Apex Legends Season 31 Cipher: Crypto Rework and New Weapons

Respawn Entertainment has unveiled Apex Legends: Cipher, the next season for its free-to-play battle royale, with a new Crypto rework, a dual-wielded Wingman variant, and a high-risk loot system called Strongholds replacing standard Care Packages. The reveal went up on EA's official Apex Legends newsroom on October 29, 2026, confirming changes to Ranked, two Legend buffs, and a new Mythic submachine gun.

01Crypto's Role Flips From Passive to Aggressive

The headline change is a full rework of Crypto. According to the patch notes, a "firmware upgrade from his sister Mila" shifts his kit from a cooldown-based scout to an always-on intel source. His Surveillance Drone now runs on batteries instead of a cooldown timer, so it can be picked up and redeployed on demand rather than waiting out a lockout. Once parked, the drone switches into a new Sentry Mode that automatically tags any enemy in its sightline for Crypto's whole squad. His EMP Ultimate also gets a quality-of-life change: it can now be fired with a single button press instead of a charge-and-release action.

Respawn frames the change as turning Crypto into his squad's "eyes and ears" for the length of a fight rather than a one-off scouting tool used before an engagement. Players who leaned on the drone purely as a recon gadget will want to relearn its timing, since the battery system changes how often it can realistically be redeployed inside a single circle.

02New Akimbo Wingman Joins the Arsenal

Season 31 also adds the Akimbo Wingman, a dual-wielded version of the classic revolver. The official notes describe it as a combination of precision and firepower, aimed at players who want a hard-hitting option that rewards aim over spray control. Respawn hasn't published full damage or fire-rate numbers for the dual-wield variant yet, so exact balance details remain unconfirmed until the full patch notes land.

03Strongholds Replace Care Packages

Care Packages are being retired in favor of Strongholds, described by Respawn as "the evolution of Care Packages" that bring high-tier loot in a far louder package. Raiding a Stronghold yields crate weapons, corrupted attachments, and EVO shield material for an entire squad, but opening one takes time and trips an alarm that broadcasts the raiding team's position to everyone nearby. Strongholds do spawn with cover and Hardlight barriers to help whoever is inside hold the position, turning each one into a small, contestable fight rather than a quiet pickup.

That alarm mechanic effectively turns loot collection into a risk calculation every squad has to make out loud: commit to the countdown and the fight that follows, or let another team ring the bell and try to third-party the aftermath.

04Ranked Adds Legend Bans in Diamond and Above

Ranked play gets a new wrinkle this season. In Diamond lobbies and above, every player casts one vote to ban a Legend from that match, and the more votes a specific Legend receives, the higher its chance of being banned outright. Respawn published a separate Ranked Roadmap for Seasons 31 and 32 alongside the Cipher reveal, so players climbing the ladder should expect their go-to Legend to occasionally be unavailable and will need a backup pick ready.

05Revenant and Lifeline Get Reworked Upgrades

Two existing Legends receive buffs this season. Revenant's Ultimate cooldown is shortened and his Tactical recharges faster, with new Upgrades that extend his Ultimate duration on every knock, silence nearby enemies after a Shadow Pounce, or automatically refresh Shadow Pounce while an enemy stays marked. Lifeline's D.O.C. drone cooldown drops, and she can now self-heal while gliding; her new Upgrades add an Ultimate cooldown reduction, a shield while reviving a teammate, and improved flight mobility. Together the changes push both Legends toward more aggressive, frontline play rather than their traditionally more passive support roles.

06Cryptic Core: A New Mythic Volt SMG

Season 31's chase item is the Cryptic Core, a Mythic-rarity Volt SMG themed around Crypto, complete with a built-in "PALS assistant" rendered in low-res pixel art. Exotic Shards let players reskin the gun with retro game-cartridge-style retheme options. The Cryptic Core is a possible drop in the season's Cipher Seasonal Packs, which Respawn notes are not available in every region. The same packs also carry new seasonal skins for Crypto, Wraith, Gibraltar, Revenant, and Horizon.

07What's Next: Kings Canyon Evolved in Early 2027

Alongside the Cipher reveal, Respawn used its ongoing "Road Ahead" check-in to confirm the next Major Map Update: a reworked version of the original Kings Canyon, dubbed Kings Canyon Evolved, arriving as part of Season 32 in early 2027. Respawn says the update will bring numerous new, remixed, and refreshed points of interest to the map rather than a ground-up redesign, though full details are still unconfirmed ahead of that season's own reveal.

Apex Legends: Cipher gameplay trailer, posted by Respawn alongside the October 29, 2026 season reveal.

Apex Legends remains free to play on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via the EA app, Epic Games Store, and Steam. Respawn has not published an exact calendar date for Cipher's launch in this reveal; check the official Apex Legends news page for the patch's go-live time once it's confirmed.