Apex Legends will add one Stronghold drop per match in Season 31: Cipher, giving squads a locked structure to capture rather than a crate they can simply open and leave. Existing Care Packages remain alongside it, according to Respawn’s October 30 designer notes.
Strongholds arrive with Cipher on November 3, 2026. The developer’s preview and designer notes explain the capture mechanic ahead of the full patch notes, due November 2.
Landing is only the start
A Stronghold falls onto the map like a Care Package, but lands locked. To reach its contents, players must capture and hold the surrounding space. Enemy squads can contest that capture and try to take the loot themselves.
Opening it takes time and sets off an alarm that alerts nearby players. The structure deploys cover around it as it lands; Respawn’s preview also identifies Hardlight among the defensive features.
The cover gives a squad somewhere to fight, not exclusive ownership of the objective. An approaching team can challenge the capture, while the alarm makes a quiet raid harder to sustain.
What is inside
Respawn lists Care Package weapons, Gold Guns and other rare loot in its designer notes. The season preview also names corrupted attachments and EVO for the squad.
The studio positions Strongholds as a mid-match route to a large loot upgrade after last season’s loot rework. It is a new objective in addition to the familiar drops, not a replacement that removes Care Packages from the match.
Why the ring still decides the risk
The Stronghold’s location is not the whole decision. Respawn points to the surrounding terrain and the ring’s position at the time of the drop as influences on how the fight develops.
A squad that commits to capturing the area must defend it while the opening process runs. Another squad can wait for the alarm before moving in. The timing of that approach matters as much as being first to the structure: claiming a position and collecting the reward are separate steps.