Apex Legends’ Ranked Rework Needs To Fix More Than Demotion

thegamer.com:

I’ve called for ranked demotion in competitive video games and ranked modes for months. Literally months. Admittedly I’ve thought it for much longer, but I never put it into words before this instance. Thankfully, Apex Legends Season 13 finally looks to be adding demotion in ranked, but the mode needs a much bigger rework to be a successful reboot.

“Rise and fall through the Ranks together in a reworked Ranked system that rewards teamwork and skill,” reads the Apex Legends website. It’s the “fall” that people have focused on, for obvious reasons.

Related: What Not To Expect At The Apex Legends ALGS Playoffs

I’ve gone into the details of why ranked demotion is important before, but basically it hinders both good players and bad players. It’s no fun shitting on n00bs who are stuck at the bottom of Diamond when you’re an Apex Predator, and the same goes for players who rank up to Diamond - or basically any other rank - and find they’re suddenly outclassed. You might eventually improve just by pure grinding and determination, but it won’t be fun while you do. However, Apex Legends needs to change more than just demotion if it wants its ranked mode to be a success.

The first and most important change is to Kill Points. This is how you progress up and down the ranks, and the current system rewards you for getting kills and assists by assigning points based on the rank of your defeated opponent. This is fine, but it arguably discourages teamwork, and actively encourages running straight into fights without thinking of wider positioning or looking to win the match. Kills or gtfo.

For me, the point of a battle royale is winning. Beating 57 opponents to see the ‘Champions’ screen, getting a Victory Royale, chowing down on a