Apex Legends 1.80 Update COUNTDOWN: We are hours away from release

The Evolution Collection Event is hours away from starting and Update 1.80 is about to drop. There's a lot going on in Apex Legends today and if you're a Rampart Main, it's good eatin'! She's the main focus of the Evolution Collection Event and we have the latest ahead of release right here.

NEW HEIRLOOM - Wattson has been snubbed, again

We know the Evolution Collection Event and the Rampart Town Takeover all point towards Rampart getting her Heirloom next, but you can't help but feel hard-done-by as a Wattson Main.

Rampart's Heirloom - the Problem Solver - is joining Apex Legends in the Evolution Collection Event and will be unlockable by collecting all of the Evolution Collection Event's cosmetics. After this, it should be available via Heirloom Shard like the rest of them...

" For all of her hard work, Rampart’s getting a “Problem Solver:” a brand-new Heirloom pipe wrench, complete with a gumball dispenser. Who could ask for anything more?"

WEAPON SKINS - What else is coming?

The Evolution Collection Event is due to start in a handful of hours and Respawn Entertainment has shared a fresh look at some of the new Weapon Skins coming to the game below.

They are as follows:

• Hydraulic Helper - Legendary Rampage Weapon Skin
• Master Blaster - Legendary Mastiff Weapon Skin
• Amethyst Apathy - Legendary R-301 Weapon Skin
• Aqua Flow - Legendary Flatline Weapon Skin

This is only a small selection of what's available and they don't really seem to follow any one particular style. This means you should find something you like!

ELEGANT MECHANICS - New look at new skin!

Apex Legends' Evolution Collection Event is all about showing us what our favourite Legends could become - so, it's only right that the new Pathfinder Skin is sleek and stylish, right?

As you can see below, Apex Legends has shared a new look at Pathfinder's new Legend skin:

Fuse, Wraith, Octane... Almost everyone's getting a new skin for this event and we'll have a better look at them soon.

START TIME - When do we think the event is going to start?

Apex Legends' Evolution Collection Event is due to start on September 14th, but Respawn Entertainment hasn't shared a specific time with us just yet. We can hazard a guess, though, based on the release schedule of previous events...

If Respawn Entertainment aims to stick to their usual update schedule, we should see the Evolution Collection Event start at the following times on September 14th:

• 10:00 PST
• 13:00 EST
• 18:00 BST

Take this all with a pinch or two of salt, though, as we don't have confirmation yet. There might even be pre-loading available for this one, too. We'll keep you updated with the latest information.

TOWN TAKEOVER - Rampart's bringing Big Maude

Lava City is a bit of a dead POI as World's Edge POIs go... It's a bit out of the way and doesn't offer the best loot. Thankfully, Respawn Entertainment know this so they're throwing something a little special into the mix for the Evolution Collection Event: Rampart's Town Takeover.

Rampart's mobile workshop - Big Maude - is headed to the outskirts of Lava City and Respawn Entertainment has said the following about what this means:

" Enter Big Maude, Rampart’s custom shop (also a giant tank, what else would you expect?) located near Lava City in World’s Edge. This POI is big enough to accommodate a few teams fighting over the shop itself, and she’s also built a wonderful paintball course out front that acts as a spill off location if the drop just looks too spicy.

" Inside the shop, you can use collected materials to purchase Rampart’s Custom Modded Paintball Weapons from the new Vend-it Machines. These guns cost a bit, but they come fully kitted at different tiers. This should give players a reason to rotate here mid-game if their weapons just aren’t as upgraded as they’d like."

It looks like there's going to be a lot of reasons to drop in Lava City during the Evolution Collection Event, so expect it to be a busy POI to drop into.

REWARD TRACKER - Free cosmetics are coming...

It wouldn't be a Collection Event without a Reward Tracker, right? There's going to be a new set of challenges to complete and a new batch of cosmetic rewards to earn during the Evolution Collection Event. Interestingly, Lifeline is the Legend getting the free skin this time around and the Banner Trackers you can see in the image below reportedly belonging to Seer and Lifeline.

We're not sure why Rampart isn't getting as much attention here, but we suppose she's got a lot else going on.

PATCH NOTES - Shiela's going mobile!

There are a few changes worth noting in the Evolution Collection Event Patch Notes, too - mainly, Sheila's going mobile and Rampart will now be an unstoppable force. Thank you, Respawn Entertainment.

Legend Changes

• Rampart
  • Sheila has gone mobile!
    • Rampart will now be able to run around with Sheila out, and shoot while walking. The spin up is longer, and she only gets 1 magazine in this mode.
    • Once Sheila is out, you can put it away and pull it back out until you run out of ammo (or hit the cooldown time).
    • At any point, you can still place Sheila down for your teammates to use. Once placed, it has infinite reloads and acts just like the previous version. You cannot pick it back up.
• Revenant
  • VFX (similar to the pulse on Loba ult placement) added to increase visibility for when a totem is placed nearby.
• Octane
  • Reduced jump pad horizontal distance by 10% - 15%.
  • Reduced the rate of Octane’s Stim regen from 1.5 to 1.0 hp/sec.
• Bloodhound
  • When Bloodhound pings a clue from their passive, it will now show their teammates in quickchat how long ago the event took place

Weapon Changes

• Bocek Compound Bow
  • Draw speed slightly reduced from 0.56 to 0.54
  • Arrows per brick increased from 14 to 16
  • Arrows per inventory stack increased from 28 to 32
• Hemlok
  • Reduced hipfire spread
  • Hipfire resets slightly faster
• Shatter Caps - Bocek Compound Bow
  • Damage per pellet increased across all draw strengths
  • Short draw damage: 4 to 6
  • Medium draw: 7 to 9
  • Full draw: 11 to 12
• Shatter Caps - 30-30 Repeater
  • ADS Strafe speed increased to shotgun strafe speed while Shatter Caps are enabled
  • Charged pellet damage multiplier increased from 35% to 50%
• L-STAR
  • Cool-off time slightly increased
  • Overheat lens replacement time slightly increased
  • Rounds before overheat reduced at base and all Energy Magazine tiers
    • Base: 22 to 20
    • White: 24 to 22
    • Blue: 26 to 24
    • Purple/Gold: 28 to 26
  • Arenas price adjustments:
    • Base: 500 to 600
    • Blue: 300 to 250
    • Purple: 400 to 350
• Shotguns
  • EVA-8 and Mozambique headshot damage multiplier reduced from 1.5 to 1.25 bringing it in line with the Peacekeeper and Mastiff.
• Triple Take
  • ADS charge time decreased from 1.0 to 0.8

You can find the full set of Patch Notes for the Evolution Collection Event update here.