The vibes weren’t overwhelmingly positive in the Apex Legends community following the release of the season 15 patch notes, to say the least. Many pros and top content creators were very vocal about their displeasure that there would be no changes to the game’s ranked system, which they felt had made the game stale and bloated the upper ranks. More casual players didn’t love the fact that there were absolutely no legend changes, in addition to having yet another season with no new weapon.
But despite several streamers and players becoming so discouraged with the game’s state at the end of last season that many abandoned it entirely for Overwatch 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, launch day for season 15 brought quite a different reaction amidst the community.
Eclipse launched with a new map and legend, and despite no other major new pieces of content coming to the game with season 15, many players have given the new season glowing reviews. The new map and its rail system coupled with players figuring out the intricacies of new legend Catalyst’s abilities have made for a compelling combination.
This was true of players who are primarily content creators and also some of the game’s biggest pros. While TSM’s Reps and Verhulst were discussing various plays they could pull off with Catalyst, ImperialHal answered a question from his chat, mentioning how much he liked the new Broken Moon map.
It also helps that many people love Catalyst’s design and the cosmetics that have come to the game along with her. Many players felt a lack of incentive to grind through last season’s battle pass or try to unlock more cosmetics simply because the designs available for skins weren’t very popular with many players.
The Eclipse battle pass and Catalyst’s cosmetics, on the other hand, seem to be a very different story, with players mentioning just how much they like many of the new offerings.
It’s still very early to tell just how the community at large will settle into Broken Moon and if the new season will maintain its popularity when the honeymoon period of season 15 begins to wear off in the coming weeks and months. But for a community that had been looking at the game with apathy at best over the last couple of months, the beginning of season 15 seems to be just what the doctor ordered.