A new season has arrived inApex Legends, and with it comes some massive changes to Olympus. Benched during the last season, Olympus has had a major facelift, with some entirely new regions added and — for the first time inApex Legendshistory — with some points of interest (POIs) moving to a whole new location.
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The map itself has even plummeted out of the sky, and Duardo Silva (Octane’s evil dad) has placed the blame onthe game’s new legend, Mad Maggie. With new bits of cover that have got stuck in the city thanks to experimental phase technology, there’s a lot to go over. But those who learn the secrets of the new Olympus are sure to dominate the Apex Games.
10Redeploy Balloons Were Removed
Apexhas long suffered from excessive third-parties. As soon as players hear fighting, they rush in and decimate the victors while they’re still weak. Respawn have highlighted the redeploy balloons at two locations as being particularly useful in third-partying: Solar Array and Hammond Labs.
In order to reduce the third-party potential in these regions, the developers have removed these balloons entirely. If you want to move around those areas quickly, you’d better play as Valkyrie, grab a Trident, or hit the road now — because it’s going to take you a while.
9There’s A New Hallway Near Rift
Old Olympus had a lot of chokepoints. If squads camped these chokes while the ring was coming in, they could put incredible pressure on the incoming team, often times dooming them to an early demise.
To fix this issue, Respawn have added a new door in a recessed hallway inside the tunnel leading from Turbine into Rift. While it’s not the biggest area to fight in, it at least allows squads to approach from two angles rather than just the one. Only time will tell if this new hallway lives up to the hype. Until it’s proven itself, you’re probablybetter off carrying a heat shield.
8There’s A New City Underneath Olympus
When Respawn first introduced Olympus, it was high in the clouds above the planet Psamathe (homeworld of Lifeline, Octane, Horizon, and Pathfinder). When Duardo Silva sabotaged Olympus’ phase technology, the city teleported out of the sky and landed just above one of Psamathe’s many megacities.
Next time you’re at the edge of the map or near one of Olympus’ many holes in the ground, glance downward and check out the new skybox. It adds a nice touch of detail to a previously-empty horizon.
7High-tier Loot Bins Were Moved To Docks
For those in the know, the loot bin that was guaranteed to have a high-tier loot drop on top of the Waterfall overlooking Hammond Labs has been moved. It’s now residing in the most remote corner of the map, on the north end of Docks. Respawn’s data shows players almost never land at Docks, so they probably hope guaranteeing a purple mag or two may encourage players to give the underused POI a chance.
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WhilePathfinder’s nearby town takeover at Fight Night is a blastto take part in, Docks has always suffered from being out the way and visually unappealing. Whether the loot bins will be enough is up for debate, but the area was in sore need of some TLC.
6New Cover From The Void
When Duardo Silva sabotaged Olympus, phasing it into its new location, he inadvertently got several giant objects stuck in Shifted Grounds. This new ghostly looking cover appears to still be half-stuck in the void.
While the new ground cover can only be found in Shifted Grounds and Phase Driver, players only need to look up to notice that tons of other objects, including starships, have gotten stuck in Olympus’ balloons. Maybe Wraith will be able to speak to this new cover from the void; after all,she’s got the passive for it.
5Icarus and Solar Array Have Moved
For the first time ever, rather than simplydestroying a POI and replacing it with rubble, Respawn have moved a couple zones instead. The Icarus, a spaceship carrying giant space-vines, made its first appearance in the last Olympus update. It’s docked next to the Solar Array, and while the two POIs are still conjoined, they’ve been pushed outward toward the edge of the map.
The POIs themselves haven’t really changed. However, there’s a new region called Shifted Grounds that has been added to connect Solar Array with Bonsai Plaza and the new Phase Driver. Shifted Grounds is basically a grassy hillside with a couple bits of cover, but it does offer teams new rotations around the map.
4Respawn Relocated Survey Beacons
Survey beacons reveal the ring’s next location to a Recon player’s squad, making them incredibly useful in the later rounds of a game — especially in high level competitive play. However, since some survey beacons were located in easily defensible positions, Respawn have chosen to move the beacons at Gardens and Hammond Labs’ Waterfall.
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While the beacons are still on the map, teams will need to decide whether they want a safe position in the current ring or intel on where to head next. Then again, they could always just useCrypto’s drone, which received its own buff this season.
3The New Connector Between Hydroponics & Phase Driver
With the introduction of Phase Driver, Respawn’s level designers have added a new open bit of ground between the new POI and Hydroponics. Previously, this area was mostly negative space, with only a circular Trident bridge connecting the two zones.
Now that Defiance has launched, players will have a new way to cross the map and loot while doing it. There’s not much to see here — the ground is brown and not very nice to look at. But the addition of loot bins, a couple buildings, and additional cover are welcome changes to a previously-empty location.
2Terminal (New POI)
Another major change to Olympus’ southside is Terminal, a new POI that replaces a previous exterior chokepoint underneath the Phase Runner. Now, players can go inside this cavernous new location that connects Hammond Labs to the new Shifted Grounds north of Bonsai Plaza.
Unlike the previous chokepoint, Terminal has five entrances, meaning players will be able to experiment with the way they move around this part of the map — especially during fights. While Terminal is a great new addition to Olympus, previous map changes have removed someawesome places — some of which might soon make a return.
1Phase Driver (New POI)
The most spectacular and rewarding new POI is probably Phase Driver. Located in the south end of the map, the Phase Driver uses the same technology that Wraith and Ash use to generate their portals.
While the area is mainly filled with loot bins, the Phase Driver has a trick up its sleeve. Interact with one of its two consoles and watch as it spawns three cargo orbs, one of which is guaranteed to be gold. Players can interact multiple times with the consoles, meaning squads can expect to pick up some decent attachments if they stick around long enough. Just watch out, because other squads can hear the Phase Driver revving up.
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