Apex Legends Season 19: Ignite is packed to the brim with new content, from long-awaited features like cross-progression to one of the biggest map reworks Respawn has ever undertaken, easily making it one of the biggest updates to the game in recent memory. On top of that, Ranked Mode is also being reworked (again), and a brand-new legend is joining the squad, sporting some Titanfall-inspired abilities.

But the standard features of a new Apex Legends season (new legend, new battle pass, new map POIs) combined with all of the additional changes Respawn is making to the game this season can make it easy to lose track of things, so we’ve put together a list of all the most important changes and additions to the game. Keep reading for bite-sized breakdown of all the features that will be coming to Apex Legends when Season 19: Ignite goes live.

When does Season 19 start?

Apex Legends Season 19: Ignite launches on Tuesday, October 31 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET

What maps will be in rotation during Season 19?

Respawn devs confirmed during pre-season previews that Broken Moon, Olympus, and Storm Point will be in rotation for all battle royale matches–both in Ranked Mode and the game’s significantly less-sweaty public lobbies. Typically, Ranked Mode has a separate set of maps in rotation, but it seems that will not be the case for Season 19.

Cross-progression cometh

The prayers of many players were answered with the announcement that cross-progression is coming to Apex Legends. The feature will go live alongside the launch of the season itself, so players can merge their accounts starting on October 31.

Respawn confirmed to GameSpot that there will be « no refunds » or additional rewards (Crafting Metals, Heirloom Shards, etc.) given to players as a result of account-merging. If, for instance, you have Revenant’s Mythic-tier Apex Nightmare Prestige Skin Set on both your PlayStation account and your PC account, you will not receive a set of Heirloom Shards to make up for buying the same Heirloom twice. The same goes for non-Mythic items that may have been purchased via the in-game store or a Collection Event–if a player has the same Legendary skin on two separate accounts, they will obviously still have access to that skin, but they will not be given a partial refund for buying it twice.

All cosmetics will be merged, however. If you mainly play on Xbox, but own a few skins you’re especially fond of on your PlayStation account, don’t worry–once you merge accounts, every skin you own on either account will be available no matter what platform you play on.

Stats, however, are another story. During previews, developers explained that stats like kill counts will not be merged. Instead, whichever platform is home to a player’s most-used account will determine which stats are shown. If a player has 10,000 Wraith kills on PC and 1,500 on Xbox, merging their account will not result in a combined kill count of 11,500–Wraith’s stats will still show 10,000 kills.

New legend: Conduit

Conduit was introduced to players via a new episode of Stories From The Outlands, which depicted a massive battle taking place at the settlement she and her older sister called home. The settlement was saved by the sacrifice of a Pilot operating a Monarch Titan. Years later, Conduit’s sister took on a risky job in a bid to keep a roof over their heads, but was involved in a workplace accident that saw her arm crushed by heavy machinery, leaving her severely injured.

After seeing her injured sister sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing as she looked over a large number of unpaid bills, Conduit decided to take matters into her own hands. That evening, she snuck out to visit the site of the Monarch Pilot’s sacrifice, eventually reaching out to touch the remains of the battery the Pilot used to destroy the enemy Titans. Similar to Valkyrie, Conduit repurposed the fallen Titan’s remains to create her own battle gear, and left home to join the Apex Games.

Conduit is a Support-class legend, and can access additional healing items via the hidden compartment inside the blue Extended Supply Bins scattered across the game’s various maps. She can also craft fallen squadmates’ Banner Cards at Replicators–even if a squad member’s respawn timer has run out.

As for her skills on the field, Conduit’s abilities are detailed below:

Passive: Savior’s Speed

When running toward a squadmate who is out of tactical range, Conduit gains a temporary speed boost.

Tactical: Radiant Transfer

Conduit can send a surge of protective energy to a nearby teammate, which will temporarily repair both party’s shields. The effect is short-lived, but it certainly seems like it could come in handy in a pinch.

Ultimate: Energy Barricade

Conduit deploys an array of shield-jamming devices that damage enemies and limit their ability to move.

Ranked reworked

Respawn has chosen to remove the temporary skydive trails players were previously given as a reward for reaching certain ranks, replacing them with permanent seasonal banner frames instead. But there is a much bigger change coming to Ranked Mode this season: Promo Trials, individual challenges players must complete before they can be promoted to the next rank. Promo Trials will not be active during provisional placement matches, but once players find their footing at the beginning of the season, they’ll need more than just Ranked Points (RP) to rank up.

Once players reach the top of their current rank, a Promo Trial will appear, tasking players with completing a specific challenge, like getting a certain amount of damage, kills, or wins. Players will have five matches to complete the Promo Trial. If they succeed, they’ll be promoted to the next rank. Should they fail, they’ll be bumped down a few points and will have to work their way back up to the next rank and try to complete the Promo Trial once again–but the second time, they’ll have six matches to try and complete the Promo Trial.

Each failure to complete a Promo Trial will give players an additional match in which they can attempt to complete the challenge, with a maximum limit of 10 matches available per Promo Trial. The Promo Trial for each individual rank will always be the same, so players won’t have to worry about climbing back up to the top only to be met with a different challenge from the one they just failed.

During previews, Respawn said their main goal with the addition of Promo Trials is to reward players who hop into the action and cut down on the amount of ratting taking place, especially within lower ranks.

Another massive change to Ranked Mode is the removal of party restrictions. Previously, players could not squad up with friends who had reached significantly lower or higher ranks. As on Season 19, that is no longer the case. If a Predator wants to drag their Bronze-tier BFF into a Ranked Mode match, the game will no longer prevent this.

Matchmaking tweaks

Though details are sparse, Respawn did confirm that players would be seeing some tweaks to the matchmaking system in non-Ranked battle royale matches. These changes will not take effect immediately, but will instead be spread out over the course of the next few seasons. Ultimately, it seems their goal is to make Ranked Mode more appealing to extremely competitive players, while making standard public matches a little less sweaty for new players (or those who are simply looking for a slightly less intense experience in standard battle royale matches).

Storm Point’s sunny skies

Storm Point’s titular storm has finally ended, and the cleanup process has begun. New POIs–including a Wattson-themed area–have been added to the map, and some structural changes have been implemented to make rotations easier and give the sprawling map a slightly more connected feel. Effort has also been made to address « loot deserts, » where players can run for what feels like ages without ever coming across a Supply Bin or some floor loot.

The most noticeable change, of course, is the skybox. Gone are the foreboding storm clouds that once surrounded the map. They’ve instead been replaced with bright pink clouds reminiscent of cotton candy, and players will also notice brightly colored rainbows arcing through the sky.

Particularly eagle-eyed players may also notice some environmental storytelling scattered around the map, especially in and around Wattson’s POI, called Pylon. Wattson is working with the Syndicate to try and clean up the aftermath of the storm, with the ultimate goal of restoring Suotamo’s power grid, which was knocked out by the massive tropical storm. Suotamo is Crypto’s hometown, and given the blossoming romance she appears to share with Crypto, it’s no surprise that she’d feel compelled to help out with repairing Suotamo’s power grid.

During previews, Respawn also mentioned the addition of a few Easter eggs in the area, including a new Nessie plush hidden somewhere within the Pylon POI, in addition to some environmental set pieces that may hint at « the Syndicate’s true plans for Suotamo. »

From the sound of things, it’s possible that Wattson’s well-meaning cleanup efforts may, in fact, be playing right into the Syndicate’s nefarious plans.

Kill Code continues

First introduced in Season 18, the Kill Code animated series will continue through the rest of this year, and Respawn has confirmed a new episode is on the way. The story is currently following the conflict between Revenant and Loba as they attempt to locate the undead assassin’s source code. The legends are currently attempting to figure out how newly appointed Syndicate leader Torres « Duardo » Silva got his hands on Revenant’s source code, how he managed to heavily alter the robotic legend’s abilities, and most importantly, what he wants with Revenant to begin with.

In addition to Loba and Revenant, the series has mainly focused on the actions of Lifeline, Mad Maggie, Valkyrie, and Crypto, so it will be interesting to see if Conduit (or any of the other legends) will play a part in upcoming episodes.

Other changes

Though patch notes have not yet been released, Respawn has confirmed some overall gameplay changes. One big game-changer is the addition of a weapon to all Care Packages–even those that occur in the first round of a match. This will likely make players more willing to risk approaching these useful loot drops earlier in a match, rather than waiting until they’ve geared up enough to ensure they can handle an ambush from an enemy squad.

As for individual legends, Wraith’s Voices From The Void passive ability has been refined, with Respawn confirming players should no longer be alerted that an enemy is near them while they’re already in the process of looting that enemy’s deathbox.

Respawn has also announced some changes to the « can’t see sh*t meta, » as balance director John Larson described it. Some legends with abilities that can blind other players, prevent scans, or otherwise obscure their squad from view will play a little differently in Season 19.

Catalyst seems to be receiving the most tweaks to her kit this season, and Respawn has confirmed her Piercing Spikes tactical ability will be nerfed in Season 19, with its throwing range slightly decreased. Additionally, the lifespan of her massive, scan-proof Dark Veil ultimate ability will also be reduced.

Stay tuned for more Apex Legends news, and be sure to finish up any remaining battle pass levels and collect all free limited-time event rewards before Apex Legends Season 19: Ignite goes live on October 31.