Which LTM is the most legendary? We pick the best LTM’s across all five years of Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is officially five years old. In that time the Battle Royale has had 30 limited-time modes (LTM). From the short lived Solo Mode to the Valentine's Day couples event, Apex has seen a wide range of special modes. However, only one reigns supreme in the hearts of fans. Here's the best LTM in Apex Legends, as well as the runner ups.
The best Apex LTM in the last five years:
The best ever LTM in Apex Legends is Three Strikes. Big surprise, I know. It’s honestly hard to beat the LTM that brings out the best in Apex Legends. It’s fast, it’s chaotic, and it’s just fun. Three Strikes was first introduced in the Apex Legends x Post Malone event, which dropped a line of Posty themed skins alongside the LTM.
Apex players love to hot drop, they love to get into early scuffles, but weirdly enough, they don’t like being sent back to the lobby. Three Strikes solves this issue with magnificent simplicity; you just don’t go to the lobby. At least, not at first.
Having three attempts for glory makes the standard BR gameplay invigorating. While before you might have held back from a push, taken it slow, and thought through your approach, now you can full send without any concern. You’ll be back soon enough anyway, so why not?
What makes Three Strikes so memorably engaging is that it speeds up the already breakneck pace of Apex Legends. Praised from the beginning for the speed of its gameplay, Apex Legends has always encouraged more movement and more speed. It’s no coincidence that the top picked Legends are always the movement Legends like Octane and Pathfinder. Players want to go fast and Three Strikes hits the gas.
Three Strikes accelerates downs, accelerates rezzing, and accelerates fights. Players can be picked up from the downed state in less than a second, and it’s always easy to do since knocked players literally cannot be killed. While playing against Lifeline and Newcastle is uniquely aggravating, it’s balanced against how fun it is to keep the fight going and going.
It’s interesting how quickly Three Strikes became the community sweetheart. Especially since this is not the only game mode that allows you to get into short up-close fights and respawn almost instantly. Gun Run and Team Death Match are RIGHT THERE! PLAY MIXTAPE!
Maybe people just REALLY like Post Malone.
Three Strikes highlights
- Gets players right into the action
- Multiple chances mean players can make mistakes without heavy punishment
- Fast revives give fights a faster and more dynamic pace
Best Apex LTM: The runner ups
The other best LTMs are old, but gold. The original Winter Express and Shadowfall events have never left the hearts of veteran players. These two modes are practically Apex Legends holiday traditions now, as they have been available for each of their respective holiday (with a few exceptions) every year, albeit with some tweaks.
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Winter Express
The Winter Express was first introduced in Season 3 of Apex Legends. It’s a simple LTM with a simple goal; control the train. Players have loved this game mode since it dropped in 2019, mostly for the engaging gameplay created by the moving train.
The titular Winter Express is a train with three cars that slowly moves around a map before stopping at a station. Three teams of three players each have to either control the center car for ten seconds or kill everyone else. There are a couple of rounds, so players have a chance to reclaim the train if they had a bad start.
The Winter Express is popular for it's simple premise and quick matches that get you right to the action. The small train carts make one on one engagements tense and dynamic, while the constantly moving platform means that players can never get too comfortable in their setting.
Winter Express highlights
- Changing environment forces players to mix up their style
- Small train platform forces players into up close engagements (i.e. no camping or sniping)
- Multiple fast rounds give a sense of urgency
Shadowfall
Shadowfall was also first introduced in Season 3 of Apex Legends, but is definitely more complicated than the Winter Express LTM. This game mode is divided into two parts, the first is every man for himself until the last ten Legends remain. That's when the second part begins, and all of the slain players return to hunt down the still living Legends.
The last ten Legends have to work together and escape on the Evac Ship. One important feature in Shadowfall that players loved was the wall running, a returning mechanic from the Titanfall series that only the Shadows could use.
In the years since its release, Shadowfall has never returned in its original form. The similar, but definitely different, Shadow Royale LTM has been the choice by Respawn for every Halloween event since. Additionally, the recent Revenant Uprising LTM struck a similar chord in the gameplay, but failed to recapture the magic.
Shadowfall highlights
- Solo Apex gives players a totally unique game of Apex (no teammates)
- Fighting off hordes of shadows creates a classic Infection mode, an FPS staple
- Being the last man standing and escaping with a small number of survivors is extremely rewarding
Respawn knows how to make a fun LTM, that's for sure. Throughout its five years (so far), Apex Legends has dropped 30 amazing modes to keep bringing life and love to its players. Shout out to Tricks N' Treats Trios, which may not be everyone's favorite LTM, but it is certainly mine.
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