Apex Legends Update Gives Players a Way to Play Solo

Apex Legends still is not getting a true Solos mode, but the game's next update will get players who've been asking for it as close as they'll possibly get to such an experience. The patch notes revealed on Thursday for the next update confirmed that a "No-Fill Matchmaking" feature will be added. By enabling this feature, players will opt to join a match without having their teammates autofilled which means you'll be dropping into Kings Canyon or Olympus all by your lonesome.

The compromise for players who want a Solos experience was outlined in the patch notes for the game's next update. When you're selecting either your Duos or Trios game modes, you'll see a new option above the playlists that says "Fill Teammates." It'll be checked by default which will give you the normal Apex Legends experience we currently have, but unchecking it will make it so that you don't get assigned random teammates.

"Unchecking this box and clicking Play will send your party into your selected playlist without filling your team with other players," Respawn Entertainment said. "So, if you solo queue into Trios, with 'Fill Matchmaking' unchecked, you'll go in alone. You'll be on a team of one, against teams of three."

Three against one obviously puts the solo player at a disadvantage, and the game won't be a true free-for-all since others will have teams, but you'll at least get a taste of the solo experience. To better your odds, it might be better to try this out first in Duos to avoid going against teams of three unless you just want to add to your highlight reels.

It's those types of opportunities presented by the new No-Fill Matchmaking feature that the developer hopes people will take advantage of. Respawn Entertainment said it still believes that playing with a team is the best way to approach Apex Legends but said that this sort of feature will allow players more "creative opportunities." Focusing on completing certain challenges that'd otherwise be difficult coordinating with a full team, warming up by yourself before going into ranked matches, or challenging yourself to win a match at a disadvantage were a few of the examples provided.

Some expected restrictions do apply to this feature, however. Only six No-Fill players can be in any one given match to avoid having a game full of solo players, and it's not available in ranked given the obvious disadvantage it puts players at.

This new feature and more is expected to release on March 9th when the game's next event starts.