Signs point to Buddy as a new character in Apex Legends Season 2

References to another unknown Apex Legends character are hiding in the game’s files. All evidence points toward “Buddy” being the name of the battle royale game’s newest legend.

The information comes courtesy of data miners who found audio clips related to movement sounds. File names like “buddy_land_slim_3p” and “buddy_crouch_brush” are present throughout the game’s files.

It’s hard to guess what we’re getting with this so-called Buddy, as there was no character model or any further information to ponder. We don’t even know Buddy’s gender or species, let alone whether that’ll be their final name.

Apex players are still waiting on new legend Nomad’s arrival. Hints of the champion surfaced alongside Wattson ahead of Season 2, but Wattson ultimately came to the party alone in the seasonal update.

A prior leak similarly foreshadowed Octane’s debut.

There’s a shared belief among players that they’ll be getting at least one more character this season, though developer Respawn Entertainment has yet to promise anything specific.

Apex Legends seems to have hit its stride. The game followed up on its explosive debut with a mediocre battle pass and a limited competitive event in its first season. The package got much better in Season 2, including a full ranked queue and more interesting rewards.

Those additions came with a meta shifting round of weapon balancing and a map redesign. With the core of Apex Legends feeling more solid than ever, Respawn could focus more of its resources on additive changes to keep things fresh throughout the season.

Meanwhile, Respawn continues to monitor feedback around growing Season 2 complaints. It has to consider the health of a meta heaving on camping that was made popular by a combination of Wattson’s electric fences, Caustic’s gas traps, and a play zone that’s become brutally unforgiving in the mid-game. To boot, an Alternator with Disruptor Rounds does too good a job of eroding body armor.

Respawn might not want to move too fast to walk back on its decisions, though. The changes made engagements quicker and more deadly, so the early game has slowed as less skilled players get more picky about taking battles. 

Conversely, the late game is now extremely intense, especially with ranked points on the line. Increased competitiveness has helped draw the streamer crowd back in, and that could help Apex regain the momentum it lost in the middle of the Season 1 slump.