Respawn dev reveals Apex Legends reconnect feature finally on the way

Isaac McIntyre

Apex Legends may finally be set to get one of the battle royale’s most-requested quality of life changes — the ability to reconnect to casual and ranked matches — according to Respawn developer Josh Medina.

Disconnect errors have plagued Respawn’s mega-popular battle royale since it was released in February last year. From the notorious server-related “code:leaf” error to net issues, every Apex fan will have their own disconnect horror stories.

There were rumors in the game’s early days a reconnect feature was actually already in the works. A supposed patch containing the fix was even leaked by Mixer star Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, but it never landed on live servers.

Instead, Respawn devs simply offered up solutions for how not to leave the game. Fans had their hopes dashed again in a March 8 update when former community voice Jay Frechette admitted the feature had “too many risks.”

Worry no more, however. More than 13 months later, Medina has revealed the opposite ⁠— the Apex devs are finally working on a reconnect feature for the battle royale. Even better, it’s set to arrive on live servers “real soon.”

Notorious error codes like "leaf" and "net" have plagued Apex Legends since launch, but a new reconnect feature may fix that.
Notorious error codes like “leaf” and “net” have plagued Apex Legends since launch.

The good news came after pro player Mac ‘Albralelie’ Beckwith took to Twitter to complain about lag issues. The Team SoloMid star found himself “frozen mid-tournament.” He was slapped with a game-breaking “code:rock” soon after.

Michael Kalas, one of the many responsible for Respawn’s servers, suggested the game “fell behind” Albralelie’s actions. Former pro Marcel ‘Veineless’ Lehmann chimed in by suggesting a reconnect feature would solve all the issues.

“The number one way to fix this, and 90 percent of the other frustrating server-related issues is a reconnect feature, pretty please,” Veineless said. Then came Medina’s reply, which all but confirmed it was on its way: “Real soon.”

It makes sense Respawn would be looking to solve this highly-requested demand ahead of the game’s push into Season 5. With tons of new content on the horizon, the devs may want to get all their ducks in order in preparation.

Reconnect capabilities aren’t the only long-awaited changes coming soon either. Fast-talking legend Mirage is also finally getting a buff after spending more than 14 months locked in the tier-list cellar, according to Respawn’s balance team.