Apex Legends ranks & ranked system: Season 18 ranked changes explained
Our breakdown of the Apex Legends ranks and ranked system covers all of the Season 18 ranked changes and how the entire system works, ranging from the individual ranks, to how promotion and demotion work.
Apex Legends has a high skill ceiling due to the various abilities of characters and deep movement mechanics. Luckily, the ranked mode is the perfect playground for those who have mastered these skills in the game.
So, check out everything we know about the Apex Legends ranks and ranked system, as there is quite a lot to pick up before you jump in.
- Make sure to also check out our explanation of Apex Legends Gun Run.
Apex Legends Season 18 Ranked changes
Click to enlargeBefore we jump into how the overall Apex Legends Ranked system works, let's check out all of the changes Respawn implemented in Season 18.
The goal of these alterations was to reward more aggressive players who look to hunt for kills and to make it more competitive overall. Here are all of the primary changes:
- Decreased overall LP gains per match to combat the overall shift in the rank distribution.
- A ruleset that only applies to Diamond+ to properly dial in the top of the ladder.
- Players in these ranked tiers will have increased stakes and losses and decreased rating bonuses and loss mitigations.
- A minimum elimination bonus increase based on the player's MMR and buffing elimination bonus in general.
- Increased action in the ring by adjusting ring damage.
- Adjusted ring timings to create more mid-game encounters and less pre-finale lulls.
- Updated matchmaking to better handle players that are actively challenging their MMR, for more competitively challenging matches that mirror their ranking.
With so many players reaching Masters in Season 17, it's clear the devs want the ladder to be harder to climb in Resurrection. That way, the distribution of competitors will be more even and therefore create better quality matches for everyone.
Apex Legends ranked system explained
Click to enlargeApex Legends ranked is a competitive game mode where players compete against players of a similar skill level, with the goal of climbing through the ranks by winning games and performing well. Below is all the key info you need to get started.
How to unlock ranked in Apex Legends
The Apex Legends ranked mode can be accessed once players reach level 50, and lets players compete to progress through ranks that are determined by overall skill.
It features the standard Trio mode, allowing you to queue solo or with two other friends to form a full party.
When you first begin playing, you'll take part in 10 provisional matches, which helps the system determine your rank. You also need to repeat this at the start of every season.
- Make sure to also check out our best Apex Legends Weapons tier list to see the top guns.
Apex Legends ranks in order
Click to enlargeThere are a total of seven ranked tiers, along with an introductory tier called Rookie, which is just for players first getting into the mode. There are no rewards for this tier, and once you get out of it you cannot be demoted back.
Here are all the Apex Legends rank tiers and the amount of Ladder Points (LP) needed to reach them:
- Bronze - 1000 LP
- Silver - 5000 LP
- Gold - 9000 LP
- Platinum - 13,000 LP
- Diamond - 17,000 LP
- Master - 21,000 LP
- Apex Predator - Top 750 players
All of the ranks except for Apex Predator have four divisions, which you need to work through to progress to the next tier. Division four is the lowest, and division one is the highest, with each division requiring 1000 LP to climb out of.
Your rank changes with new seasons, as a soft reset occurs at the end of each season based on your current rank tier. Each season also has exclusive rewards associated with different ranks, allowing you to earn more as you climb higher.
- We also have an Apex Legends character tier list which covers all the Legends worth playing from S-tier to D-tier.
Apex Legends ranked mode: Promotion & demotion
Click to enlargeIn ranked mode, players earn their rank based on Ladder Points (LP) that they have accumulated from playing.
When you hit LP thresholds, you'll climb a division or rank, with demotion occurring if you lose enough RP in your current division or rank.
There are four core ways of earning LP and ranking up in the mode: placement, eliminations, skill bonuses, and rating bonuses. Here's how each one works:
- Placement is all about where you finish in a game, with higher placement getting you more LP
- Eliminations are all about the kills and assists you earn in-game, but it's not as straightforward as getting more points for more eliminations, with it instead adding a bonus multiplier to your placement LP
- Skill bonuses are extra LP earned from facing stronger opponents in unfavourable matchups
- Rating bonuses are extra LP given when your hidden MMR rating outperforms your current LP total, which helps players who be at a higher rank climb there quicker
How much LP does it cost to play Apex Legends ranked?
The Season 17 overhaul of ranked mode made it so everyone has to wager 35 LP when taking part in a ranked game, as opposed to the fee changing based on your rank.
This means you'll need to hit at least 35 LP during your game to break even, meaning there's always a risk when loading into a ranked game.
- Check out our Apex Legends Legendary loot guide for an explainer of how to get the best loot in a game.
What are the ranked rewards in Apex Legends?
Click to enlargeNow Respawn has removed Dive Trails from Ranked in Season 18 due to toxicity, the new rewards at the end of the current season will be unique banner frames for anyone who finishes Diamond or above.
That's all for our explanation of the Apex Legends ranks and ranked system, and now you know how the system works as of Season 18.
If you want to know who is currently in the Apex Legends Apex Predator tier, check out how to see. Otherwise, we've got plenty more guides on our Apex Legends homepage for you to check out.