Well, well, well, look who's finally listening! Respawn Entertainment, in a move that surprised approximately zero people who have been grinding Apex Legends' Ranked mode, has decided to ease up on the notoriously strict Promotional Trials. I've spent more time staring at those trial objectives than I have at my own reflection, so this news hit me like a well-aimed Kraber shot. But here's the million-dollar question: is this a genuine quality-of-life improvement, or just a band-aid on a bullet wound? Let's dive into the glorious, and sometimes painful, world of climbing the Apex ranks.
The Trial(s) and Tribulations: What Even Are Promotional Trials?
Remember the good old days when you'd just earn enough LP (Legend Points, for the uninitiated) and poof, you'd rank up? Yeah, those were simpler times. Introduced in the massive Season 19 overhaul, Promotional Trials were Respawn's big idea to "improve" the ranked experience. Think of them as a final exam before you can move to the next grade. Even if you've scraped together every last point needed for promotion, you can't advance until you pass this extra set of challenges. The goal was noble: to ensure players actually had the skills to compete at the next rank, theoretically creating better, more balanced matches for everyone. But as any player who's been stuck in a trial loop can tell you, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The Great Thaw: What's Actually Easier Now?
So, what's changed? Respawn recently tweeted out the good news. The core premise remains—you still have to jump through the promotional hoop. However, the alternative objectives have been dialed back. What does that mean for us, the dedicated players?
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Fewer Top 5 Finishes: The most significant change is that you now need fewer top 5 placements to satisfy the alternative trial conditions. This is a huge relief for those of us who aren't Predator-level demons and can't consistently clutch wins.
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Automatic Progression for Some: If you'd already surpassed the new, lower requirements before the update went live, you got a nice little gift. All you had to do was play one more ranked match. Finish it (and hopefully survive!), and the game would automatically check you off and bump you up to the next rank. No fuss, no muss.
But—and there's always a but—this mercy has its limits.
The Diamond Ceiling: Where the Training Wheels Come Off
Here's the catch that has many players groaning. This easing of the trials only applies up to the Diamond rank. Why? Because once you hit Diamond and aim for Master or Predator, the "alternative objectives" vanish. There is no plan B. The requirement remains absolute and brutal: you must win a match to promote. That's it. No amount of consistent top 5 finishes will save you. So, for the elite players, the grind is as soul-crushing as ever. This creates a pretty stark divide in the player experience, doesn't it?
Community Backlash: A Band-Aid on a Broken Leg?
You'd think making things easier would be met with universal praise, right? Wrong. The community's reaction has been... let's call it 'lukewarm.' Many players, myself included, feel this is a half-measure that doesn't address the root problem. The sentiment swirling around the forums and subreddits is clear: just get rid of Promotional Trials altogether.
Why the intense hatred? It all goes back to the problem Promotional Trials were supposed to solve: "ratters." These are players who hide and play extremely passively all game just to get a higher placement, contributing little to nothing to their team's combat success. The irony is thicker than Gibraltar's arm shield. Promotional Trials, by requiring wins and top 5 finishes, have arguably made the rat problem worse. Why risk a fight when your promotion depends on survival? This has led to:
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More Passive Play: The incentive to avoid conflict until the final circles is stronger than ever.
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Teamwork Breakdown: It's hard to coordinate as a squad when one player's goal (survival) directly conflicts with another's goal (racking up kills for LP).
The Ghost of Ranked Past: Longing for Season 13
In the midst of all this controversy, a name is whispered with reverence in the halls of the Apex community: Season 13. Many veterans consider that season's ranking system to be the pinnacle of competitive Apex Legends. It was a system that, while not perfect, seemed to better balance the reward for kills and placement. The current feeling isn't just about making trials easier; it's a deep-seated desire to return to a system that felt more rewarding and less punitive. Are we just nostalgic, or was it genuinely better? The debate rages on.
So, where does that leave us in 2025? Respawn has acknowledged the pain points, which is a step in the right direction. But by only tweaking the numbers instead of reconsidering the entire mechanic, they've left a large part of the player base unsatisfied. The grind continues, a little less painful for those below Diamond, but the fundamental issues with matchmaking and playstyle incentives remain. I'll keep dropping into Kings Canyon, hoping for that perfect match, but I can't help but wonder if a more significant overhaul is just over the horizon.