Many major locations are getting major overhauls.


Respawn has just laid out their plans on what fans should expect in the fourth season of Apex Legends. Season 4, entitled Assimilation, is slated to launch on February 4 across all platforms that Apex Legends is currently available on. These platforms obviously including PC via Origin, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Right out of the gate, Respawn design director Jason McCord, provides insight on why these changes were made and what they mean for you.

First off, McCord says that the main goal for the map update is to get players to make new decisions. Those of you who have been playing Apex Legends probably already has a favorite landing location, or a handful of favorites depending on the circumstances. This led to a lot of games feeling a bit too similar as the season progresses.

The design team's goal for Season 4 is to entice players to mix up their drops as often as possible. They want "each drop, rotation, and gunfight (to feel) as fresh as possible." This means that areas that you thought you knew will offer new surprises.

Right from the start, players will notice the Planet Harvester in World's Edge. The bright red beam can be seen from every corner of the island, providing players with a persistent sense of direction as it's located near the center of the map.


Thanks to the work of the Planet Harvester, Capital City is now split in half. This location has been split in two as a result of the Planet Harvester cracking open some giant lava-filled faults. These rifts can be traversed by using ziplines, fallen skyscraper bridges, or character abilities in a pinch. Respawn also realized that falling into these fissures would probably suck and may actually push players away from even wanting to go to near them. Fortunately, they implemented a way that both avoids your unfortunate demise while also being somewhat balanced.

Should you jump into a fissure, you will be slowly carried back up thanks to the heat. As heat rises, so will your character. It's just pure science! Your character will be allowed to glide on over to the land on the other side. And while the fall may not kill you, it will take 25 damage from you thanks to it being really damn hot. Again, science. The balance also comes in the speed in which you glide on over. That speed being "slow." It's also done in third person view. This all combines to leave you open for attack from any watchful eyes.

There is now also a small point of interest in the area between Epicenter and Skyhook. It's called Survey Camp and was "created to relieve the pressure of locations like Capital City, Refinery, and Epicenter." The smallish size of Survey Camp led to another new feature to the game: Weapon Racks.

Weapon Racks will guarantee that you get a weapon. They are being added around the map for those that may "prioritize a good weapon over a premier drop location."

Earlier, Respawn talked up some of the changes coming to Ranked Leagues in Season 4, plus get some free Anniversary Gifts just by logging in when Season 4 starts.