Apex Legends Season 20 Gameplay Trailer Shows Life After EVO Shields

Apex Legends Season 20: Breakout launches next week, and today, Respawn gave players a taste of what the future holds via a new gameplay trailer that shows off Apex’s surprising new shield system.

Although it will bring 100 new Legend-exclusive perks to the game, Apex’s new Legend Upgrades system will also see EVO Shields entirely removed from the loot pool. As of Season 20, EVO Shields will be replaced with Shield Cores, which only spawn in deathboxes, and may only provide players with temporary protection.

Previously, EVO Shields spawned on the floor and in Supply Bins, and getting your hands on high-tier body protection was somewhat random. With the launch of Breakout, body shields will be tied to each player’s “Legend Level,” which increases as they do damage and perform certain class-exclusive actions, like scanning Survey Beacons and ring Consoles.

When a player’s shield levels up from white to blue, they’ll be faced with a choice between two buffs that are unique to the Legend they’re playing and last until the end of the match. A choice between two more unique perks is presented when a Legend’s shield levels up from blue to purple, giving players a bit more flexibility when it comes to customizing their gameplay experience. The trailer featured a clip of Lifeline choosing a perk that allows her to revive herself after being downed.

The trailer also confirmed that another long-awaited feature will be hitting the game when Breakout goes live: a 120 FPS performance mode for console players.

Apex Legends Season 20: Breakout launches Tuesday, February 13. For more information on the new season, take a look at our behind-the-scenes chat with Apex Legends lead writer Ashley Reed.