance-oriented energy weapon that fires a concentrated beam on target. This new weapon takes time to set up, but it can deliver a devastating blow if the player stays on target. This new sniper rifle is part of the standard loot pool. It can be found all over the new World’s Edge map. In addition to new Charge Rifle, Respawn is also adding a number of tweaks such as wider access to the Executioner perk, new weapon add-ons that reward more deliberate shooting and new kitted weapons.

But, the biggest addition this Season 3 is the new Legend named Crypto, which brings a new recon capability. The brand new playable character focuses primarily on pinpointing the enemy’s exact location using his drone. Crypto’s main strength includes a Surveillance Drone, which can scan and detect enemies of up to 30 meters away. The drone, which can be summoned and subject to a 40-second cooldown timer, can mark enemies, loot crates and open doors. It can also detect teammate’s respawn beacons, making it more useful in tough environment. The new Legend features a passive ability called Neurolink, which allows Crypto and his teammates to see targets marked by drone.

Unfortunately, Crypto’s drone has one huge drawback. While the Surveillance Drone is out, Crypto is immobile and defenseless, making him highly vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. This means that Crypto’s teammates will need to defend him. Crypto’s abilities are tied with his Surveillance Drone, which gives his team an eye and ear on the battlefield. Without his drone, Crypto is simply useless for the team.

Aside from drone, Crypto’s other big weapon includes an EMP Ultimate ability, which releases a terrifying EMP blast that can stun all characters, including Crypto, and damages all nearby enemies. The EMP blast can destroy traps and walls. It can also damage shields and even slow down players. This makes Crypto an excellent counter for Caustic and Wattson.

Looking ahead and beyond Season 4, players can still expect a number of new content in the coming months. Respawn Entertainment is already working on dozens of new Legends, new additions and cross-play features.