Season 31 of Apex Legends, Cipher, begins on November 3, 2026. The patch notes do not specify a launch time. The season introduces Legend ban voting in Diamond-ranked matches and above, capturable Strongholds, and weapon and Legend adjustments.
The official patch notes published on Steam also cover changes to Ranked entry costs, map rotations and care package weapons.
Ranked Legend bans and entry costs
Starting with Cipher, players in Diamond-ranked matches and above can vote to ban Legends from selection in each match. A ban may prevent a team from choosing a familiar lineup, making the vote relevant before Legend selection begins.
At the start of the season, entry costs for mixed-rank matches will also be adjusted when a player’s rank is too far from the lobby’s median rank. The notes do not specify the thresholds for that adjustment.
Storm Point, E-District Night and Broken Moon are included in the announced map rotations for public and Ranked matches.
Capture a Stronghold for loot and levels
A Stronghold drops as round two closes. A team captures it by controlling the surrounding area: progress advances when only one living team is inside, but becomes contested when multiple teams are present.
Having multiple teammates in the area speeds up capture. Once it is complete, every living member of the capturing team gains one level. The Stronghold also contains a care package weapon and 3 gold weapons.
The Wingman switches to heavy ammo
The Wingman replaces sniper ammo and magazines with their heavy counterparts. Its base damage also falls from 50 to 45, so players using the pistol will need a different type of ammunition and magazine.
Picking up a second Wingman automatically activates Akimbo mode. Magazine size doubles, but recoil increases and reloading takes longer.
The care package rotation changes as well: the L-STAR returns to ground loot, while the Akimbo Mozambique moves into care packages.
Lifeline’s cooldown falls as Loba’s increase
Lifeline’s tactical cooldown drops from 25 to 15 seconds, and D.O.C. heals her while she glides. The shorter cooldown lets her use the tactical ability again sooner.
Loba’s tactical cooldown rises from 25 to 30 seconds, while her ultimate cooldown increases from 120 to 150 seconds. Both abilities will take longer to become available again.
See also the Apex Legends game page and our article on Apex Legends: an AMD driver announced on October 20 to address.
