Apex Legends adds dual-wield Wingmans, loot bunkers and Lifeline's revive shield in season 31
Apex Legends players will be able to pick up a second Wingman pistol and dual-wield the pair when season 31, Cipher, begins on November 3. The update also adds airdropped Strongholds full of loot and brings back a version of Lifeline's revive shield as an upgrade.
Respawn's Cipher patch notes detail the trade-offs behind those additions. The new bunkers must be captured before they open, while the two-gun Wingman setup has more recoil and a longer reload.
The update also changes Crypto's drone and adjusts several other Legends and weapons. Separately, high-rank matches are set to get a Legend-banning system, but the Wingman and Stronghold changes affect the wider battle royale experience.
Strongholds contain valuable loot once a team captures them. Image: Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
How the new Akimbo Wingman works
Players enter Akimbo mode automatically when they loot a second Wingman. The pistols then fire one after the other in a quick burst, with further bursts available by holding the trigger. Their combined magazine is doubled and their fire rate increases slightly.
There are costs to that second weapon. Akimbo has a 1.25x headshot multiplier, increased recoil and a longer reload time. The Wingman also moves from sniper ammo and magazines to heavy ammo and heavy magazines, and its base damage falls from 50 to 45.
Look for the weapon in ground loot or at Heavy Arsenals. That ammo change is useful to remember when putting together a loadout, especially if you are used to the old sniper-ammo version.
Respawn compares Lifeline's upgrades in seasons 30 and 31. Image: Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
Strongholds reward squads that hold their ground
Strongholds are locked bunker-style structures that drop onto the map around the middle of a match. Teams must control the surrounding zone to make capture progress; if multiple teams are in the zone, progress is contested.
Once a team captures the structure, its doors and roof hatch open and each living member of the capturing team gains a level. Respawn says the loot includes one Care Package weapon, three gold guns, three Amps and two corrupted attachments. Players standing directly underneath a landing Stronghold can be crushed.
Lifeline and Crypto receive ability changes
Lifeline's tactical cooldown drops from 25 to 15 seconds, and her D.O.C. drone can heal her while she glides. At level three, a revive-shield upgrade lets D.O.C. deploy a shield during a revive.
Crypto's drone gains a battery that limits its active time to 25 seconds before recall, with redeployment available after recalling it. Respawn also describes a marking ability and changes to his EMP that allow the ultimate to trigger through a deployed drone. The complete patch notes include the full weapon, map and balance changes.
