Apex Legends Season 17 Start Date, New Legend Ballistic, And Everything We Know

Apex Legends Season 17: Arsenal is just a few weeks away, and while most of the season’s details are currently under wraps, we do have information regarding some of the new additions coming to the game when Season 17 goes live.

In addition to confirmation that players will get to meet a new legend for the first time in six months, we’ve got the scoop on Ballistic’s background–and some context clues hinting at his abilities. Dataminers have also uncovered some interesting tidbits, so keep scrolling for an up-close look at all the new content heading to Apex Legends in Season 17.

Start Date

Respawn has confirmed that Season 17 will go live on Tuesday, May 9 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, exactly one minute after the Veiled Collection Event comes to an end.

Gameplay trailer

With the Arsenal launch trailer already available for viewing, the next update on the schedule is the Season 17 gameplay trailer, which will lay out the details regarding map changes, gameplay adjustments, and a glimpse of the cosmetics and other seasonal content players will be able to unlock once the new season goes live.

The Arsenal gameplay trailer is scheduled to arrive on Monday, May 1 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM PT.

New legend: Ballistic

All we know about Ballistic comes from his official bio and the two Season 17 trailers that have been released thus far. His legend abilities are unknown, but Respawn has revealed that he is an Assault-class legend, meaning he will gain the same class perks as the other Assault legends.

Stories From The Outlands: Encore introduced players to Season 17’s debut legend, Ballistic–the animated short painted a picture of a lonely father who is estranged from his son, living a lavish but reclusive life for decades before deciding to step back into the spotlight. Encore explores the reasons he left his life as a bloodsport competitor in the first place, and reveals his interesting motives for returning to the ring.

But familial strife isn’t the only demon he’s battling–he appears to be addicted to alcohol and is implied to be dependent on an anti-aging medication produced by Silva Pharmaceuticals. For the full story on the new legend’s background and abilities, check out everything we know about Ballistic–including his abilities, his past, and his personality.

Unconfirmed: Horizon’s Heirloom Weapon

Dataminers claim to have found evidence that at least one new Heirloom Set is on the way for Season 17–this time for Horizon. With Ash (who is Horizon’s former research assistant) receiving her own Heirloom Set in Season 16–and the last story episode of the season revealing Ash’s Heirloom Weapon was a gift from Horizon’s son, Newton–it’s not too surprising that Horizon is next in line.

That said, all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, and until Respawn confirms the existence of the new Heirloom weapon, fans of the time-traveling astronaut shouldn’t get their hopes up–especially since dataminers have not yet been able to uncover an actual 3D model of the weapon.

Unconfirmed: Map changes

No details regarding Season 17 map changes have been revealed just yet, but map updates are a hallmark of each seasonal game update, so players are very likely to discover their favorite in-game environments have gained (or lost) some features when Season 17 launches.

We’ll know more about Season 17’s content once the gameplay trailer goes live on May 1, so check back regularly for more updates on what players can expect from Apex Legends Season 17: Arsenal.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available to play on Android and iOS devices, but will be sunset on May 1.