Apex Legends Season 28 — Hardlight Meshes Turn Windows Into New Battlegrounds

This caught my attention because Apex is celebrating Year 7 by changing one of the game’s core spatial problems: how you enter and hold buildings. Hardlight Meshes force attackers and defenders to think less like roamers and more like siege crews.

Apex Legends Season 28 – Breach Brings Breakable Windows and Bigger Controller Plays

• Hardlight Meshes: breakable and reinforceable windows/skylights added across World’s Edge, Broken Moon and E‑District.
• Controller Legends can rebuild and super‑reinforce meshes (200 HP → 1,250 HP), dramatically changing hold dynamics.
• Weapons/abilities (melee, shotguns, snipers, grenades, explosive/EMP kits) do extra damage; some movement ults (Wraith, Ash) are blocked.
• Big buffs to Fuse (rocket‑jump-ish Knuckle Jumper, Motherlode rework), Catalyst (horizontal Dark Veil), and Bloodhound (restored Season 4 tracking).

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Publisher|Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Release Date|February 10, 2026 (10 AM PT / 1 PM ET)
Category|Season Update / Battle Royale
Platform|PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch (limited future support)
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What Respawn actually changed (and why it matters)

Season 28, titled Breach, introduces Hardlight Meshes – hardlight windows and skylights that attackers can break and Controllers can rebuild or reinforce. They’ll appear on the three most urban maps rotating this season: World’s Edge, Broken Moon, and E‑District. Olympus is notably excluded. Senior designer Connor Monahan says the goal was surgical: open new pressure points on buildings that were previously either too defensible or too risky to hold.

Mechanically, an unreinforced mesh has 200 hit points. A Controller Legend who repairs and reinforces it can boost that to 1,250 HP – the difference between a quick door punch and a literal near‑wall. Certain kit and weapon types do critical damage to meshes: melee, shotguns, snipers, grenades, and explosive/EMP abilities (Fuse, Crypto EMP, etc.). Movement ultimates like Wraith’s and Ash’s are blocked by meshes, so some of the most mobile and popular Skirmisher plays are softened.

Why Controllers matter now

Controllers (Catalyst, Caustic, Rampart, Wattson) already specialize in area denial and fortification. Hardlight lets them extend that role to map structure, turning windows into chokepoint locks. The interaction is simple — walk up, hold the prompt, reinforce — but the strategic payoff is huge. A fully reinforced mesh becomes a time sink that attackers either have to ignore, flank, or invest heavy assets to remove.

Balance, counterplay, and meta predictions

This design is smart in that it creates new roles for Recon/Assault kits (you’ll pick options that do mesh damage) while simultaneously nerfing some movement‑first strategies. Expect more Fuse, more snipers in flanking positions, and higher value on EMP‑style abilities. But the 1,250 HP ceiling feels alarmingly high on paper — if reinforced meshes consistently stall fights, Respawn will need rapid tuning to avoid encouraging passive bunker play.

I also like that horizontal hatch meshes are limited. Roof‑to‑floor breaches create awkward, one‑sided situations unless carefully placed; limiting them keeps the gameplay fairer while still allowing creative approaches like dropping into rooms from above when appropriate.

Legend changes worth noting

• Fuse — biggest shift: Knuckle Jumper (rocket‑jump mechanic), Motherlode rework to act more like artillery, Reignited to increase uptime, and Pyro Techniques to add damage from incendiary components.
• Catalyst — Dark Veil can be deployed horizontally, making her tent‑style zoning far more useful for cutting routes and defending chokepoints.
• Bloodhound — restores stronger Season 4 tracking: better passive/tactical and a Beast of the Hunt that extends on kills; more Bloodhound work promised later in Year 7.

What this means for players

If you like coordinated assaults and tactic swapping, this is refreshing. Hardlight rewards team planning: designate breachers, EMPs, and flankers, or lock down with Controllers and force rotations. If you’re a lone‑wolf Skirmisher spammer, you’ll need to adapt — some of your favorite escape routes are now blocked or gated. Expect squad comps to shift toward mixed kits (Controller + Assault/Recon) in urban drops.

There’s also an audio and patience element: breaking a mesh is loud and telegraphed, so defenders can hear and prepare. That’s good design — risk, visibility, and counterplay. The danger is over‑reliance on reinforced meshes turning engagements into slow sieges; tight tuning and community feedback will decide whether this enhances or stalls Apex’s tempo.

TL;DR — My key takeaways

Hardlight Meshes are a substantial, structurally meaningful addition that tilt urban play toward coordinated breaching and strengthened Controller relevance. Fuse’s kit changes and Catalyst’s horizontal Dark Veil are the season’s other big gameplay pivots. Season 28 will reward teams that plan their entry tools and adapt to a less linear map flow — but watch for potential over‑fortification if reinforced meshes aren’t tuned down.

Season 28 launches February 10. Cross‑play and cross‑progression remain active across platforms; the Switch version’s long‑term support is limited.