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Apex Legends Season 1: Battle Pass, Octane, skins and loot, explained

Respawn's white-hot battle royale game now has rewards to shoot for, including unlockable skins, in-game currency and more.

Jason Parker Senior Editor / Reviews - Software
Jason Parker has been at CNET for nearly 15 years. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps.
Jason Parker
3 min read

After a blistering first month in which it cruised to 50 million playersApex Legends is entering its first season, called Wild Frontier. Players will now be able to reap rewards for their efforts with an in-game Battle Pass similar to the one Fortnite has used for months. For roughly $10, the Battle Pass lets you unlock new looks for your Legends, new weapon skins, custom UI elements and more.

The Battle Pass costs 950 Apex coins at the in-game store, and you can purchase 1,000 for $10. Even if you don't buy the Battle Pass, you can still earn rewards that include a Legend skin, five Apex Packs (chests with random rewards) and 18 stat trackers to show off your gaming skills at the beginning and end of matches.

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New Legend: Octane

There were eight Legends (character classes) available when the game came out, but along with the launch of the Battle Pass, developer Respawn Entertainment has added one more: Octane. 

Octavio "Octane" Silva is described as an adrenaline junkie on the Apex Legends website, and his abilities fit that characterization. His tactical ability is a stim shot that lets him move 30 percent faster for six seconds, though doing so reduces his health. Fortunately, his passive ability is Swift Mend, which lets him replenish health over time. His ultimate ability lets him place a jump pad on the ground, which he and his teammates can use to launch into the air to escape or reach high places. 

You can buy Octane with 750 Apex coins ($7.50) or unlock him using 10,000 Legend Tokens, the currency you earn by playing the game. 

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Jason Parker/CNET

What's in the Battle Pass?

Just like in Fortnite, the Battle Pass for Apex Legends lets you earn rewards while playing the game. But instead of completing challenges as you do in Fortnite, you'll earn experience in Apex Legends just by playing. As you unlock each of the 110 tiers, you'll get new voice quips for your Legends, Apex Packs, free Apex coins, banner frames, badges and new skins for both your Legends and in-game weapons. Whatever you unlock over the course of the season is yours to keep, but once the season ends, you won't be able to unlock any more rewards from Season 1.

You can also purchase the Battle Pass Bundle for 2,800 Apex coins ($28), which unlocks the first 25 tiers of the Battle Pass immediately.

Players who don't want to spend the money will still get some nice rewards by playing. You can earn a Wild Frontier exclusive skin, five Apex Packs, and 18 Wild Frontier stat trackers that show off your exploits in the game. 

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Jason Parker/CNET

Bonus items

You can either play or pay your way all the way to tier 100, but either way, Respawn added an extra bonus for people who want to reach the highest level. With enough playing time, you can earn additional rewards up to tier 110 that include an exclusive badge and a reactive weapon skin for Havok that levels up as you get kills over the course of a match.

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