Apex Legends' Winter Wipeout update went live on January 6, 2026, introducing hoverboards to Wildcard mode on Olympus and major balance changes to legends. The patch, version 1.000.114/3.00, adds new mobility options, weapon tweaks, and quality-of-life improvements. Players can perform tricks for EVO rewards while shredding across the map.
Apex Legends kicked off 2026 with the Winter Wipeout event update on January 6, delivering patch 1.000.114/3.00. This release emphasizes enhanced mobility and balance, responding to player feedback on dynamic movement and respawning.
Hoverboards debut in Wildcard mode on Olympus, starting in the Survival Item slot and persisting through respawns. They enable double jumps, wall rides for tricks, high falls for speed boosts, zipline jumps, EVO combos for escalating rewards, ramming attacks on enemies, and momentum-preserving slides. "The more tricks you perform in quick succession, the higher your evo reward is," the notes state. Heavy damage knocks enemies off their boards.
New Wild Cards include Brain Freeze (extra headshot damage and slows), Love Potion (shares consumable health with teammates), and Protective Launch (shield regen from jump pads). Existing cards like Go-Go Ammo and Fast Draw remain.
Legend updates focus on Octane, Newcastle, Crypto, and Revenant. Octane's Swift Mend passive now heals at 3.0 HPS base, up to 9 HPS when low on health. A new Stim Surge tactical grants 6 seconds of Fortified (15% damage reduction, no bullet slow) and healing through damage, with no HP cost. "Stim Surge gives Octane more agency to survive in those situations," developers note. Stim speed rises 5%, allowing sprinting and consumable use. His Jump Pad ultimate gains two charges and better handling.
Newcastle's movement penalty drops to 75%, incorporating speed upgrades into his base kit. New upgrades like Ready To Rumble (auto-reloads weapons and full regen on revives) enhance team support.
Crypto improves with drone cloaking, faster entry/exit (1.3s to 0.7s launch, 0.4s to 0.2s re-entry), longer scans (+1.5s), and EVO harvester collection. "These changes should have less 'dead time' where he is either locked out of his drone," per devs.
Revenant's ultimate slows deployment by 10% for victim reaction time.
Weapons see buffs: VK-47 Flatline damage to 20 (from 19), R-301 to 15 (from 14), Rampage energize to 120 seconds. LSTAR and RE-45 get projectile and recoil improvements; Prowler's burst delay decreases, Selectfire damage to 17.
Gameplay tweaks include Respawn Beacons usable once per team (up from once per game) and reduced supply bin spawns. Infinite Ammo applies to Care Package weapons.
Olympus map optimizations fix performance drops, add loot/cover at Somers University and Dockyard, adjust collisions, and include a beacon at Stabilizer. Ranked and Mixtape modes update rotations.
These changes aim to make respawning more accessible and keep loot fresh, as "We feel like this change will address a major pain point," devs explain.
