Apex Legendsseason 23 will be the second season to rework an old character instead of skipping or introducing a new one altogether. FollowingRevenant’s rework in August 2023, Season 23 turns its eyes to everyone’s favorite healer, Lifeline. Not only is the rework different in nature, but the reasons behind the rework are different.
Ahead of Season 23’s launch, Game Rant sat down with several developers atApex Legends, including lead legend designer Devan McGuire and legend designer Evan Funnell, to talk about Lifeline Revived. Funnell explained that the rework inherently differs because the motivation for Revenant’s rework is because he was a low pick, but Lifeline definitely isn’t. Instead, Funnell explained, “She just wasn’t keeping up with the current pace of whatApexhas become, so we wanted to attempt to raise her up to that standard and ensure she remains a relevant character.”
Lifeline is one of the original charactersand the game has evolved quite a bit since then, pushing more and more action and momentum into gameplay. As a result, healing with D.O.C. or calling a care package meant hunkering down and killing that momentum.
Lifeline Revived
Now, she is a much more mobile character - though it was important to theApex Legendsteam that who she is and her core combat medic fantasy is retained, which is not as easy as it sounds. As McGuire explained, “There’s a ton of people who care about this character, so it was a very difficult thing to get right. She went through a lot of iterations, mostly on her Ultimate because that’s the biggest thing that’s changed wholesale, but her kit changed a lot to get to where it is today.”
Lifeline’s Abilities
The end result, of course, is Lifeline Revived. She retains heroriginal passive to deploy D.O.C.to revive allies, but now she can also use D.O.C. for a short midair glide to get her to her allies even faster. Meanwhile, her tactical has been updated to allow D.O.C. to heal everyone nearby but also to attach and follow an ally. And gone is the Care Package in her Ultimate, being replaced wholesale with the Halo Shield System. While this is not mobile like her other abilities, it gives her and her allies a strong offensive and defensive ground for a firefight. While the top is open as a means for counterplay, this huge shield system blocks bullets and players who are inside gain fast healing. Players can expect the typical shieldplay seen inApex Legends, with players able to go in and out of the shield, but it’s a solid addition to her kit to keep the fights the focus. She is a COMBAT medic, after all.
It remains to be seen how players react to Lifeline Revived, but the changes do seem positive on paper - especially the replacement of the Ult and the focus on mobility. Longtime players may even see a nod or two to her OG kit with the shield and fast heals. Of course, players can expect plenty more inApex Legendsseason 23than one character rework.
