Apex Legends Season 17 - Release date, new legend, patch notes, and more

Apex Legends Season 17 is in full swing. The latest Apex Legends update introduced plenty of new content in addition to major changes to various aspects of Respawn Entertainment's battle royale.

Before the new season started, Respawn Entertainment continued to share plenty of intel on what to expect. Ranging from huge ranked play changes to the arrival of weapon mastery, Season 17 is one of the largest Apex Legends updates to arrive in recent months.

Before we take a closer look at what Apex Legends Season 17 has up its sleeve, check out our Apex Legends tier list highlighting the best legends to use.

Apex Legends Season 17 release date

Apex Legends Season 17 launched on May 9, 2023. Usually, the new season kicks off as soon as the battle pass timer reaches zero, meaning you can jump straight into the action as soon as your download has finished.

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New Legend in Apex Legends Season 17

Apex Legends Season 17 introduced a new Legend in the form of Ballistic. This hero has some interesting abilities, and those who want to deal damage to their opponents and buff teammates will definitely like the new character’s arsenal. Here’s everything we know so far about his skills:

• The Sling (Passive) - Allows Ballistic to carry one additional weapon, which you can access at any time. You won’t be able to attach any upgrades to this gun, and this feature makes it less useful. So, as a third weapon, we don't recommend sniper rifles or other guns that require at least a normal scope.
• The Whistler (Tactical) - Ballistic fires a special bullet that debuffs your enemy. This causes the weapons of the affected Legend to generate a lot of heat. If this player tries to shoot and accidentally overheats the weapon, then the character will take massive damage. Also, you can hold the button to lock the skill on a certain target.
• The Tempest (Ultimate) - Provides nearby allies with a powerful buff. It increases reload speed and unarmed movement speed. Also, the weapons of your teammates get unlimited ammo. As for Ballistic himself, his sling weapon upgrades to Gold.

Ballistic is a versatile character that makes his teammates stronger and prevents enemies from using their weapons. Also, he can carry an additional gun, which will help him deal with any situation.

Apex Legends weapon mastery

Another major addition in Season 17 comes in the form of weapon mastery. The new progression tree gives each weapon in the arsenal a level. Score kills and deal damage to increase the level in order to unlock trials which feature an objective to complete.

If you manage to complete it, you'll get your hands on some exclusive rewards ranging from banner frames to weapon skins.

Apex Legends Season 17 patch notes

The Apex Legends Season 17 patch notes contain a wealth of changes to various aspects of the battle royale. Multiple Legends have received balancing changes in addition to the weapon arsenal in a bid to spice up the meta even further.

For a closer look at the Apex Legends Season 17 patch notes, check out our guide for all the changes arriving as part of the update.

Season 17 will be released soon enough and hopefully, you’re ready for some new content! If you are looking for more content like this, feel free to check out our Apex Legends weapon tier list.

If you are looking for more on the game, feel free to read our guide on how to wall jump in Apex Legends. We also have an article on how to change language in Apex Legends.