There’s been no shortage of excellent new game modes over the last couple of seasons of Apex Legends. From the return of Solos, to the introduction of Quads, to the addition of Revival modes that give you multiple chances to respawn, there’s been a lot going on. However, one stalwart game mode has become a casualty of all this experimentation: Duos. Well, almost four months on from when it was last seen in the FPS game, Apex Legends is finally bringing Duos back, and you haven’t got much longer to wait.
If you’re wondering what the heck happened to Duos, here’s a quick primer. Back in May at the start of Season 21, Apex Legends introduced a limited-time Solos Takeover. This was exciting as Respawn had previously played down bringing solo modes back to its battle royale game, and there hadn’t been a solo experience since way back in Season 2. However, it was Duos – a regular, staple battle royale mode – that had to make way for it. Fans were mildly annoyed that it would leave the game for a few weeks, but thought it would return once Solos Takeover left. It didn’t.
Then the current season, Season 22 arrived, and still there was no sign of Duos coming back. ‘Mildly annoyed’ quickly turned into ‘baffled and furious’ as this core experience was still somehow missing from Apex’s playlist. However, it’s now time to put the pitchforks down.
Respawn has announced that Apex Legends Duos mode will return on Tuesday, September 27. In response to a fan question on X, the studio also confirmed that Duos would remain in the game until “at least the end of the season.” Season 22 is due to wrap up on Tuesday, October 29.
While the return of Duos is excellent, only guaranteeing it stays until the end of Season 22 is a bit strange. This comment from an Apex fan in response to Respawn’s post perfectly sums up how I feel: “Can you be transparent as to why you’re suddenly treating a core mode that’s been in game forever like it’s just some LTM no one likes?”
While this may be just a general, non-committal response from Respawn while it irons out its content plan for Season 23, it certainly does feel as if this once essential game mode is now considered ‘just another mode’ that can be rotated in and out of Apex. While Trios is of course the real cornerstone of the game, there are plenty of players that love teaming up with one other pal or just like the pacing of a Duos match. I don’t doubt more questions will be asked about the fate of Duos as Season 23 approaches.
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