One of Apex Legends’ more popular limited-time modes, Winter Express, is back until December 28. The special mode pits three teams of three against each other on a modified version of World’s Edge, where the train is still running. The train is decked-out with holiday decorations and Mirage serves as the announcer for the mode. Here is how Winter Express works and some tips to give you an edge.
How Winter Express works
You can win the round by capturing the train or eliminating all enemies
Winter Express works, in some ways, similar to the Arenas mode in Apex Legends. Three teams of three are competing to either capture the train by being the only team on it, or by eliminating all enemy players. Players do not respawn during rounds and, instead of going down, die instantly when they run out of health. The train is made up of three cars, the front and back both being enclosed with multiple doors and the middle car being open air.
Players pick their legend and then pick from one of fiveset loadouts to spawn in with. Each team spawns in on their own supply ship above the train and can drop in whenever they choose. The train objective unlocks at a certain point after stopping at its destination. Once a team either captures the train or kills all enemy players, the round ends and they earn a point. If the round goes on too long, the objective moves from the entire train to just the middle car, forcing a firefight.
In between rounds, losing teams respawn on supply ships and any dead members of the winning team respawn on the train. While dead, players can pick a different loadout or change legends, allowing them to adapt and counter the winning team’s setup. This setup continues until one team wins three rounds.
Legends added since last year
Seer’s Tactical ability revealing all enemies on the train
In the time since Winter Express was available last year, four legends have been added to the game: Fuse, Valkyrie, Seer, and Ash. While nearly every legend has some level of usefulness in Winter Express, Fuse and Seer are especially well-suited for this mode. Fuse’s Knuckle Cluster Tactical ability places a continuous explosion on a small area, which works great for clearing enemy players out of the train cars, especially the enclosed ones at the front and the back. Fuse’s Ultimate ability creates a ring of fire, which can be used to zone enemies away from the train.
Seer, on the other hand, makes it very easy to know exactly where the enemy squads are and how many of them are left. Seer’s Tactical ability can cover nearly the entire train, both in length and width, revealing enemies on the whole train. His Ultimate ability can be thrown onto the train, revealing enemies in the surrounding area. Seer’s Ultimate ability will even stay on the train as it moves if thrown onto it.
Ash’s tactical ability can hold a single enemy in place, but unless you’re preventing the final enemy from getting on the train, it’s really only useful for an extra 20 damage. Ash’s Ultimate ability does let her team set up a flank, or get into a different train car without having to run out in the open. Valkyrie’s Tactical ability, Missile Swarm, can deal damage and displace enemies, but since it comes at a downward angle it can be hard to get into the covered train cars. Valkyrie’s Ultimate, Skyward Dive, sends her team back into the sky and marks nearby enemies, but is impractical for this mode.
Tips and tricks
- Every player has unlimited shield cells and syringes that can be used slightly faster than in battle royale and Arenas. If you have a moment to heal, do it.
- Defensive legends are great for holding down a single train car, but if the objective changes to the middle car, your defenses are far less usefull. Make sure you’re still taking out enemies and not just camping.
- After losing a round, you will have the opportunity to drop back into the map before the train arrives. It can be tempting to set up an ambush, but remember that the other losing squad will also be there. Try to avoid killing each other and handing the winning squad another round.
- You can change your loadout and legend after you die, so if you feel like something isn’t working, try mixing it up.
- In order to capture the train, a squad has to fill a bar that everyone can see. Use this bar to judge how much time you can spend off the train attempting to flank the enemy.
- Legends can’t be revived in this mode, so being overly aggressive can pay off if you remove an enemy from play.
Source: Gamespot
