Apex Legends players are split on Mixtape playlist’s leave penalty

Philip Trahan
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Apex Legends players have started calling on Respawn to reverse the leave penalty change added to the Mixtape playlist, while others want it to stay.

Apex Legends first introduced its Mixtape playlist on February 6, 2023, which consists of a rotating list of various LTMs introduced over the history of the battle royale.

Unfortunately, the playlist was fraught with players constantly leaving matches, which often left many lopsided teams and an overall unenjoyable experience. As such, developer Respawn swiftly introduced a leave penalty to Mixtape, similar to the one that existed during Control’s LTM period.

Now fans are calling for the decision to be changed, as they claim the leave penalty punishes players who are put on teams with unhelpful teammates. However, some think the change is doing more good than harm.

Apex Legends players split on Mixtape leave penalty

A post on the Apex Legends subreddit gained traction among the community after one player stated their frustration at the steep leave penalty for quitting Mixtape games early.

“Can’t Leave, Can’t Play. One teammate who’s XP Farming. One never joined. Can’t leave else banned for 10 minutes. 🙂 So much fun,” they titled the post.

Naturally, the community was fairly split on the issue, with some siding with the OP’s point of view. “Game modes now have penalties? Man, pubs still don’t have penalties, and people can leave the moment they are knocked, LOL.”

Others agreed but noted there need to be changes made to the leave penalty to make it more useful to players. “This is annoying, but what’s more annoying is not being able to leave when there is massive server lag. Like I can still play if we are missing a teammate, but when I’m getting desyncs and rubber-banding, it’s literally unplayable, and I shouldn’t be forced to stay.”

Another fan pointed out that players who’ve already had teammates leave should be able to leave games without a penalty, as they are fighting a losing battle.

Still, other players wondered why they had even gotten to a 10-minute ban in the first place, as the first offense begins at two minutes. “The penalty is 2 min unless you’re leaving several games in a row. Just play it out or leave.”

While some Apex fans may be frustrated with Mixtape’s leave penalties, the fact that Respawn hasn’t altered Mixtape’s leave penalty changes in two months could mean it’s unlikely any further tweaks will be made in the future.

About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.