Apex Legends is set to change significantly ahead of the festive season with a major winter update. The Merry Mayhem event is almost upon us, offering some new experiences for players in the Battle Royale’s Wildcard mode.

From a significant map revamp to minor gameplay adjustments aimed at keeping things exciting this Christmas, there’s plenty for Apex Legends players to dive into. New airdrops, challenges and more await players over the coming days. There are also three new wildcards to try out – here’s everything you need to know about the Merry Mayhem event.

Apex Legends Merry Mayhem event start time

The Merry Mayhem event is scheduled to commence in Apex Legends on December 16 and will continue until January 6.

Apex Legends events typically begin around 6pm GMT UK time, which means you can start playing once you’ve updated the game, reports Mirror Gaming.

What’s new in the Merry Mayhem update?

Most of the major changes are taking place in the Wildcard mode with the Olympus map undergoing a snowy transformation. A massive snowglobe has materialised over a section of the map, sprinkling part of the map with snow and adorning the halls with festive decorations.

Some of these decorations are camouflaged as EVO orbs too, giving them some functionality rather than just being aesthetically pleasing.

A new guarded airdrop feature is set to debut, with these loot drops now being protected by AI Spectre bots. If players can battle their way to the loot drop, they can secure a powerful Mythic weapon from previous seasons, making it a high-risk, high-reward situation.

Here are all the potential Mythic weapons that could be found in the new guarded airdrops:

• Kraber: This formidable. 50cal bolt-action sniper rifle, equipped with a variable 6-10x optic, is devastating at long range.
• Power Sword: This special melee weapon is making a return! It can block attacks and charge the lethal Ultimate.
• Vermilion R-301: This R-301 is a killing machine, boasting a higher crit chance and dropping a thermite on your enemy upon knock.
• Hornet R-301: This version of the R-301 enhances your speed and mobility, boosting movement, reload speed, and granting a Tactical and Ultimate charge on knock for you and your allies.
• Grand Slam Bat: This bat delivers a massive knockback to send your enemies flying.
• Road Rage Flatline: This brutal assault rifle transforms knocked enemies into time bombs, and every 5th bullet inflicts double damage and triggers an AOE blast.

The Merry Mayhem update also introduces new Wildcards. The fresh additions are:

• Flash Freeze: Silence enemy abilities on shield break.
• Do-Over: Receive a free self-revive when teammates score a knockdown.
• Super Cells: Fully charge your shield with a single Shield Cell.

Throughout the Merry Mayhem event, new weekly challenges will be introduced, although they seem to remain consistent each week. Here are the tasks players will need to tackle during the festive period:

• Participate in 15 matches.
• Inflict 15,000 damage with SMGs.
• Create 10 Wildcards at replicators.
• For each challenge completed, players will receive five battle pass stars. Additionally, an Amped Seasonal Pack will be awarded for each full set of weekly challenges accomplished.