The Apex Legends Season Cipher starts as early as next week: the new season begins on 3 November 2026, and Respawn and Electronic Arts will publish the full patch notes one day earlier on 2 November. The spotlight is on a reworked Crypto, the new Akimbo Wingman and loud loot vaults called Strongholds.

Season 31 is called Cipher and is all about information. The official tagline: the deadliest weapon isn't a gun, it's information. I think that fits a season that puts Crypto front and center, a Legend hardly anyone has been playing so far.

When does the Apex Legends Season Cipher start?

According to Respawn, the full patch notes will be released on 2 November 2026, and the season itself launches on 3 November 2026. That is stated at the end of the official designer's notes for patch 31.0. Respawn has not given an exact time yet. I will add the official time here as soon as there is one.

You can also find all the details on the official Apex Legends: Cipher season page. I am curious whether the patch notes will include further weapon changes, because the designer's notes explicitly only cover part of the adjustments. Concrete numbers for the Prowler and Nemesis in particular are still missing.

Crypto rework: less drone, more team

According to Respawn's designer's notes, Crypto has had a very low pick rate for several seasons. The problem: many Crypto players stay in their drone too long and are missing when their team needs them in a fight. That's why the Surveillance Drone now runs on a battery that lasts 25 seconds. Once it runs out, the drone recalls automatically.

In return, the drone now scans in a 360-degree radius instead of only where it's looking, and it marks enemies on its own. Marked enemies get an icon over their head for 8 seconds that is visible through walls. Doors and loot bins are no longer scanned. The speed boost when running toward teammates moves into the base kit, and the new Upgrades are longer marks (12 seconds) and Charged Up, which adds 10 seconds of battery.

The EMP Ultimate gets easier to use as well: one button press deploys the drone and triggers the EMP right away. Enemies without line of sight to the drone only take 50 shield damage and a slight slow, while enemies in view take full damage.

Akimbo Wingman and Strongholds

New to the arsenal is the Akimbo Wingman, the first new akimbo weapon since Season 22. Respawn calls it the game's first ever "burst" akimbo gun: one trigger pull fires both revolvers one right after the other. In exchange, the Elite Hemlok is vaulted and the Hemlok Burst AR returns. The Prowler and Nemesis are being nerfed.

Strongholds are a new type of Air Drop. One Stronghold drops per match in addition to the regular Care Packages. The vaults land locked, and if you want the loot inside, including Care Package weapons, Gold weapons, corrupted attachments and EVO, you have to hold the area around them. Doing so trips an alarm that tells everyone nearby where you are.

Buffs, nerfs and Legend Bans in Ranked

Revenant gets a shorter Ultimate (30 seconds less cooldown) and a quicker Tactical (5 seconds less). Lifeline now heals while gliding with D.O.C., and her Tactical cooldown drops by 10 seconds. Loba, on the other hand, is nerfed: her Tactical goes from 25 to 30 seconds and her Ultimate from 120 to 150 seconds.

Ranked adds Legend Bans in Diamond lobbies and above. Every player votes for one Legend, and the more votes a Legend gets, the higher the chance it is banned for that match. On top of that, there is a new Mythic Volt called Cryptic Core and the Cipher Battle Pass with nanotech skins.

Apex Legends Season Cipher gameplay trailer

Apex Legends is free to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (EA app, Epic and Steam). For Season 32, Respawn has already announced a major map update: Kings Canyon Evolved is set to arrive in early 2027. If you want to know how important Apex is to EA, read our news on EA's restructuring.