Apex Legends Serves Up Chaos Theory Event, No-Fill Queue Alongside Switch Launch

Apex Legends has a big week ahead of it. Not only will it be launching on Nintendo Switch on March 9th, but that's also the date that the Chaos Theory Collection Event begins. In fact, the Switch launch and the Chaos Theory event are just two parts of what's looking like a rather massive update that introduces a new game mode called Escalation Takeovers, a no-fill matchmaking mode, and a number of changes to the game.

While most of us are already aware of the Switch version, it's worth keeping in mind that those who boot up the game on Switch between its March 9th launch date and the end of the current season (which is Season 8) will get a special Pathfinder skin. Just as well, those who are purchasing the Season 8 Battle Pass on Switch will get 30 tiers for free since they'll have less time to level up the Battle Pass completely.

In a blog post to the Apex Legends website, Respawn also revealed that Caustic will be taking over the Water Treatment Plant – a development that has sent the Mirage Voyage off to find somewhere different to cast its anchor. Respawn suggests that we'll see Mirage Voyage appear in other areas of the map, so keep an eye out for it as you play.

Players also have a new playlist called the Ring Fury Escalation Takeover to look forward to. Here, you'll see one or more Ring Flares appear on the map randomly, along with the current ring. If you find yourself in one of those Ring Flares, you're in trouble, because it'll deal damage equal to the amount dealt by the current round's Ring. Luckily, you'll have a new item to keep you safe: the Heat Shield.

Heat Shields can be deployed in Ring Flares to give yourself some time to loot or heal before attempting to exit the flare. Healing will progress 50% faster when healing items are used in a Heat Shield that's in an active Ring Flare, while revives will be 25% faster. The Ring Flare will deal damage over time to the Heat Shield, so that's something to keep in mind – this is only temporary cover from the danger of the Ring.

Heat Shields will also occupy a new item slot in your inventory called the Survival Slot, so you don't have to worry about it taking up space you'd normally reserve for ammo, items, or armor. The Survival Slot is meant for "situational utilities" like the Heat Shield and the Mobile Respawn, so essentially, its introduction means that you can now carry one of those all the time.

Next up, we've got the introduction of no-fill matchmaking, which gives players the option of not filling their group with random players when they queue up for a match. Basically, it allows you to enter duos or trios games as a solo player, or trios games as a duo. Fans have been asking for a dedicated solo mode ever since Apex Legends was first announced, and while this sort of gets us there, it also makes the game much more difficult for solo players as they'll be going toe-to-toe with teams comprised of two or three players as well.

Of course, the Chaos Theory Collection Event will have a rewards track to work your way through, and you'll do that by completing daily challenges during the event. You can hit the Apex Legends blog post linked above for more details on the rewards, Legends updates, quality of life changes, and bug fixes shipping along with this update. The Chaos Theory Collection Event, meanwhile, will run from March 9th to March 23rd.