Following three seasons of competitive mayhem, Apex Legends is poised to go into its fourth season in just a couple of days.
Every season of Apex Legends so far has gifted us a new character as the main attraction, but a new weapon usually accompanies these additions and can shake up the meta providing they fill a particular niche.
With Season 3, we saw the introduction of a new character and map, but it's safe to say, Season 4 may be their most ambitious season yet.
WATCH NOW: MAP UPDATES, NEW CHARACTERS IN SEASON 4
We've already heard a bit about what to expect from Season 4, especially the rumours about a new weapon called The Volt, so we’ve put it all into this piece for your convenience.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
Respawn tease a new weapon
For Season 4, set to start on February 4, it's expected that Respawn will finally add a new SMG. This was actually speculated for Season 3 as well, but of course, the Charge Rifle took its place.
We’ve seen a host of new weapons get introduced in previous seasons, and so far each additional weapon has been met with a mixed response.
The L-Star is still only available in care packages (much to the confusion of players who don’t rate the gun), and the Charge Rifle was quickly nerfed after it was added at the launch of Season 3.
That said, a host of new hints and leaks have recently surfaced, suggesting that the new weapon introduced in Season 4 will be the Volt SMG.
The first clue actually came from the game’s developers themselves.
In the patch notes for the event, Respawn explained how they removed extended energy mags because of “something” coming in Season 4.
Logically, this “something” points towards a new energy weapon – which could be the Volt.
Leaked game files for the Volt
The Volt was a powerful SMG in the Titanfall series, and would certainly be a big shakeup to the current meta.
Besides the small nudge from Respawn, there are leaks from the actual game files that point towards the addition of a new SMG.
A renowned data miner that goes by That1MiningGuy has been digging away through the files following the update, and has come across some interesting changes.
The leaker explains that files previously codenamed 'Hemlok_SMG' are now being renamed officially – to "smg_volt".
We already know what the Volt will look like thanks to That1MiningGuy leaking these models back in 2019, but it is nice to see some additional evidence.
We first thought the Volt would drop in Season 3 (thanks to this initial design leak), but we saw the Charge Rifle instead.
The R-99 still reigns superior in the SMG category, but hopefully the Volt will give it a run for its money.
We'll have to wait until Season 4 is officially here to find out though, but with it dropping in early February, there isn’t very long left!
Check out our other piece for everything you need to know about Apex Legends Season 4, and stay tuned for our updates.
PAGE 2: NEW CHARACTER REVENANT RELEASE DATE
Written ByJulian Sims