Apex Legends Cipher: Crypto, Strongholds and your Season 31 squad plan

Teamplay is a place to describe how you want to play and find teammates who share that goal. This guide focuses on what your squad can learn together in Cipher.

Cipher at a glance

• Crypto: gather information, then stay close enough to join the fight.
• Strongholds: agree when the loot is worth contesting and when to rotate past.
• Diamond+ Ranked: prepare backup Legends before your usual pick becomes unavailable.
• Loadouts and support: test Akimbo Wingman and the updated Lifeline and Revenant kits.

The squad suggestions below are Teamplay’s editorial advice. The linked EA publications establish the game changes; your first few matches will show which choices fit your own group.

Crypto: turn a scan into a shared call

Crypto’s drone now has a 25-second battery, automatic enemy marking and a 360-degree scan area. Marks last eight seconds and persist after the drone is recalled or destroyed. His speed boost toward teammates joins the base kit, and an available stowed drone can be deployed with the EMP in one input. Line of sight affects the EMP’s damage and slow. Read the Crypto design notes.

Try a simple handoff: Crypto calls the target and the approach, then confirms he is ready to fight before anyone commits. A useful scan is a chance to make a decision. Ask whether both teammates can act on the information at the same time, and whether the route leaves you a way out.

Treat the battery as a cue to stop scouting and choose the next move. A more responsive drone can still leave the squad waiting if nobody knows whether you intend to attack or rotate.

Strongholds: hold the space, then take the loot

Strongholds join Battle Royale alongside the existing Care Packages and Replicators. One Stronghold drops during Round 2 closing. The structure stays locked until a team controls its capture zone. Progress is shared and does not decay; the team in the zone at 100% wins the capture. Each living member of that team gains a level. See the Stronghold capture rules.

Before approaching, identify an exit and say who is watching for another squad. Give the other two players a clear job instead of letting everyone stare at the entrance. Being first on site does not reserve the reward, so keep track of who can contest the final part of the capture.

You can also decline the objective. If nearby teams or the ring make the position awkward, leaving together may teach you more than forcing every fight. For a first evening, a clean retreat is a useful result too.

Diamond+ Ranked: bring a second composition

Legend Bans apply to matches with Diamond+ players. Each player requests one Legend, and the votes weight the probability of a ban. The initial system selects two banned Legends; it is not simply a vote that guarantees the two most popular requests win. Read the Ranked Roadmap.

Choose backups by job as well as name. If your preferred recon pick is unavailable, decide who supplies information and who calls rotations. If a support pick disappears, discuss how cautiously you want to take the next fight. Settle those questions before the drop rather than arguing while looting.

Wide-skill matches also change entry costs. Squads two or more Rank Tiers below the Lobby Tier enter as Challengers with a discount; those two or more tiers above enter as Goliaths and pay more. The roadmap also returns Ranked access to Account Level 20, replacing Road to Ranked challenges. Returning players should check their eligibility and match costs after updating. Check the Season 31 Ranked changes.

Akimbo Wingman and your loadout reset

Akimbo Wingman fires its two revolvers sequentially in short bursts. The designers want to preserve its precision identity while making the pairing more approachable. Read the Akimbo Wingman explanation.

• Wingman: switches to Heavy Ammo and Heavy Magazines.
• Hemlok: the Burst AR returns as the Elite Hemlok leaves.
• Loot rotation: L-STAR returns to floor loot; Akimbo Mozambique enters Care Packages.
• Recoil: Prowler and Nemesis receive nerfs.

Check the full weapon and attachment changes. Spend a short warm-up comparing bursts, reloads and the secondary weapon you want alongside your new pick. Then tell the squad which ammo you need. Keep one familiar weapon while trying the other, so a single close fight does not become your whole verdict on a loadout.

Lifeline and Revenant give your trio more options

Lifeline gains more frequent healing, self-healing while gliding and new upgrade choices, including a revive shield. Revenant gets quicker ability access and upgrades built around knocks, silence and tactical refreshes. See the Lifeline and Revenant overview.

You do not need three unfamiliar Legends at once. Keep two comfortable picks while one person tests an updated kit, then swap roles after a few matches. Tell your support player when you can cover a recovery, and tell the player taking an aggressive angle when the other two are ready to follow.

Elsewhere, Loba’s Tactical and Ultimate cooldowns increase. Axle’s nerfs listed in the notes came from the October 1 hotfix, rather than being a second fresh launch-day nerf. Read the remaining Legend balance context.

Maps and dates: separate launch changes from later plans

Pubs and Ranked rotate through Storm Point, E-District Night and Broken Moon. Wildcard changes its upgrade timing and removes Replicators from that mode. The first Ranked Ladder starts November 10. See maps, Wildcard and the Ranked schedule.

Use a familiar landing area while testing unfamiliar equipment. That makes it easier to understand whether a rough match came from a new loadout, a missed call or an unfamiliar route.

• November 3: Cipher’s announced Season 31 launch date.
• November 10: the first Ranked Ladder begins.
• Season 32: further Ranked structure changes are planned for the following season.
• Early 2027: Kings Canyon Evolved is planned for Season 32.

The future Ranked structure belongs to the Season 32 roadmap, while Kings Canyon Evolved is confirmed in the Cipher overview. Neither should be treated as a November 3 feature. Cryptic Core, the new Mythic Volt, is a cosmetic offering in Cipher Seasonal Packs, subject to regional restrictions.

A practical plan for your first trio session

Start with a short weapon warm-up. Pair the new weapon you want to try with a familiar secondary, then use the checklist below to agree on the session before your first drop.

1. Agree on the session. Pick Pubs or Ranked, set a rough duration and say whether the priority is learning or climbing.
2. Prepare alternatives. Each player names a main Legend and a backup before the first queue.
3. Test one loadout. Warm up briefly, then pair your new weapon with a familiar secondary.
4. Make one shared call. Around a Stronghold, clearly choose contest, observe or leave. Confirm that all three players heard it.
5. Review one moment. After the match, discuss whether everyone acted on the same information. Change one thing before queuing again.

There is no need to turn the evening into a checklist race. A few matches with clear calls can be more useful than constantly changing Legends, guns and plans.

Find an Apex trio with the same goal

A useful first-session goal is simple: play three Pubs matches, practise clear Stronghold decisions and learn when to disengage together.

Put that goal in your Apex Legends teammate request on Teamplay. Add your platform, experience, available time, language and microphone preference so readers can judge whether the session fits them. Say that the focus is learning Cipher and keeping calls calm.

Sources

EA / Respawn Entertainment. Facts checked November 3, 2026.

Cipher Patch Notes, November 2
Cipher Designer’s Notes, October 30
New Updates Coming with Apex Legends: Cipher, October 29
Ranked Roadmap: Seasons 31 and 32, October 20

Apex Legends and its imagery belong to Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment. This independent Teamplay guide is not endorsed by EA or Respawn.