After a devstream tease of what’s coming in Season 4 of Apex Legends including surprise reveal of who the new legend is, Respawn has released the gameplay trailer for Assimilation which kicks off tomorrow, February 4. With a first look at what players can expect from Revenant, the new legend and some of the rewards that players can get, Respawn has also detailed how the map of World’s Edge has changed.
Jason McCord, the Design Director on Apex Legends said, “our main goal for a map update, on the design side is to make new decisions.” McCord says that the team wants “to offer new ways for you to approach the game, and in this case the map, so that each drop, rotation, and gunfight feels as fresh as possible.”
One of the ways they’ve done that is with The Plant Harvester. The beam that the Harvester emits can be seen from the whole map so that players can get “a better sense of directionality and understanding of the center of the map.” The Plant Harvester will bring lots of new gameplay options to the game with its large, multi-level design. Fights in and around The Plant Harvester are isolated enough due to squads having to enter the center of the structure through long hallways. It should make defending the location easier from third parties as well.
The Plant Harvester caused giant lava-filled faults to rapture which has split the Capitol City in two where the majority of the action took place as players landed in Season 3. The split is to “allow teams some breathing room to control one side after the drop, reducing the risk of running into 3rd parties from the other side of the city.”
Separating the Capitol City in the middle is The Updraft which takes place of the fissure that was in the original design of the map. It was created so players don’t feel like they had an unfair experience playing in the area only to fall into the fissure. If you fall, you will be carried back up slowly but you will take 25 damage which is consistent every time you drop into it. Because you are climbing back up slowly, it leaves you open and vulnerable to enemy players
McCord said that “competitive integrity is always a big factor while designing new features, and our main concern with this feature was allowing players to escape fights they are losing by sliding into the fissure and sailing away. We think the damage and slow rise makes players respect the gap while in a firefight, while, in calmer moments, allowing players to have fun and experiment with this new space without the risk of immediate death.”
Survey Camp is a new small area generated by World’s Edge. It was created to relieve the pressure of locations like Capitol City, Refinery and Epicenter. One of the things that makes it a very unique area is the introduction of weapon racks which are only found in this location.
Weapon racks will have guaranteed weapons placed on them in the small buildings of Survey Camp. Weapon racks were implemented to “give players who prioritize a good weapon over a premier drop location a new decision to make.”