There's no feature for Apex Legends requested quite so much as a Duos queue, except maybe a Solos queue. When a squad just can't manage to find a third player and instead has to rely on matchmaking, it takes something out of the experience. A Duos queue would fit comfortably beneath Apex Legend's Squads, allowing a different queue for players looking for nothing more than a partner in crime. Respawn, ever-listening, is ready to deliver. Duos is coming to Apex Legends is less than a week, though there's an unfortunate limitation.
Duos is coming back to Apex Legends, but not as a full-time mode. Duos will instead be offered as a Limited Time Mode, though Respawn has yet to clarify how long the LTM will be available. The LTM will be available starting on Tuesday, November 5, and will last as long as Respawn chooses. The Solos LTM that Respawn ran for Apex Legends earlier this year lasted two weeks, which is perhaps the likely duration of the Duos LTM as well.
An LTM instead of a permanent mode is obviously not going to be the preference for Apex Legends players. A permanent alternative to Squad play is constantly being requested within the Apex Legends community, but Respawn has chosen to retain its one-queue approach, and likely for good reasons. One queue allows Respawn to keep all players within the same pool, making for quick matchmaking and full rounds.
That said, it's also clear that Respawn is at the very least considering branching out to either Solos or Duos as a permanent alternative. When the Solos queue was tested as an LTM earlier this year, Respawn said it was watching to see how the playerbase handled the change. Duos is likely an extension of that testing. Respawn is evaluating how well the queues are populated, as well as dropoff over the duration of its availability. The success of Solos will likely be compared to Duos, and then Respawn will make a decision from there.
With the latest season of Apex Legends, Respawn has made clear that it isn't afraid of making significant changes to the game. Meltdown introduced a new map said to be near-double the size of the prior one, changing game pacing dramatically and making it much easier to look preferred gear. Balance changes have also made the game even more welcoming to newcomers than before. The Duos queue may be a temporary addition for now, but if it continues to be requested then who knows what next season may bring.
Apex Legends is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.