Cover-Credits:
Apex Legends has its dedicated servers and while there are tournament servers available that are accessible via private codes, not everyone has access to them. Pro teams that want to practice or scrim are unable to do so without relying on these codes being handed out to them. But, that has changed since Respawn is offering private custom servers to all Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Pro League teams. With this change, any team will be able to host scrims and play in custom lobbies leading to increased flexibility and shall prevent players from being restricted to the limited availability of pro scrims.
Why do custom lobbies matter for Apex Legends Global Series’ Pro League teams?
Unlike a lot of other multiplayer games, Apex Legends does not have custom game modes for players to host matches. All matches are hosted on the dedicated servers and while tournament and scrim servers were available there was extremely limited access. They could not be used by every pro team for practice. Private server access was made available on a case-by-case basis and there are not that many pro scrims happening daily which makes it difficult for all teams in the ALGS to participate and practice in them.
The addition of custom lobbies for all teams will make life easier for teams in any region to practice. But this does not end all of the problems for Apex’s competitive scene as the ALGS is still plagued by issues that Respawn needs to address
Player concerns in Apex Legends Global Series are far from over
The points system of the ALGS has been a controversial topic recently with players complaining about how multiple teams have ended up with the same number of points in multiple regions despite achieving vastly different results in the Pro League. In North America, TSM placed 4th and 5th in its recent ALGS Pro League games while Noble Esports placed 2nd and 9th, and yet Noble is placed higher on the leaderboard due to the point allocation system with kills having more weightage over placements. The situation is the same in almost all regions and Respawn may have to rework its points allocation system for wins and kills to prevent such issues.
Active coaching was never allowed in Apex Legends’ competitive scene but out of nowhere Respawn decided to allow it. It was immediately met with backlash after pro players and coaches alike complained about it. The rule could have been exploited if coaches could stream snipe other pro players or collect map data and feed players the necessary information. Respawn took a U-turn and decided against implementing live coaching much to everyone’s relief.
