Apex Legends, for many, is a go-to battle royale, celebrated for its fluid movement that, while not quite Titanfall 2 levels, still outshines many competitors. Yet, even a fan-favorite like Apex has its flaws. Beyond occasional balance quirks and hit-or-miss new features, one glaring issue has persisted since launch: unreliable audio. The inability to consistently hear enemy footsteps, pinpoint their direction, or anticipate incoming threats has been a major frustration. Thankfully, after nearly seven years, Respawn is finally tackling this critical problem.
Honestly, Apex Legends’ audio isn’t always terrible, but it’s certainly erratic. All too often, friendly footsteps drown out enemy movement, the overall sound mix feels off, and players are blindsided by silent opponents sprinting around corners. It’s clear there’s no simple fix, but a change has been overdue for far too long.
The first big improvement targets sound mixing. Players will soon have a ‘Focused Mix’ option, designed to prioritize threat detection—meaning you’ll hear enemies more clearly. This new mix, which will be the default in Season 27, cleverly reduces the volume of your own weapons and abilities, completely mutes your squadmates’ footsteps, and significantly boosts enemy footstep audio. Respawn assures players that this system will be continuously refined over time.
In addition, Respawn has developed a dynamic threat system. This intelligent feature analyzes various audio cues, such as enemy proximity, line of sight, and incoming bullet sounds, to dynamically adjust the overall audio balance. For instance, less critical ambient sounds, like the opening of loot bins, will automatically be lowered during intense combat situations, ensuring crucial enemy sounds cut through the noise.
Getting a bit more technical, Apex Legends Season 27 also introduces multiband sidechain compression. This sophisticated audio technique helps reduce cluttered soundscapes, making it easier to discern multiple audio elements simultaneously. The developers demonstrated how, without this system, a character’s tactical ability might be the only sound audible, but with it active, nearby enemy footsteps remain distinctly clear amidst the chaos.
Another subtle but welcome update enhances ambient sound immersion. The game’s audio will now smoothly transition between indoor and outdoor sound presets as you move through doorways and environments. While this mainly boosts the game’s atmosphere, it won’t drastically alter core gameplay.
Crucially, Respawn has also implemented an advanced monitoring system. This allows them to track instances where footstep audio is “culled” or dropped due to performance constraints or an overload of sounds. The system helps identify when and where these crucial audio cues are being lost.
In fact, earlier improvements have already shown positive results. Between Season 24 and Season 25, the average number of footstep interruptions per player-match dropped significantly from approximately 125 to just 20, largely due to adjustments made to foley and movement audio tracking. This new, comprehensive audio tracking, combined with the other wide-ranging improvements, should herald a new era of crystal-clear sound in Apex. The only downside? I’ll no longer be able to blame my poor K/D on faulty audio!
These substantial audio updates, including all the mentioned features, are slated to arrive with Apex Legends Season 27, launching on November 4. If these long-awaited fixes entice you back into the action, remember to fine-tune your settings to maximize your in-game performance.