The latest Apex Legends update has truly shaken things up, especially when it comes to the game’s meta. This sort of shift is typical with new seasonal patches, but there’s a particular spotlight on support characters this time around, with Newcastle standing out as exceptionally dominant.
The reception to this newest season of Apex Legends has been a bit of a rollercoaster, largely stirred by external factors. Fans have voiced growing concerns about the game’s monetization strategies, combined with a peculiar rollout for the season itself. Although there were some social media teasers adorned with promotional art, the official trailers didn’t drop until the season had already kicked off. This unusual deviation from Apex’s standard release timeline has left players speculating about whether Season 23 was hastily assembled.
Now, let’s delve into how Season 23 has impacted the support characters, with Newcastle being notably affected. On the bright side, the season has finally integrated a long-awaited rework of Lifeline, a change that had been leaked over a year ago, much to the anticipation of fans. The entire Support class has undergone a transformation. The once-exclusive ability to craft teammates’ banners is now shared, giving the class as a whole a set of unique attributes.
However, what seemed like a good deal initially has turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword. People quickly noticed the significant power these fresh attributes grant: Support Legends can now move at a quicker pace while healing and receive double the advantage from minor medical supplies—a perk once limited to the rare golden EVO shield. These characters also can revive faster, leading to health regeneration for teammates upon revival, with the same benefit extending to themselves if revived. Support Legends even have the convenient ability to check if a deathbox contains a Mobile Respawn Beacon before bothering to open it.
These enhancements have made the Support class notably formidable in the game. Compared to perks like carrying a tad more ammunition or a little extra shielding when caught in the ring, Support Legends’ class benefits are far superior. Almost instantly, support-driven team compositions surged to the top tier. Newcastle has reaped immense advantages from these updates, prompting Respawn Entertainment to remove a certain item to prevent him from becoming too overpowering.
Taking a closer look at Newcastle’s influence on team dynamics, his introduction to the game might have begun with a modest pick rate; yet, he quickly carved out a respectable niche for himself. Season 23 has amplified his grip on competitive play, largely fueled by the Support class’ new revival bonuses, along with its other appealing perks. Newcastle’s Passive skill, which lets him shuffle allies around while reviving them, activating his Knockdown Shield for protection, has become immensely strong. The faster reviving speed makes this ability even more resilient, formidable even in close-quarters confrontations.
Pairing Newcastle with other Support Legends has amplified this effect massively. Teaming him up with characters like Gibraltar and Lifeline creates a strategic nightmare for opponents—they all boast unique revival passives alongside ultimate abilities that craft shields against adversaries (a talent Newcastle also shares). This lethal combination means that whenever one of them is knocked down, the other two are readily available to revive them quickly while reaping the benefits of regeneration bonuses during the revive.
Heightening Newcastle’s prowess further was the Golden Knockdown Shield, which delivered even more health to allies upon revival. In the hands of Newcastle, this item—though recently updated to include this function—became exceptionally effective. It bestowed the maximum shield protection upon revived comrades while layering regeneration benefits for the Support class. Though the Golden Knockdown Shield has since been withdrawn from Apex Legends’ current season, characters like Newcastle and other support-focused Legends still stand as formidable entities within the game.
