If you think you’re ready to challenge the best Apex players out there in a battle of skill, game knowledge, and straight shooting, then public lobbies might not be doing it for you. For a more competitive experience during Season 19: Ignite, however, you can jump into Apex Legends’ Ranked mode.
Climbing the Apex Legends ranks is easier said than done, however, and if you want to become an Apex Predator, you’ll need to put in the hours and dedicate yourself to the grind. But the rewards are great. Entirely cosmetic, of course, but great nonetheless, and there are some new ones in store in the latest season.
Apex Legends’ ranked mode follows the same seasons as the regular game, so you’ve got a limited time to make your mark in the battle royale. The highly competitive mode is considered the pinnacle of Apex Legends gameplay – excluding esports like the Apex Legends Global Series, that is – so achieving a high rank is a mark of honour in the community.
That being said, it can be a little confusing at first, so we’ve broken it down for anyone who’s new to the mode, or if you want to check what’s changed in a new ranked season. If you want to keep track of what map is currently in rotation, we have a full guide of Season 19 map rotations.
But without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Apex Legends Ranked in Season 19:
- Read more: Make sure you grab one of Apex Legends' best guns to help your grind
Apex Legends Season 19 Ranked changes
With Season 18 coming to a finish, Respawn Entertainment has shared some of the changes arriving with the new season. The main changes are as follows:
- Promotional Trials have been added to the Ranked process to help keep players from achieving ranks they did not properly earn.
- Ladder Points for the last season were quite tough to earn, and so with Season 19, the LP earned from games will see an increase depending on skill, kills, and wins.
Apex Legends Ranked has been under scrutiny since Respawn made major changes in Season 13 and has since been tinkering with the process. One of the major issues in recent seasons has been ratting - where players find a nice quiet corner to plot up in and don't engage in any fighting at all, depending on the points gained from placement instead.
Promotional Trials in Apex Legends Ranked in Season 19
To combat these issues, Apex Legends has brought in some exciting changes to Ranked in Season 19, namely the introduction of Promotional Trials. This new feature is intended to stop players from gaining access to ranks they don't actually belong in.
So in order to rank up from each division, for example from Silver 1 to Gold 4, players will need to take part in the Promotional Trials to do so. These trials consist of 2 challenges, and once one has been achieved, they will be promoted to their new Ranked division. The challenges are:
- Win 1 match
OR
- Place in the top 10 for 3 matches, and get 3 kills or assists in each of these games
Players will have 5 matches to complete these trials, and upon failure, will derank. When they climb back up to the Promotional Trials, they'll now have 6 games to complete the challenges, and so on, up to a cap of 10 games.
As with anything new, it's sure to be quite a learning curve for both new players and seasoned veterans, and we're excited to see how the season plays out.
Apex Legends Season 19 Ranked party restrictions
Another huge change coming to Ranked, one we've not seen before, is the lifting of the party restrictions. This means that anyone, regardless of their current and previous ranks, will be able to squad up together. So your buddy who hasn't played in a while and is defaulted to Bronze, can squad up with you in your Diamond lobbies if you so wish.
It'd be quite the trial by fire, but if they're an old Pred, it means you can utilise their skill in your lobbies, now.
Apex Legends Season 18 Ranked rewards
There’s more at stake than just pride, however. In every Apex Legends Ranked season, players are given rewards based on how they perform. But in Season 19, gone are the dive trails from seasons past. Now that we've seen dive trails added to mythic skins, such as that of Valkyrie's, we were left wondering what the reward would be for Ranked in Season 19.
So the new rewards coming to Ranked in Season 19 are that of an animated banner frame showcasing your rank. These frames last indefinitely, so rather than only having the following season to fly your colours, you'll be able to rock your Ranked rewards for the rest of time across multiple different legends.
Does Apex Legends Ranked have a reset?
No, Apex Legends Ranked no longer contains a mid-season ranked reset, meaning your rank will last for the entire season, and the map rotation in Season 19 will remain the same for the duration. Ranks will only reset once a new season goes live.
But there you have it, that's all there is to know about Apex Legends ranked in Season 19. For more, check out our Apex Legends page for all the latest news, leaks, and guides, and we also take a look at the "can't see sh*t meta" that's being adjusted in the new season, as well as the new legend, Conduit.