The primary cause of ruining your fun in a game like Apex Legends is other players. As a competitive-focused title, Kings Canyon has inevitably attracted a sizable hardcore crowd to its shores and I like to believe the majority are level-headed folks. Chances are that’s the case, but for all the thousands of sportsmanlike players eager to team up with like-minded individuals, there’s at least one bad egg intent on souring the mood.
One such method of doing so is via rage quitting. By and large, Respawn’s battle royale has a far less pronounced issue with early leavers than most competitive titles, but it’s a problem nonetheless. Thanks to recent changes introduced by the developer, however, such occurrences should see a drastic drop in frequency. A new in-game prompt will now present itself to any player considering leaving a match before their team has been eliminated, warning of potential repercussions. Primarily, any individual that ignores the message on repeated occasions could be struck with matchmaking delays.
How these bans work is on a cumulative basis. Three consecutive rage quits will see you restricted from queuing for another match for 5 minutes. This cooling off period is then doubled, should the streak extend to four. As for what acts constitute a rage quit, well, there’s several. Leaving at any point during the character drafting process is one, as too, is bowing out during a drop if you’re not satisfied with the team leader’s intended landing zone. Essentially, leaving at any point besides when your entire team has been eliminated is grounds for punishment.
Finally, if you find yourself placed in a match without teammates (it does happen), you won’t be penalized for leaving early. Overall, it’s a good first attempt at tackling one of Apex Legends‘ biggest problems, but I’d personally like to see Respawn impose further restrictions on more serious offenders in the future.