Apex Legends Competitive Scene Undergoes Massive Shake-Up with Removal of Dropship and Introduction of POI Draft

Professional play in the Apex Legends competitive scene isn’t new to controversies, with the most recent hack events undoubtedly leaving a trail often behind. The game company Electronic Arts (EA) revealed recently envisioned serious amendments in action for Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) including the holding of the Dropship stage and the coming of Performance-Based POI Draft.

The dropship departure

EA took a decisive step to leave the Dropship mechanic in pro-game mode. The beginning of the match will consist of all teams appearing on the map at one of the 28 POIs, through either Skyfall or group spawn, instead of one team appearing from the sky at a time. This last turn from the tradition directs to drop randomness during Dropship lanes, so the cycle can be more controlled, keeping a strong strategy in match starts.

Performance-based POI draft

Simple but effective, this city revitalization plan heavily relies on the introduction of a Performance-Based POI Draft. It will be at the mercy of teams to spend the first-day draft doing the team landing locations in the Frontiers Cup and LAN events. This heptagonal political system will let teams draft by taking turns choosing their preference of positions (POI). This draft order must be given a performance-based weighting with LAN results and Regional Finals as criteria, thus ensuring that the best teams have an advantage in their final decisions regarding the pick order.

Fairness and skill testing

According to EA, the introduction of differentiation will bring about a level playing field and this type of fight will become a true test of skill for the fighters. In this way, the RNG factor that controls Drop shipping paths won’t count, and the skills of each player will be the resource to form a draft based on their performance. As a result, the competition is now more predictable and can be strategic. Moreover, EA will coordinate the draft with sporting sides as it is going to be held few weeks before the start of competitions to let sides choose their preferred POI and get enough time for practice.

Implications for competitive play

The revelation of these changes has significantly impacted the community of Apex Legends, thereby generating talks over the possible effects that involve competitive strategies and team dynamics. However, the lack of the Dropship will force diverse adaptations, and remember to read carefully the map. It should also be noted that the incorporation of the POI draft system adds an extra level of complexity, which now demands from the teams a lot of thinking before they make their selection of the options based on the strengths and objectives.

Rollout and community response

EA has scheduled the release of these changes alongside the July 2 Regular Season of the ALGS Year 4 Pro League. The community is now excited as these amendments are about to be completed to see what the competitive field will be. Though some of the players and teams would look at the evolution of the game as the chance for some cognitive revolution, others would rather look at it as the phase of difficulty and adaptation.

A new Apex Legends competitive play season commencing soon will feature breaks from the past standards, as a Dropship is taken away and an advanced POI Draft system by Performance is introduced. As EA strives to build a more regulated and organized environment for intense gaming, the enthusiasts along with all the community members are impatiently waiting for the rollout of the changes and their actual effect on ALGS. The possibility of transforming the tactical, strategic, and skills-testing nature of Apex Legends eSports takes place and a new era in eSports is coming.