Apex Legends Season 31 “Cipher” Brings Akimbo Wingman, Strongholds and Ranked Changes

2 Nov 2026 · 3 min read · ModsDrop

Official image from Apex Legends — Image: official, via Steam.

Respawn has detailed Season 31 of Apex Legends, called Cipher, which goes live on November 3rd. The patch notes cover a new dual-wielded weapon, a new airdrop structure, changes to how Ranked matches handle Legend picks and skill gaps, plus balance passes on Crypto, Lifeline and Revenant.

Akimbo Wingman changes the sidearm meta

The Wingman now comes in an Akimbo version, found in ground loot or at Heavy Arsenals. Looting a second Wingman automatically switches you into Akimbo mode. The ammo type has been swapped from Sniper Ammo to Heavy Ammo, so it now pulls from Heavy Magazines and Heavy Ammo Arsenals instead.

In Akimbo mode, base damage drops from 50 to 45 and the headshot multiplier falls to 1.25x, putting headshot damage at 56. Magazine size doubles, rate of fire ticks up slightly, and reload time and recoil both increase. Pulling the trigger fires a quick burst from each gun one after another, and holding the trigger lets you chain bursts together.

Strongholds land alongside Care Packages

A new structure called the Stronghold now drops onto the map near the mid game, next to the existing Care Packages and Replicators. Airdrop timing has been adjusted: two Care Packages drop as Round 1 closes, then one Care Package and one Stronghold drop as Round 2 closes.

Strongholds crush and kill anything underneath them on landing, then deploy dynamic cover, up to four indestructible barriers and two Hardlight frames if there’s room. They stay locked and can’t be entered, stolen from by Loba, or breached by Alter until a team captures them by holding the surrounding zone. Capture progress is shared globally, never decays, and moves faster with more teammates present; whichever team holds the zone at 100% gets the win, with every surviving member receiving a level up. Inside is a Care Package weapon, three Gold Guns, three Amps and two Corrupted Attachments.

Ranked gets Legend banning and tighter scoring

Diamond+ matches now include Legend Banning, letting players vote to keep certain Legends out of selection for that match. Scoring has also been adjusted for lobbies with a wide skill spread: entry costs now shift if your rank sits too far above or below the lobby’s median rank. Both changes are live at the start of the season, with more Ranked features planned over the next two seasons according to the developer’s roadmap.

Legend reworks: Crypto, Lifeline, Revenant

Crypto’s speed boost toward allies is now part of his base kit, and his drone runs on a battery with a 25 second window before it recalls after 6 seconds, then redeploys with no cooldown. The drone scans a full 360 degrees instead of just the camera view, marks enemies for 8 seconds even after it’s recalled or destroyed, and can fire that mark manually. His EMP now deals full shield damage with line of sight or 50 damage without, and no longer hurts Crypto himself.

Lifeline’s D.O.C. now heals her while gliding and her tactical cooldown drops from 25 to 15 seconds, with her upgrade tree reshuffled around Enhanced Radio, Improved Flight, Ultimate Cooldown and a new Revive Shield option. Revenant gets a tactical cooldown cut from 20 to 15 seconds, faster tactical charge, an ultimate cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 seconds, and two new upgrades: Ever Lasting and Silence.

What it means for players

Apex Legends runs on anti-cheat and doesn’t have a community modding scene, so none of this touches mod files or local installs. The practical impact is in-game: expect the Wingman meta to shift once Akimbo spreads through ground loot, and expect mid-game fights to get messier once Strongholds start dropping. If you play Ranked at Diamond or above, start thinking about which Legends you’d actually want banned, since that vote now shapes every match. Crypto, Lifeline and Revenant mains will want to relearn their kits before queuing up on November 3rd.

Based on the developer's announcement on Steam, 2 November 2026.

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