When is Solos returning to Apex Legends?

It’s hard to believe that Apex Legends is three years old. In those three years, players have been treated to a variety of modes that stretched the core tenants of battle royale in new and interesting ways, from the ring flares of the Chaos Theory event to the self-heal zones of Flashpoint during the Aftermarket event (which is making a return in the upcoming Unshackled event).

One limited-time mode that players have consistently asked to see again is Solos. As the name implies, Solos allowed players to take on the game’s battle royale by themselves. The appeal is obvious: no annoying squadmates slurping up your ammo and no teammates quitting the match as soon as they’re downed means fewer distractions on your way to the top.

Solos hasn’t been seen in Apex in a long time, making many players wonder if the mode will ever make a triumphant return.

Will Solos ever come back?

Developer Respawn introduced Apex’s solo mode with the launch of the Iron Crown Collection event in August 2019. It was an instant hit across the game’s fan base. The mode wasn’t without its flaws, however, and many fans realized the benefits of teaming up with each other to gain advantages over their opponents, which defeated the purpose of going solo.

Following the rise of these “teamers,” Respawn said that the company remained undecided on whether the game mode would be a permanent addition to the game or just another event-exclusive game mode. In the 1.16 patch notes, the Apex developer mentioned that it was collecting feedback and monitoring “healthy matchmaking” before deciding if the game mode would return.  

But unfortunately for fans of the solo mode, it’s unlikely the single-player format will be brought back to the game—not permanently, at least.

In the patch notes for The Old Ways event, Respawn said that Solos doesn’t fit the company’s vision for the game and that it hindered Apex’s intended playstyle.

“When we introduced Solos as a limited-time mode last year we saw it actually negatively impacted the game, especially when it came to new player retention,” Respawn said. “We’ve also purposely designed Legends and their abilities to compliment teamplay and squad composition, but when played Solo some Legend abilities become useless.”

Solos’ return isn’t completely off the table, however. Respawn said it’s “still exploring” ways to bring the mode back, but it won’t be available anytime soon. As of season 12, Solos hasn’t been in the game since that initial Iron Crown event, so it appears as though the company has yet to come to a definitive decision on its inclusion.

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