Apex Legends Experiments with Major Ranked Changes

Sure thing, here goes:

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So, Respawn did a thing. They’ve tweaked matchmaking in Apex Legends Ranked mode. You’ve got the Masters and Predator players—those elite folks—now held back from joining matches with squads below Diamond 1. Why? Who knows. Well, maybe to prep us for Season 26—and probably to shake things up a bit for the competitive scene in the months to come. Or maybe just because they can.

Ranked’s been the big draw for forever. A place where those die-hards climb to reach Predator tier, challenging themselves, reaching for glory. But, let’s be honest, it’s been a bumpy ride. Respawn keeps fiddling with the formula, trying and trying again. With Season 26 lurking, they’re bringing out a new plan. Supposedly to juice up the Apex experience.

Apparently, this plan limits top-tier players—not letting them crash lobbies with those lower than Diamond 1. This matchmaking test (oh, it’s a test) is happening everywhere. Respawn said it’s for “improving skill distribution in Ranked matches.” I mean, lower-ranked squads have moaned about uneven matches forever. So, maybe this works.

Anyway—no wait—there’s still a chance of encountering the big dogs below Diamond 1. Why? Respawn’s little tweet mentioned matchmaking will go by the highest-ranked player in a squad. So, yeah, that lone Diamond 1 player might drag their team into the lion’s den. And if this change works, things could look really different in Apex.

It’s fascinating to think about what this means for future matches. Will it stick around? Respawn said they wanted to play around with this at season’s end—keep the “healthy population” of high-rankers around. But here’s a downside: longer wait times for matches. Less pool, more wait—it’s like a messed-up grocery line on a Saturday. If things get too slow, they’ll cut it short, they hint, but no word on when that might be. Kinda annoying, but we’re in for the ride.

Here’s hoping this matchmaking experiment makes things better for everyone playing in these last bits of Season 25. New Ranked updates are teased for Season 26, so who knows if this change gets in there. Fingers crossed.

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How’d that work out for you?