Respawn Entertainment is introducing major changes to Apex Legends‘ gold backpack and gold knockdown shield items with season 14, including the complete removal of the latter’s self-resurrection ability.
The gold knockdown shield will remain in the game, the Apex design team says, but it will no longer give users the power to self-resurrect. Instead, it will have the Guardian Angel ability, which was previously on the gold backpack. Guardian Angel allows those who are holding it to revive downed squadmates with 50 additional health and shields, giving them an extra leg-up if they want to get back into the battle quickly. The developers said this means gold knockdown shields will pair well with legends like Lifeline and Newcastle.
As a result of this change, the gold backpack will no longer grant its holder Guardian Angel. Instead, it will come with an all-new ability called Deep Pockets. Deep Pockets allows users to stack an extra Shield Battery, Med Kit, or Phoenix Kit into each inventory slot, raising the maximum to three stacked Shield Batteries or Med Kits and two stacked Phoenix Kits per slot. The goal is to allow players with gold backpacks to carry extra potential healing items to help themselves and downed squadmates when they get into trouble in a different way than the old Guardian Angel.
Season 14 is arriving with a host of balance and item changes beyond these, including new weapon category classifications for the Wingman and the Spitfire, a buff to the EVA-8, the return of Skullpiercer Rifling and Double Tap, and the new laser sights attachment for SMGs and pistols. Larger changes include new legend Vantage, sweeping adjustments to Kings Canyon, and a much higher level cap for longtime players.
Apex season 14 starts on Aug. 9.
