Two years and 100 million players after its release, Apex Legends has continued to bet on a battle royale formula that allowed us to enjoy the frenzy of first person shooters as outstanding as Titanfall 2, while incorporating new mechanics to the genre.
Respawn Entertaiment y Electronic Arts lanzan on May 4, season nine of Apex Legends, known as Legacy. The team in charge of the game has been telling us all the details of this new content of the battle royale, while we enjoyed a hands-on on PC where we have tested all the news.
Apex Legends Legacy is the most important update to date, as pointed out by Chad Grenier, director of the game. It introduces key aspects that represent the next step towards the formation of Apex as a much more complete game and full of possibilities. Get ready, because the legends jump to a new way of understanding this title. Let's get to know Arenas mode, the legacy of the Apex Predators.
Arenas: the tactical Apex Legends that moves away from battle royale
Let's start with what is, without a doubt, the great addition of this new season. With the arrival of Arenas mode, Apex Legends slightly changes its identity as a battle royale to offer a completely different experience than what we had seen so far.
Las Arenas is a new game mode that introduces a tactical system to its consecrated formula. It's about a Deeply competitive 3 vs 3 gameplay that adapts what is seen in shooters like CS: GO or Valorant to the characteristic Apex identity. How is this accomplished? Through a series of changes and proposals that, we already advance, feel like a glove to the game. Tactical Apex Legends? Good grief, tactical on top.
Robert West, lead designer in this way, told us the key points that make Arenas an essential addition to Apex Legends. It is time to put aside the battle royale, but not what we have learned over these two years. Las Arenas is a fast-paced and rejuvenating game mode.
As we have already mentioned, these are three-on-three matches in which the legends will start from opposite sides of smaller maps designed to support very intense combat that takes place in a short time. With a multi-round format, the games will evolve with each victory and defeat.
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The main change is found at the beginning of the game, beyond selecting our legend (that works the same), it is the looting that has been transformed. Instead, players will need to stock up on weapons, supplies, shields, and more in a pre-combat phase. As in the tactical games we mentioned above, this store will increase its possibilities as rounds go by and we get more points. The entire arsenal of the game is available for points.
Once we have completed the due transactions, we are ready to fight. This is where we find the essence of Apex Legends, but with a more direct touch. The maps are much smaller, yet large enough to offer different forms of attack and defense. In addition, due to the varied scenarios we find some supplies such as shields or essences that will allow us to get extra points in the store for the next rounds.
The combat is, in short, pure Apex Legends and it works the same way as in battle royale mode. Each round is a deathmatch and a team's victory is based on the elimination of all three members of the opposing team. If we are knocked down, our companions will be able to revive us, but there will be no more opportunities. Of course, the area will be reduced with the classic lethal storm that limits the scene.
Arenas is designed to be an evolving mode and in later rounds, by accessing more "money" in the store, we can get better weapons, make them level up, add accessories or buy uses of skills for our legends. Because, indeed, Respawn has wanted to ensure that the abilities do not break this proposal, so we will not be able to use an unlimited number of them.
Who wins a game of Arenas? That team that manages to prevail in three rounds, with the obligation to win by a margin of two. That is, if two teams meet 2-2, they will reach a tiebreaker consisting of three extra rounds. If in these, no team achieves two victories in a row, it will come to a sudden death that will decide everything.
At the moment, we were able to play in three different maps, each based on one of the three scenarios that already exist in battle royale. Canyon of the Kings (Artillery area), End of the World (a new complex) and Olympus. They all feel different and offer changing strategies. Ranged combat, space generation, coverage, height design, etc.
We have been able to play a few games in Arenas mode and we anticipate that it is a different and varied style that allows us to know another Apex Legends. For those of you who like competition or just want to play a few shorter games, Arena mode seems to be a key and very successful addition. Of course, Arenas is here to stay, since it will be a permanent mode, which will also have changes and updates. As a negative point, perhaps this mode can saturate something else, although it is a more than necessary complement for those who already have the battle royale very trite.
Valkyria: Legacy of the Great Titans
The Arenas is not the only thing that comes to Apex Legends and it is that, someone will be able to enter the new mode and also in the battle royale offering a high-flying gameplay. We will not receive the rumored titans this season, but we do have the daughter of one of the most famous pilots in history.
Valkyrie is the new legend that arrives in season 9 and it is, neither more nor less, than the legacy of Vyper, the pilot we defeated in Titanfall 2. This character drastically changes the way of playing, since it has a jetpack (clearly linked to the Northstar-class Titan) that will allow you to fly over the skies of each map. Of course, this is an incredible advantage, although it has limited use. In addition, the use of this accessory generates a lot of noise, so it manages to partially balance the scale for the enemy team.
From the skies, Valkyrie can see everything or reach areas that are difficult to access. If the player wishes to shoot while airborne, it will take a while for Valkyrie to switch from the jetpack to the weapon, so that it is not so unfair. However, it will be in the air where we can get more out of this legend.
His active ability unleashes a missile barrage similar to the one in Bangalore.. It is not as damaging, but has a stunning effect that can be deadly to the enemy. On the other hand, his ultimate will serve to change the course of combat. Basically, Valkyrie is projected high into the sky and then can descend in the same way as when starting a game. Plus, in the process, teammates will be able to climb onto it to fly off together in love and company.
After having tested the Valkyrie power, we anticipate that it is a well-designed character and that, despite its great utility, it is balanced enough not to break the game. We will see how it evolves, but so far, we think it is one of the best additions that has been compared to previous seasons.
Bow and arrows: welcome the Bocek
An Apex Legends season wouldn't be the same without a new weapon available. On this occasion, we get the Arco Bocek, a classic of any shooting game, that offers a few possibilities. Daniel Klein, Lead Game Designer, joked that Apex Legends was now a true video game, since it already had a jetpack and a bow.
The Bocek is a bow And as such, it offers a style of play that you have already seen in proposals such as Overwatch or even Call of Duty. In Apex, this weapon offers two "types" of ammunition: one that allows melee combat and that charges the arrows at a devilish speed and another "dead eye tempo" that allows to obtain extra damage with a draw and a shot executed in the Key moment. If we miss, the arrows will be able to recover wherever they hit.
In the hands-on we do not miss the opportunity to believe ourselves Legolas and although it is very gratifying to shoot arrows and see how they impact at a great distance, it is most likely that, once it is no longer a novelty, this weapon will be relegated to a use more secondary or directly more linked to the most skilled players. It is not easy to hit and that is especially punished in a game like this.
Apart from all this, Respawn has prepared noticeable changes in Olympus, map that will be affected by a gigantic parasitic silver that will shape the future of the future changes of Season 9. New zones and changes are added waiting to see how things will evolve with the passage of the season. Of course, we must not forget elements such as a new battle pass, emotes or extra challenges.
Ultimately, Apex Legends Legacy adds the necessary ingredients to form an attractive menu. The battle royale will have its good portion of content thanks to Valkyrie, the bow, the changes in its maps and other adjustments and the game in general, will benefit from a newer formula thanks to the Arenas mode. Are you ready to witness the Legacy?
