Everything we know about the new Control LTM in Apex Legends: Defiance

Apex Legends Season 12: Defiance comes with another symmetrical PvP mode — only the second one in the game’s history since Arenas. With many features players are familiar with from similar modes in other games, the Control mode is a completely different beast from the usual Apex Legends battle royale playlist. Here is everything you need to know about the new Control LTM in Apex Legends Season 12: Defiance.

Objectives

Control is an objective-based game mode with infinite lives. Unlike all other modes, this Apex Legends playlist will have players respawn shortly after getting taken out, and even swap to another Legend on respawn. Players can choose to respawn in their own corner of the map, or in the closest objective zone, provided that their team currently controls it.

Speaking of controlling zones, the goal of a Control match is not to get the most frags, but to hold onto three objective points on the map. For as long as one team control an objective, they continually score points, and the first team to reach the point cap wins the match. Additionally, if one team controls all three objectives at the same time, the match enters into Lockout: a timer starts, and if the opposing team cannot recapture an objective before they run out of time, they lose instantly.

Fixed loadouts

In Control, players won’t find random weapon pick-ups on the map. Instead, equipment is selected on a loadout screen before the match starts. You can also select a new loadout after each death. That keeps the Control LTM action going seamlessly, without any buy screens or crafting stations interrupting it.

That’s not the only way to get weapons in Apex Legends Control. Randomized supply drops will happen just like in other modes, bringing powerful weapons down to the arena for players to scavenger. The drawback of using supply crate guns is that they can run dry, unlike the regular loadout weapons in Control which have infinite ammo.

Ratings

Getting kills and assists and capturing objectives awards each player with points toward their personal Rating. At certain thresholds, a player’s Rating goes up, and each time that happens, their weapons’ attachments are automatically upgraded, and their Ultimate ability is instantly charged up. However, Ratings reset on death, and dying with a high Ratings score awards the killer with bonus points.

Better matchmaking

Control matches should on average be noticeably fairer and less prone to latency and other netcode issues. In a regular battle royale match, players are not only matched up by their relative proximity to the server but also by their skill. Or at least they should be — Apex Legends’ matchmaking is notoriously weak in that regard. Ultimately, battle royale matches have longer matchmaking queue times. Even after all the waiting, there is a very low chance that all players in the lobby would be of comparable skill.

Conversely, in an 18-player team-versus-team game mode like Control, players can just be selected for the lobby by ping and then divided into teams based on their skill. To be clear, we don’t know if Respawn is using these principles for Control’s matchmaking, but if they are, that would ensure that the mode has a much faster and more balanced queue than other Apex Legends modes.

Limited time

Control would make a great permanent addition to Apex Legends. Unfortunately, it is only a limited-time event. Unlike Arenas, Control will most likely be phased out after Apex Legends: Defiance, or even sometime before Season 12 ends.