diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/FrameworkExtensionTest.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/FrameworkExtensionTest.php
index 48e96c3cedb64..9bb05c8532f6e 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/FrameworkExtensionTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/FrameworkExtensionTest.php
@@ -305,14 +305,14 @@ public function testFullyConfiguredValidationService()
 
         $container = $this->createContainerFromFile('full');
 
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\ValidatorInterface', $container->get('validator'));
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\ValidatorInterface', $container->get('validator'));
     }
 
     public function testValidationService()
     {
         $container = $this->createContainerFromFile('validation_annotations');
 
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\ValidatorInterface', $container->get('validator'));
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\ValidatorInterface', $container->get('validator'));
     }
 
     public function testAnnotations()
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/ValidatorBuilderTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/ValidatorBuilderTest.php
index e717d9a521b1f..30f2ff65d86da 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/ValidatorBuilderTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/ValidatorBuilderTest.php
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ public function testLegacyDefaultApiVersion()
         $this->iniSet('error_reporting', -1 & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED);
 
         // Legacy compatible implementation
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\LegacyValidator', $this->builder->getValidator());
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\RecursiveValidator', $this->builder->getValidator());
     }
 
     public function testSetApiVersion25()
@@ -129,6 +129,6 @@ public function testLegacySetApiVersion24And25()
         $this->iniSet('error_reporting', -1 & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED);
 
         $this->assertSame($this->builder, $this->builder->setApiVersion(Validation::API_VERSION_2_5_BC));
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\LegacyValidator', $this->builder->getValidator());
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\RecursiveValidator', $this->builder->getValidator());
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/LegacyValidator.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/LegacyValidator.php
index 8995f2cfdd593..f73a79ef0e26a 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/LegacyValidator.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/LegacyValidator.php
@@ -11,9 +11,6 @@
 
 namespace Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator;
 
-use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraint;
-use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints\GroupSequence;
-use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints\Valid;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\ValidatorInterface as LegacyValidatorInterface;
 
 /**
@@ -31,22 +28,9 @@ class LegacyValidator extends RecursiveValidator implements LegacyValidatorInter
 {
     public function validate($value, $groups = null, $traverse = false, $deep = false)
     {
-        $numArgs = func_num_args();
-
-        // Use new signature if constraints are given in the second argument
-        if (self::testConstraints($groups) && ($numArgs < 3 || 3 === $numArgs && self::testGroups($traverse))) {
-            // Rename to avoid total confusion ;)
-            $constraints = $groups;
-            $groups = $traverse;
-
-            return parent::validate($value, $constraints, $groups);
-        }
-
         trigger_error('The '.__METHOD__.' method is deprecated in version 2.5 and will be removed in version 3.0. Use the Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\ValidatorInterface::validate method instead.', E_USER_DEPRECATED);
 
-        $constraint = new Valid(array('traverse' => $traverse, 'deep' => $deep));
-
-        return parent::validate($value, $constraint, $groups);
+        return parent::validate($value, false, $groups, $traverse, $deep);
     }
 
     public function validateValue($value, $constraints, $groups = null)
@@ -62,14 +46,4 @@ public function getMetadataFactory()
 
         return $this->metadataFactory;
     }
-
-    private static function testConstraints($constraints)
-    {
-        return null === $constraints || $constraints instanceof Constraint || (is_array($constraints) && current($constraints) instanceof Constraint);
-    }
-
-    private static function testGroups($groups)
-    {
-        return null === $groups || is_string($groups) || $groups instanceof GroupSequence || (is_array($groups) && (is_string(current($groups)) || current($groups) instanceof GroupSequence));
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/RecursiveValidator.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/RecursiveValidator.php
index ddf0850c1cf2a..7cfbc27fbf0d6 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/RecursiveValidator.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Validator/RecursiveValidator.php
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
 
 namespace Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator;
 
+use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraint;
+use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints\GroupSequence;
+use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints\Valid;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\ConstraintValidatorFactoryInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Context\ExecutionContextFactoryInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Context\ExecutionContextInterface;
@@ -112,6 +115,22 @@ public function hasMetadataFor($object)
      */
     public function validate($value, $constraints = null, $groups = null)
     {
+        // The following code must be removed in 3.0
+        $numArgs = func_num_args();
+        if ($numArgs > 3) {
+            trigger_error('The '.__METHOD__.' method is deprecated in version 2.5 and will be removed in version 3.0. Use the Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\ValidatorInterface::validate method instead.', E_USER_DEPRECATED);
+            $traverse = func_get_arg(3);
+            $deep = func_get_arg(4);
+            $constraints = new Valid(array('traverse' => $traverse, 'deep' => $deep));
+
+            if (self::testConstraints($groups)) {
+                if ((!$traverse && !$deep) || self::testGroups($traverse)) {
+                    $constraints = $groups;
+                    $groups = $traverse;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         return $this->startContext($value)
             ->validate($value, $constraints, $groups)
             ->getViolations();
@@ -137,4 +156,22 @@ public function validatePropertyValue($objectOrClass, $propertyName, $value, $gr
             ->validatePropertyValue($objectOrClass, $propertyName, $value, $groups)
             ->getViolations();
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @internal
+     * @deprecated since version 2.5, to be removed in 3.0.
+     */
+    private static function testConstraints($constraints)
+    {
+        return null === $constraints || $constraints instanceof Constraint || (is_array($constraints) && current($constraints) instanceof Constraint);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @internal
+     * @deprecated since version 2.5, to be removed in 3.0.
+     */
+    private static function testGroups($groups)
+    {
+        return null === $groups || is_string($groups) || $groups instanceof GroupSequence || (is_array($groups) && (is_string(current($groups)) || current($groups) instanceof GroupSequence));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/ValidatorBuilder.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/ValidatorBuilder.php
index e47d1f42a6822..6b85b956e075d 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/ValidatorBuilder.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/ValidatorBuilder.php
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 use Symfony\Component\Translation\IdentityTranslator;
 use Symfony\Component\Translation\TranslatorInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Context\ExecutionContextFactory;
-use Symfony\Component\Validator\Context\LegacyExecutionContextFactory;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Exception\InvalidArgumentException;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Exception\ValidatorException;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Cache\CacheInterface;
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Loader\XmlFilesLoader;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Loader\YamlFileLoader;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Loader\YamlFilesLoader;
-use Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\LegacyValidator;
 use Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\RecursiveValidator;
 
 /**
@@ -393,14 +391,8 @@ public function getValidator()
             $translator->setLocale('en');
         }
 
-        if (Validation::API_VERSION_2_5 === $apiVersion) {
-            $contextFactory = new ExecutionContextFactory($translator, $this->translationDomain);
+        $contextFactory = new ExecutionContextFactory($translator, $this->translationDomain);
 
-            return new RecursiveValidator($contextFactory, $metadataFactory, $validatorFactory, $this->initializers);
-        }
-
-        $contextFactory = new LegacyExecutionContextFactory($metadataFactory, $translator, $this->translationDomain);
-
-        return new LegacyValidator($contextFactory, $metadataFactory, $validatorFactory, $this->initializers);
+        return new RecursiveValidator($contextFactory, $metadataFactory, $validatorFactory, $this->initializers);
     }
 }