The mid-season update for Season 27 is finally here, and it is a massive one. Arriving on January 6, the Winter Wipeout Event brings a high-octane blend of extreme sports and strategic upgrades to the Outlands. From shredding Olympus on Hoverboards to game-changing reworks for three classic Legends, there is plenty for every player to explore.
The Winter Wipeout Event runs from January 6 to January 27, 2026, with event items remaining in the store until February 10.
New Wildcard: Hoverboards & EVO rewards
The highlight of this event is the addition of Hoverboards to the Wildcard rotation on Olympus. Players start every match with a Hoverboard in their Survival Item slot and keep it even after being respawned.
The board features a full suite of movement mechanics:
- Double Jump – Tap jump while midair to jump again!
- Wall Ride – Ride on any vertical surface as long as you maintain a high enough speed. Jump off the wall to perform a Wall Ride trick.
- High Fall – Hit the ground from a massive drop and gain even more speed.
- Zipline Jump – Mount a zipline while on the hoverboard to move even quicker. Jump off of any zipline and get a boost of speed in any direction.
- EVO Combos – The more tricks you perform in quick succession, the higher your evo reward is. We are definitely judging your style.
- Ramming Speed – If you are going fast enough, you can ram enemy opponents to damage them. More speed means more damage and knockback.
- Slides – Slide to preserve more momentum and take sharper turns. Even more effective when going down slopes.
- Dealing heavy damage to enemies riding a hoverboard will kick them off of it.
New and rotating Wild Cards
Three brand-new Wild Cards are freezing out the competition, alongside a selection of returning favorites.
- Brain Freeze: Headshots deal bonus damage and significantly slow down opponents.
- Love Potion: Using a consumable shares that health/shield with nearby teammates.
- Protective Launch: Using any Jump Pad grants a small burst of shield regeneration.
The active rotation for Olympus Wildcard Winter also includes:
- Go-Go Ammo
- Fast Draw
- Burning Rubber
- Speedy Charge
- Stowed Reload
- Extra Zippy
- The Quick and the Dead
- Get Up and Go
- Drone Support
- Smoke Out
Legend updates: Octane, Crypto, and Newcastle
Octane, Crypto, and Newcastle have received major “facelifts” to bring them in line with the high-mobility meta of 2026.
Octane: Adrenaline chaser rework
Octane is now more dangerous the less health he has, leaning into his “live dangerously” philosophy.
- Passive (Swift Mend): Base healing doubled to 3.0 HPS (up from 1.5). Max healing increases to 9 HPS at critical health.
- Tactical (Stim Surge): A new ability. If you use Stim while already stimmed, you activate Stim Surge for 6 seconds.
- Costs 0 HP and grants Fortified (15% damage reduction, no bullet slow).
- Swift Mend re-engages and heals even while taking damage.
- Tactical (Stim): Can now sprint while using consumables. Cooldown reduced from 1.8s to 0.7s. Speed increased by 5%.
- Ultimate (Jump Pad): Now has two charges. Mad Hops and Aerial Agility are now part of his base kit.
- New Upgrades: Includes Thick Skin (-10 health cost for Stim), Squad Rush (Stim boost for allies on Jump Pad), Daredevil (fast reloads on shield cracks), and Triple Jump.
Crypto: Ghost in the machine
The goal for Crypto was to eliminate “dead time” where he is stuck in his drone away from his team.
- Base kit additions: Off the Grid (cloaking while piloting) and Satellite Imagery are now standard.
- Speed buffs: Drone launch time reduced to 0.7s; drone reentry time reduced to 0.2s.
- Advanced pilot: Crypto can now enter and exit his drone while on Ziplines or opening Mythic bins.
- New Upgrades: Ally.MoveTo() allows the drone to automatically trailblaze (follow) allies.
Newcastle: Hero of Harris Valley
Newcastle’s popular mobility upgrades are now part of his baseline kit, freeing up his evolution tree.
- Passive: Heroes Hustle incorporated. Movement speed penalty reduced from 25% to 75%.
- Tactical: Swift Shield incorporated. Shield movement speed increased from 160 to 250.
- New Upgrades: Ready To Rumble (reviving an ally auto-loads weapons and triggers full regen) and Defensive Line (shields knock back enemies once).
Revenant: Minor nerfs
To balance his aggressive gap-closing potential, Revenant’s tactical and ultimate are slightly slower.
- Tactical: Max charge duration increased to 1.7s (was 1.3s).
- Ultimate: Activation is 10% slower (increased from 2.0s to 2.2s).
Weapon & loot changes
Assault Rifles are reclaiming their place as the bread and butter of Apex combat.
- Flatline & R-301: Damage increased by 1 point (20 for Flatline, 15 for R-301).
- Prowler PDW: Burst delay reduced. Damage increased to 17 while using Selectfire.
- Rampage: Revved state duration increased to 120 seconds. Total number of shots while revved increased.
- L-STAR: Increased initial projectile size and projectile size over distance.
- Infinite Ammo Amp: Now applies to Care Package weapons like the Kraber.
Gold weapon rotation: R-99 SMG, R-301 Carbine, Mastiff Shotgun, Triple Take, and Rampage LMG.
Map updates & quality of life
Olympus has received targeted QOL improvements to fix performance issues and streamline movement.
- Respawn Beacons: Map-placed beacons can now be used once per team instead of once per game.
- Somers University: Increased loot density at the center and adjusted arsenal placement.
- Dockyard: Added additional cover, loot, and ziplines to reach upper platforms.
- Turbine: In Ranked, players will now drop inside the POI rather than the exterior.
Event cosmetics & Reward Shop
The Apex Stellaris Prestige Skin for Horizon is the crown jewel of this event, complete with a unique finisher and custom dive trail.
Players can earn Glint by completing daily challenges to spend in the Winter Wipeout Reward Shop. Up to 1750 Glint can be earned per day to unlock rewards like an Epic Wattson Skin and event packs. Legendary skins are also available for Bloodhound, Alter, Fuse, Mad Maggie, Gibraltar, and Newcastle.
