Revisiting Apex Legends Season 6: Rampart’s Arrival and the Return of Always Be Closing

By 2026, Apex Legends has evolved through numerous seasons, but some turning points still stand out. One of the most memorable was the lead-up to Season 6 in August 2020, when Respawn Entertainment shook up expectations on two fronts. Many players had spent weeks convinced that the next legend would be Ash, the Titanfall 2 antagonist who appeared at the end of the long-running Broken Ghost quest. Instead, the studio revealed Rampart, a character whose turret-focused kit would later become a staple of defensive play. At the same time, Respawn brought back a fan-favorite limited-time mode with a twist: Always Be Closing.

The Always Be Closing mode originally debuted in Season 3, and it quickly became a hit because of its relentless pacing. Unlike standard battle royale rounds where the ring stops periodically, this mode kept the circle shrinking nonstop. Players dropped in with an Evo Shield, which leveled up through eliminations, rewarding aggressive play. The official Apex Legends Twitter account confirmed the mode's return on August 11, 2020, and it ran through August 18. The big change for the Season 6 version was the starting loadout: every player received a Mozambique and an Evo Shield as soon as they landed. After that, they were entirely on their own to find better loot, upgrade the shield, and avoid the ever-moving ring.

Feature	Season 3 Original	Season 6 Return
Starting shield	Evo Shield	Evo Shield
Starting weapon	None	Mozambique
Ring behavior	Never stops closing	Never stops closing
Primary objective	Level shield via eliminations	Level shield and manage limited loot

Why would Respawn pair the Evo Shield with the Mozambique, a weapon that had long been the butt of community jokes? The answer may lie in balance. Because everyone started with the same shotgun pistol, no one could complain about an unfair early-game advantage. At the same time, the Mozambique’s high close-quarters damage potential gave players a reason to hot-drop into contested areas. In a mode where the ring never sleeps, early fights could mean faster shield upgrades—and a better chance of surviving the final, impossibly tight circles. Some players argued that dropping into highly contested zones was no longer a reckless gamble but a legitimate strategy for the mode’s unique rules. Others still preferred to play it safe, grabbing loot and rotating quickly as the circle forced constant movement.

The return of Always Be Closing was just one piece of the Season 6 puzzle. As the launch date approached, Respawn remained tight-lipped about many of its plans, but writer Tom Casiello hinted that players would soon experience new lore for characters like Bangalore and Mirage. Fans immediately began speculating about a new map called Olympus, a location that had long been tied to Lifeline and Octane’s backstory. Many believed Olympus would finally enter the rotation in Season 6, a theory that would prove significant in the months that followed. There was also chatter that Caustic might finally receive his heirloom weapon, a long-requested cosmetic addition for the toxic trapper.

Looking back from 2026, those August 2020 updates feel like an inflection point. The decision to introduce Rampart instead of Ash demonstrated that Respawn was willing to subvert player expectations, and the Always Be Closing tweaks showed how limited-time modes could be used to test loadout ideas and pacing changes before they filtered into the main game. The Mozambique’s moment in the spotlight may not have transformed the weapon into a permanent meta pick, but it did give the community a chance to appreciate its strengths in a controlled environment.

Ultimately, the Season 6 period was a reminder that Apex Legends thrives when it takes risks—whether through surprising legend reveals, experimental LTMs, or lore teases that keep fans guessing. At the time, Apex Legends was available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with Steam and Switch ports planned for later that year. By 2026, those expansions helped bring the title to an even wider audience, but the core lessons from Season 6 still resonate: keep moving, adapt to the ring, and never underestimate a legend carrying a Mozambique.