Apex Legends Season 12: New Legends, Map Changes, New Modes

Apex Legends Season 12 is very nearly here, with a bunch of trailer and info teasing what is no doubt going to be another packed season for the battle royale. Apex Legends has went from strength to strength as it has only continued to expand its experience and player base. And now with the latest season just days away, we're here to cut through the noise to breakdown everything coming with Apex Legends season 12, including the new legend and mode, map changes and more. 

• Keen to play the game on different platforms? Check out our guide on Apex Legends cross-progression. 

Apex Legends Season 12: Release Date

Apex Legends season 12, titled Defiance, will launch on February 8, not long after the completion of the Apex Legends Dark Depths event.

As with the season that came before it, we expect season 12 to last around three months, with the usual sprinkling of events throughout the season.

Apex Legends Season 12: New Legend

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Apex Legends season 12 is introducing the games 20th legend in the form of Mad Maggie. A previous friend of Fuse, Mad Maggie has cropped up now and again in Apex lore, from Fuse's intro "Stories from the Outland" trailer, to the explosive and hostile host of the Apex Games during War Games event in season eight. Now it appears that Maggie's crimes have caught up with her, as she has been sentenced to death via the Apex Games, meaning she'll be having yet another run-in with her ol' pal Fusey. 

At this stage having seen the launch and gameplay trailers, we don't have a full on breakdown of Maggie's abilities, so a lot of this is speculation. However, it is clear to see that Mad Maggie features some kind of fiery throwable, which can attach to surfaces. We see it take down one of Rampart's shields in a matter of seconds in the gameplay trailer. Secondly, Maggie's ultimate appears to be a massive metal ball which can chase and knock down other legends. We can already see this being a favourite for aggressive players. 

• We still have our fingers crossed that the Apex Legends next-gen upgrade is on its way with season 12. 

Apex Legends Season 12: Changes To Olympus

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Each new season of Apex tends to come with its own host of changes, and while we will likely know more a little closer to the date, we already know of one big change. After its season 10 hiatus Olympus is back, but thanks to an attack blamed on Mad Maggie, it has been rebranded Sabotaged Olympus. This seems to have taken the form of structured anomalies offering new forms of cover across the map. 

Apex Legends Season 12: New Mode

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After the riotous success of the round-based PvP mode Arenas which was introduced in season nine, Respawn are ready to usher in another tradition PvP experience outside of the battle royale. Control will launch with Season 12 as a limited time mode, and essentially functions as a domination mode, where players fight for controlled sectors. It will include two teams of nine, a vast bump in numbers compared with the 3v3 of Arenas. 

This has some serious potential to be a mainstay of Apex Legends, and we can't imagine that when its limited-time finishes it will be gone for good. 9v9 PvP action with the fluidity of Apex first-person shooting and legend specific abilities just sounds wild and we can't wait to try it out, and show off our legends through the new legend ranking system specifically introduced for the mode. 

Apex Legends Season 12: Three-Year Anniversary Event

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On top of everything else that arrived with Apex Legends season 12, the game will also celebrate three years since launch. The anniversary event will run for three weeks, offering players rewards in the form of packs and free legends. In the first week, which starts on February 8, Octane will be free to any players that down own him along with three thematic packs. The following week offers up Wattson and the third Valkyrie. If you haven't got these characters already, it will save you a serious amount of grinding to scoop them up. Alongside the free legends and packs, it looks like fan-favourite skins will be making a return to the store, so keep an eye out so be sure not to miss them. 

Apex Legends Season 12: An All New Battle Pass

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As is customary with each new season, Apex Legends season 12 will come with a brand new battle pass, featuring skins for your favourite weapons and characters. We've still to get the specifics but we know that skins for Bloodhound, Loba, and Bangalore, along with weapon skins for the Hemlok assault rifle and CAR SMG are on their way. Players can also expect the usual assortment of music packs, loading screens, emotes and more. You can pick up the battle pass for 950 Apex coins, and if you complete the battle pass you will have enough coins to buy the next. 

That's everything we know about Apex Legends season 12 for now, but be sure to jump back into this article as we will be updating it on the runup to the big release. Until then check out our guide on Apex Legends Mobile which is already surprising a lot of sceptics.