Shadowfall Should Be Duos

After playing Shadowfall for the last two days the worst part about the event is the number of players that disconnect.

With the player count almost half of a regular match, losing even 10 Shadows hinders the gamemode from being as fun as it could be. The immediate solution many think is to punish those that quit, but that will only succeed in making players less likely to return and increase overall queue times. I understand their frustration with the mode and sometimes getting ganked at the start of a match is frustrating enough to quit immediately, especially when you’re the only Shadow for a few minutes. This is where I think making the mode Duos would help increase the fun overall.

The first reason why I think this would help is having a teammate increases a player’s life expectancy. Having the safety net from being instantly killed allows for less skilled players a chance to experience more and opens up the possibility of making it to Evac. I see a trending complaint of Legends not being able to communicate in the Evac Phase so having a partner would offer some coordination in surviving. Having 10 players in direct comms would be too chaotic, especially with pinging. If killed in the downed state, players will still become Shadows.

Second, being a Shadow doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be a team player with your duo. Hot dropping sometimes end with you getting killed quickly by proficient players, leaving your teammate alone to fend for themselves. As a Shadow, you could help your surviving partner avenge your death and turn your killers into additional Shadows. By the time Evac starts, if your teammate is still alive, you must choose between them or your Shadow Squad. Plus it would be fun to be the voice in your friend’s ear as you hunt them down. (One of the best thing about Halo 3 Zombies was harassing my buddies while they fought to survive.)

The last reason is it increases overall player confidence. Just like solo and ranked modes, some players find it better to collect loot while keeping a low profile to avoid combat until the very end. If you’ve seen the final ring in ranked vs casual, you can tell the difference in play style. There are a few gun fights that the start of a Shadowfall match but there is a noticeable silence for the proceeding minutes until the ring closes. Players feeling confident and willing to play risky with their partner backing them up leads to some of the most exciting moments in Apex and keeps me and my buddies up at night saying, “one more” even after a loss.

So that’s why I think Shadowfall should be a Duos mode. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts and experiences with the mode. Hopefully as a community we can give Respawn the feedback to further improve Apex.

Thank you everyone who reads this!