There are plenty of games that have been trying to perfect the season structure that most live service games have adopted, but perhaps none get it as right as Apex Legends. With each new seasonal update, the team at Respawn Entertainment changes the game in significant ways, and the upcoming Season 10 is no different. With the new Legend, Seer, being added to the roster as well as the rampage LMG, there's plenty of new content for fans to sink their teeth into.
As many Apex Legends fans know, however, not everything is always new from season to season, but many things get major changes. While Legend and weapon rebalancing and changes to care package items are exciting, nothing is as exciting as when the game's maps get major overhauls. Season 10's focus is on the World's Edge map and, this time, Respawn isn't pulling any punches. The changes to the map will have some significant ramifications for those already familiar with it, but it will seemingly expand the possibilities of each combat encounter. Here are all the major differences coming to the map when Apex Emergence launches.
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While the rest of the changes to World's Edge will be either removing assets, adding them, or both, the gondolas that are being added to the map are the only truly new mechanic headed to Apex for Season 10. They're going to be bringing a new element to the game's strategy as they'll be constantly moving back and forth over the many new lava pits that have sprung up. Players will have to decide if they want to wait to be ferried across the lava fissures while being open to attack or take the much longer, but possibly safer, route around.
World's Edge already has plenty of areas covered in lava, but the Apex Emergence update is adding more. Starting in the northern regions of the map, a giant lava fissure will be stretching from what was once the Refinery (now the Climatizer) past the Epicenter and down to Fragment East. For those looking to get across the newly formed fissure, plenty of bridges and routes are available, however, they serve as mini-choke points, so travelers beware. The northern lava fissure also doesn't have the updraft lift mechanic like some of its other fissure counterparts.
As mentioned above, the northern-based Refinery is no more in Season 10. Now, it's been replaced by the Climatizer, a much larger area consisting of two discrete buildings separated by the new lava fissure. According to Apex Legends Senior Level Designer, Garrett Metcalf, the Climatizer was made bigger to house more loot and draw more players to the northern regions of the map. Both buildings are pretty large and have multiple levels to them allowing them to host more squads, more loot, and more action.
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One of the more popular areas to drop first in World's edge is the Train Yard. Unfortunately for those who prefer making the Train Yard their first stop, it's going to be heavily altered and mostly demolished to become the Landslide. While a handful of the loot-filled train cars will still be around, they've mostly been taken out of the game to allow for the area to be less of a hot zone and clear things up for those using the tunnel from Fragment West. The Landslide will still have a comparable amount of loot dropped on it as the Train Yard did, but these changes will hopefully allow for the area to have quicker combat and less congestion.
The large conveyor belt-filled factory located in the southern half of World's Edge known as the Sorting Factory is no more and is being replaced by the Lava Siphon when Apex Season 10 starts. Similar to the Climatizer, the Lava Siphon consists of two buildings separated by lava, however, unlike the Climatizer buildings, the lava is in a giant lake and not a skinny fissure. This is where the newly added Gondolas will be located to allow players to choose whether they want to ride across or take the long way around the lava. There's plenty of space for squads to spread out and loot, however, the Lava Siphon is also likely going to be a major area of contention because of its size and loot pool.
As with any battle royale, knowing how to get from place to place and which routes are most likely to be filled with enemies lying in wait is essential to success. The mountains behind Overlook now have a small passageway that allows for squads to have some more options when backed into a corner. Additionally, there are new underground passages through the mountains connecting Overlook and Geyser. These new passages are connected to the original ones, however, branch off to allow for more options.
Previous updates to Apex Legends have changed World's Edge into a more sunset-lit arena, however, it wasn't always that way. It used to have a more neutral daytime look and the sunset effect was added after its introduction. With the rollout of Season 10, the neutral daytime filter is back making the entire map much brighter as a result.
Additionally, the map's skybox will still keep some of the orange and red colors in some areas, but be replaced with a much bluer sky more akin to Olympus and Kings Canyon. The darker colors won't be lost entirely thanks to the glow of the lava on the blacks and browns of the surrounding areas, but the new skybox should make the map much more diverse in terms of look.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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