Changes Announced for Apex Legends Seasons 31 and 32: Character Ban System and New Ranks

Season 31

Character Bans

• Matches at the Diamond rank and above now feature a special phase—the ban phase—during which each player can select one character to potentially exclude from the match.
• Once all players have made their selection (or after the allotted time has elapsed), the probability of each selected character being banned from the current match will be displayed. This probability depends on the total number of votes cast for a character: the more votes, the higher the chance that the character will be banned.
• The system randomly determines which specific characters will be banned based on these probabilities. This is followed by the character selection phase, during which the banned heroes become unavailable to all players.

Adjustment to the Point System

• For each ranked lobby, the lobby’s rank level will be displayed—the median rank of all squads present. If a squad’s rank differs from the lobby’s rank level by 2 or more tiers (in either direction), the match entry cost for that squad will be adjusted.
• If your squad is 2 or more rank levels below the lobby’s rank level, such a match will be considered a “challenge” for you, and the entry cost will be reduced.
• We’ll also analyze how much the entry cost needs to be adjusted to reward those who succeed despite challenging conditions, while preventing excessive boosting for squads capable of easily dominating the entire lobby.

Simplified Access to Ranked Games

• The “Path to Ranked Games” trials will be removed; now, as before, reaching account level 20 will be the only requirement to access ranked mode.

Rank Protection

• The demotion protection is activated if a single unsuccessful match could result in a rank drop—for example, in a “Goliath” match, where the entry fee is higher.
• During this period, you receive three protection shields. If you lose enough ranking points that you would otherwise be demoted, one shield is consumed.
• You will only be demoted once all shields have been used up. The protection is disabled if you earn enough points to eliminate the risk of demotion based on a single match, or if you use up all your shields and are still demoted to a lower rank.

Season 32

New Titles

• The “Newcomer” rank comes with many special rules that aren’t actually necessary in the Open League. As a result, we’ve replaced “Newcomer” with “Iron,” which is considered the standard rank for all players.

• The Emerald rank is new and sits between Platinum and Diamond. It serves as a new threshold between the Open League and the Pro-Am League. It will feature 4 divisions, a new badge design, and will be added to Auras to ensure visibility both in and out of matches.
• The Emerald rank is intended to help eliminate the bottlenecks many players face when climbing to Diamond.

• Grandmaster will sit at the very top of the ranking ladder. This is the tier for the best of the best.
• To earn the “Predator” badge, you must finish the season among the top 750 highest-ranked players in the Grandmaster league.

Open League

• The Open League is where players competing to qualify for the Pro-Am League compete. All matches begin aboard a transport ship.
• With the introduction of the “Emerald” rank, the rating points required for promotion will be revised.

Pro-Am League

• The Pro-Am League includes the “Diamond,” “Master,” and “Grandmaster” ranks.
• The “Master” rank now has 4 divisions—this underscores the level of effort required to reach the “Grandmaster” level.
• It is specifically in Pro-Am league matches that the drop zone selection and character ban system have been implemented.

Changes to Ranked Match Rewards

• New seasonal auras;
• New ways to use auras;
• Revised jump trail system;
• Epic and Legendary Apex sets;
• Rank-up rewards—no need to wait until the end of the season.

Rating Point System

• By standardizing RP values and removing the multiplier that tied kills to placement, we expect the pace of matches to become more consistent, and players will begin to make more informed decisions about balancing eliminations with survival.

• You will receive the full amount of RP for every kill made by your team, regardless of your personal contribution.
• The concepts of “assist” and “participation in an elimination” are being removed from the system.

• We’ll make the entry cost adjustment system more flexible: it will now increase when moving between divisions, not just between ranks.
• A gradual increase in entry cost (by division) will make climbing the rank ladder more competitive. This will allow for a more accurate assessment of skill level by grouping players into narrower categories—not only by rank but also by division.

• In the Open and Pro-Am leagues, the value of kills and placement will differ.
• In the Open League, the main emphasis is on the number of kills. In the Pro-Am League, on the other hand, priority will be given to the placement achieved rather than the number of kills.

Leaderboard

• Starting with Season 32, weekly leaderboards will be removed. We’re undertaking a major reimagining of what temporary competitive formats might look like in Apex Legends.