Shroud Calls For Respawn

Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek has suggested that Respawn remove Apex Legends battle passes from its battle royale mode, arguing that the “in-built pressure” on players to grind is too great.

Since its early 2019 premiere, Apex has had over a dozen combat passes, following in the footsteps of arch-rival Fortnite’s heyday. While many people enjoy the skins, guns, and charms that the Outlands battle passes have given to Respawn’s game over the years, others, like Twitch’s human aimbot Shroud, believe it adds an unhealthy aspect to the game. 

He said, “The Apex Legends battle pass meta is so fucking bad. I don’t like it anymore… I’m over it. I’m over it! I want to go back to the days of just, like, grinding and playing the game. You play and you see your tokens go up. Then you buy what you want [from those in-game tokens]. It’s just easy.”

The main issue, according to Shroud in his Feb. 20 video, is that battle passes in Apex, as well as rivals like Fortnite and Warzone, put “a lot of pressure” on players who would otherwise enjoy the games more casually. The developers ensure that gamers log in every day by placing a countdown on special cosmetics. Daily, weekly, and in-game challenges all contribute to this.

“I don’t like keeping up with the battle pass. It’s a big problem because [battle passes] pressure you to play. [You shouldn’t] be pressured to play any one game.” 

Apex battle passes are released in conjunction with each new season and last for three months on average. Each of them has two tracks. The free courses offer prizes to all players, while the premium pass, which includes nicer cosmetics and collectibles, costs roughly $8.99. The new cosmetics collection included a dieselpunk-inspired reactive skin for the Hemlok, as well as various allusions to Apex’s third anniversary via item designs, which were introduced with the battle royale’s 12th season, “Defiance.” 

During the Feb. 8 launch of the new season, Loba received her first battle pass Legendary skin. In the battle pass, her “Breaking The Law” skin is tier 50.