Let me tell you, I have spent more hours in the Apex Legends Firing Range than I care to admit. It is that one corner of the Outlands where I can miss a full R-99 magazine without anyone judging me. Over the years, Apex has grown from a straightforward battle royale into a whole universe of modes, from Arenas to Control, but the Firing Range has stayed pretty much untouched since 2019. That is why a leak showing potential changes to the practice zone got my blood pumping. Even in 2026, the idea of a smarter Firing Range still feels like a gift from the Allfather.

For those who do not live in the range, picture this: a dusty desert training ground with a giant Leviathan lumbering around in the background. It is the first place every new player sees during the opening tutorial. The place has every weapon in the game, including those spicy Care Package guns, and it lets you test Legend abilities without wasting a teammate's patience. But after a while, shooting stationary dummies gets old. It teaches you recoil patterns, sure, but it does not prepare you for a cracked Wraith sliding around a corner at light speed.

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The buzz started when a user named Pretty_Chard5030 shared some leaked footage. The original clip was supposedly about testing a new energy weapon called the Fanatic Energy Pistol, but eagle-eyed fans spotted something way more interesting near the gun racks: a set of control panels. In the video, the player interacted with that interface, and the test dummies actually moved to different positions further back on the range. I watched that clip a dozen times, and each time my inner trainer did a little happy dance.

That might sound like a small thing, but to anyone who grinds aim drills, it is huge. Being able to reposition dummies means you could practice long-range shots, mid-range peeks, or even close-quarters strafing without needing a friend to stand still like a mannequin. In my experience, the current range is too static. You learn the exact spawn points and dummy placements by heart, and after a while your brain goes on autopilot. A dynamic Firing Range could turn warm-up sessions into actual skill-building.

The leak was never confirmed by Respawn Entertainment, so I am keeping my expectations in check. We all know how leaks can turn out. Sometimes they are spot on, sometimes they disappear like a Mirage decoy. Still, the community has been asking for Firing Range improvements for what feels like forever. We want moving targets, customizable bots, damage numbers without mods, and maybe even a mini-game system. Interestingly, Apex Legends Mobile had already dabbled in that idea, with training mini-games designed to sharpen real match skills. It made me jealous, honestly. Console and PC players were left staring at the same old dummy placements while mobile players got a more interactive playground.

Here is what I would love to see if these control panels ever go live:

  • 🎯 Adjustable dummy positions – Let me move targets to different ranges and elevations.

  • 🏃 Strafe simulation – Dummies that jiggle left and right like an actual player.

  • 🧱 Cover presets – Spawn boxes, walls, or doors for peeking drills.

  • 📊 Damage and accuracy stats – Give me live feedback after each drill.

  • ⚡ Ability cooldown toggles – So I can practice Pathfinder grapples or Horizon lifts without waiting.

I would happily spend an extra twenty minutes in the range before every ranked session if those features existed. As of 2026, Apex has evolved plenty, but the Firing Range still feels like an old pair of boots that could use new soles. The leak may be from a while back, but the appetite for a better training mode has not gone anywhere.

At the end of the day, the developers have already shown they can shake things up with seasonal updates and quality-of-life changes. Season 12 brought a bunch of tweaks, and we have seen many more since then. So I am not ruling anything out. If those control panels ever make it into the live game, I will be first in line to flip every switch, reposition every dummy, and finally turn the Firing Range into the sweat shop it deserves to be. Until then, I will keep my aim sharp the old-fashioned way: shooting static targets and pretending they move.