Based on documents published up to Feb 9, 2026
Season
Season 26: Showdown
Season start:
Showdown is Season 26, live from August 5, 2025. It is the one season here where the RP formula itself was rewritten number by number: entry cost, kill points, placement points and the Challenger Bonus all moved at once. The drop became an automatic assignment via Drop Zones, and Heat Shields were switched off in Ranked.
At a glance
- Entry costs rise — Bronze from 0 to 10 RP, Platinum from 45 to 48
- Kill points are tied hard to placement: 20 RP for a kill in first, 4 RP in 16th–20th
- Placement points rise at the top and at sixth: 2nd goes 95 → 100, 6th goes 30 → 40
- The Challenger Bonus becomes stepped, reaching +50% at a four-tier gap
- Drop Zones assign the landing spot, and Heat Shields are disabled in Ranked
Entry cost — raised, and Bronze stops being free
The RP taken when a match starts is raised. The one that changes in kind is Bronze, which goes from nothing to a real cost — every tier now costs something to enter. The notes name three tiers, Bronze, Gold and Platinum, and say nothing about the rest.
- nerfedBronze: 010 RP
- nerfedGold: 3538 RP
- nerfedPlatinum: 4548 RP
- changedSilver and the tiers above Platinum are not mentioned
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes
Kill points — a kill is now worth what your placement says: 20 RP in first, 4 in the teens
RP per kill is now graded by where you finished: heavier at the top, thinner at the bottom. Only the rows the notes state clearly are listed here — the 6th–10th band is omitted rather than guessed.
- changed1st place: 20 RP per kill
- changed2nd: 18, 3rd: 16, 4th: 14, 5th: 12 RP
- changed11th–15th: 6 RP per kill
- changed16th–20th: 4 RP per kill
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes / Apex Legends™: Amped Patch Notes
Placement and bonus — more at the top and at sixth, and a stepped Challenger Bonus
Placement points rise at second, third and sixth — sixth by the most. The Challenger Bonus for killing someone above you is reorganised into four steps by tier gap.
- buffed2nd place: 95100 RP
- buffed3rd place: 7075 RP
- buffed6th place: 3040 RP
- changedChallenger Bonus: +15% at one tier, +25% at two, +35% at three, +50% at four or more
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes / Apex Legends™: Amped Patch Notes
Drop Zones — landing spots get assigned, and Hot Zones disappear
Before the match starts each squad is given a POI to land at, with a map preview to coordinate on. Loot is spread evenly across POIs and there are no Hot Zones. During the drop a warning system flags incoming squads. Heat Shields are disabled in Ranked at the same time.
- changedOne POI assigned per squad, with no Hot Zones
- changedLoot is distributed fairly across the POIs
- changedHeat Shields disabled in Ranked — removed from core BR in Season 27
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes / Apex Legends™: Breach Patch Notes
Amps and hop-ups — new purple-tier loot arrives, and hop-ups get locked to weapons
Hop-ups stop dropping on their own: they come pre-fitted and locked to a weapon, unlocked by dealing damage or through Arsenal upgrades. Five purple-tier Amps are added on top, bringing effects like infinite ammo and extra shield capacity. Evo Harvesters are retuned to be fewer but worth more each.
Locked hop-ups
- changedUnlock costs: Accelerator 150, Graffiti Mod 300, Gun Shield 250, Selectfire 250, Skull Piercer 400
Amps
- changedOver Armor adds 25 shield capacity, stacking to a 125 cap
Evo Harvesters
- buffedReward 350425
- nerfedSpawns 17–208–9
In and out
- changedPeacekeeper returns to the floor
- buffedPeacekeeper magazine 56
- nerfedPeacekeeper loses its headshot bonus
- changedAkimbo P2020 enters the care package
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes
Legends and maps — Caustic gas starts to hurt, and E-District turns to daylight
Caustic is heavily reworked: his gas ticks harder and now grounds and slows anyone inside it, and the traps themselves are tougher and last far longer. Bangalore's smoke and ultimate both get faster. The rotation is Broken Moon, E-District and Storm Point, with E-District relit as a daytime map and cleaned up for readability.
buffedCaustic
- buffedGas damage per tick 4–1010–15
- buffedNox Gas Trap health 150225
- buffedNox Gas Trap lifetime 11s22s
buffedBangalore
- buffedUltimate cooldown 270s210s
Maps
- changedRanked and Unranked: Broken Moon, E-District (daytime), Storm Point
Sources: Apex Legends™: Showdown Patch Notes
Sources
Each entry is a summary with our own commentary, not a translation of the original. The primary documents it rests on are listed at the end of the write-up.