Apex Season 9 is called Apex Legacy and the title couldn’t be more apt for so many different reasons.
We want to thank EA for allowing us to playtest this game early.
This season is like nothing we have ever seen before. It has stepped out of the realms of Battle Royal and has transcended/morphed/levelled up into something unexpected but necessary in the forever changing space that is the gaming industry.
Apex Legends is a battle royale game – different characters known as Legends have various abilities that a player can pick and battle it out on 3 known Maps – Kings Canyon / World’s Edge and Olympus.
Every Season typically introduces a new legend or some major change to a known map. . Occasionally we get a new weapon. Very rarely do we get an entirely new map.
Apex Legends is set in the world of the critically acclaimed Titanfall universe and through the different seasons of the game characters from Titanfall have been hinted at – involved in some way. But never before has the world of Titanfall and Apex merged so richly as they do in Season 9.
The new legend this season is Kairl Imahara callsign Valkyrie the daughter of none other than the villainous Viper from Titanfall 2.
The very same villain that the protagonist from Titanfall 2 kills in a death-defying battle in the sky – he is famously known as one of the hardest Titans to fight and a line he states over and over again has become a tagline for the game: ‘Your journey ends here pilot. The skies belong to me. Nowhere to run, Nowhere to hide.’
Kairi Imahara callsign Valkyrie
Vipers daughter has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a pilot.
Whiles, she isn’t part of the Apex Predators like her father, she does have access to his Titan, which with the help of a fellow Legend Rampart she scraps and repurposes it into something different. Her abilities incorporate the strength and majesty of Titans.
Her passive ability is VTOLJETS – akin to a double jump feature but a little more velocity that sends Valkyrie up into the sky for a short time.
Her tactical is a missile swarm – an array of mini-rockets that damages and disorientates enemies.
Her ultimate is a Skyward dive – this sends Valkyrie and her team (if they choose) soaring into the very Heavens and skydiving down.
As with most new seasons, a new weapon and changes to old weapons are generally expected and fans aren’t left disappointed. There is not only a new weapon but a return to the floor of a fan favourite. The Peacekeeper has come out of the care package and is ready to start keeping peace again as ground loot. The Tripletake has taken its place in the care package.
The new weapon is called a Bocek – a bow that is beautifully crafted and just as deadly. It comes with two different hop-ups which turns it from powerful to downright dangerous.
The new weapon is called a Bocek – a bow that is beautifully crafted and just as deadly.
Similar to last season there has been a change to one of the maps – this time Olympus has drawn the short end of the stick and has suffered something termed as an infestation.
A fleet of mercenaries have made their way to the utopian paradise of Olympus and a deadly plant has killed several people and infested the buildings changing some parts of the map. The story will be explained fully through the weekly in-game comics that are available once a player collects an in-game treasure pack.
Olympus
Arenas is a 3vs3 combat mode. Two teams fight it out and the team that scores 3 wins back-to-back is named champion. In arenas, you fight on 3 scaled-down versions of the maps we know and love. With a significant difference. The maps rotate every fifteen minutes which is roughly the length of a standard 3vs3 match.
Map 1 is Artillery – the very same Artillery in Kings Canyon – with no additional differences.
Map 2 is Phase Runner – a hybrid map that incorporates the phase runners of Olympus with elements of survey camp in World’s Edge.
Map 3 is Party Crasher – another hybrid map that incorporates Mirage’s party ship with elements of Bonsai Plaza in Olympus.
As the matches progress – more points are given and stronger weapons, attachments and items can be purchased.
In the arena, mode players can pick their weapons with pre-set points they get at the start of the match. Stronger weapons are worth more points. So it stands to reason that the Mozambique should be free.
As the matches progress – more points are given and stronger weapons, attachments and items can be purchased. Collecting materials in the game will lead to more points as will winning a match.
This is the biggest update Apex Legends has had and it is by far the most audacious undertaking. Personally, I was completely blown away – the arena mode is nothing short of genius. It brings a fresh new take on the Apex games whiles still maintaining the same mechanics/abilities and load-outs that we are used to. In keeping with doing everything bigger and better this season – the game is rich with so much lore. Ash from Titanfall 2 is in charge of the arenas and is the announcer.
The infestation of Olympus is done by mercenaries in Titanfall2. What sets Apex apart from other battle royale games is its commitment to the story of the world that we play in. There is so much that is done and that can be done – from the trailers to the origin stories to the comic strips – the story is the true heart of the Apex games. This may be the biggest update Apex has ever had but it won’t be the last.
I can’t recommend this game enough and Season 9 is a glorious thing to behold. Apex Season 9 drops on May the fourth – be with you. It’s available on Steam – Origin / Switch / PlayStation and Xbox. A mobile version is also in the works.
Annabel
Melanin Gamers - Founder & Writer
The founder & director of Melanin Gamers.
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