Apex Legends' next hero is Newcastle, a shield-bearing Robocop

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Despite the name, he's no Geordie. Sorry.

Apex Legends is finally getting its knight in shining armour with shield-bearing soldier Newcastle prepares to become the game's 21st legend next season, Savior.

Newcastle (not to be confused with, err, the northern English city) was revealed in a new trailer, revealing him to be Bangalore's long-lost brother Jackson. That's somewhat complicated by the fact that, according to recent story events, Jackson is supposed to be dead. Considering that chrome visor, though, I reckon some Robocop shenanigans may be afoot.

Gameplay-wise, it looks like Newcastle will be a hard defender, with a personal energy shield reminiscent of Lifeline's old revive shield and a large metal barricade that looks like Rampart's walls on steroids. This tracks with information spilled during last month's mega-leak.

We'll find out more about Newcastle's kit as we approach the new season, with his Stories from the Outlands lore video set to drop on April 28. But the Savior season website is also revealing a few key changes coming next season. That massive Kaiju the gang blows up during the trailer will become a new map location on Storm Point, and it looks like AI Spectres will guard hidden weapon vaults.

It also looks like Ranked play is due for a major rework, with Respawn suggesting that the new system will place more emphasis on teamwork and may finally remove de-rank protections (a system that prevents, for example, a Platinum player from falling into Gold).

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.