Apex Legends new free to play battle royale game from Respawn

I see it’s been a while since this thread was active, but I’m curious—how do you all feel about the current state of the game? I took a break for a while and just came back, and some of the balance changes feel really different. Are there any legends or weapons that feel must-pick to you right now? Also, is the ranked system better or worse than before?

I try to play this every couple of months and just get DEMOLISHED by even random bronze players. Its like anyone still playing this game is just smurfing/cheating/playing with shitty friends constantly. I dont get it. I never pop off in this game.