When Apex Legends Season 21 kicks off subsequent week, the sport’s fifth battle royale map, Broken Moon, will lastly be getting a facelift. That is the longest any battle royale map in Apex Legends has gone and not using a main replace, as each different map has gotten a everlasting format change inside two seasons of launching. Broken Moon, which was added in Season 15, is just now getting new focal point landmarks and changes to the environment–that’s six seasons later.
“We have been working exhausting on a variety of content material,” Apex Legends lead degree designer Steve Younger informed me after I requested why changes for Broken Moon took longer than standard. “I feel on the map facet of things–and clearly Broken Moon will not be the one factor that we have been targeted on, however to that end–I might say that this can be a fairly heavy carry so far as the adjustments that you will see. And yeah, it has been a protracted journey, however I am actually completely happy personally with the place Broken Moon is, and I truthfully assume that followers are going to dig it too. [Also,] now we have a variety of lively maps proper now. These are very detailed maps and now we have to maintain up with all of them and develop new maps on the facet.”
Essentially the most notable adjustment to Broken Moon is the destruction of Promenade, the centralmost POI that acts as a serious chokepoint given its lengthy, snake-like construction. It isn’t unusual to search out your self contending with three or 4 different squads (or extra!) when you resolve to rotate by that location within the latter half of a match as a result of that is when lots of people select to take action (or are pressured to relying how the ring is closing). This has led many gamers to actively keep away from the landmark altogether. In Promenade’s place, Broken Moon is getting a brand-new POI known as Quarantine.
“Since we principally nuked Promenade–which I assume lots of people could also be completely happy about, I do not know, however maybe–the entire heart of the map needed to obtain a reasonably important replace,” Younger mentioned. “Which implies that rotations and chokes and all of the connective tissue [of the map] is way more intentional and intuitive, and that is all to accommodate the redesigned heart of the map, the Quarantine zone.”
Broken Moon has a novel type of transportation often called zip rails–long, yellow rails that curve and twist across the map. In the event you seize one, you are propelled alongside the road, regularly choosing up pace. Their main goal is to assist squads in shifting concerning the outskirts of the (frankly, too large) map earlier than the primary ring begins closing. As well as, all of the rail tracks finally funnel towards the middle, serving to squads get from one half of the map to the opposite. Beforehand, that meant all roads result in Promenade. Not anymore.
[Zip rails] used to bleed into the middle and form of funnel everybody there,” Younger mentioned. “And so yeah, a variety of these have been eliminated and it’s exhausting to name out specifics, however let’s simply say all the connective tissue has acquired a reasonably important replace throughout the map, however particularly main into the brand new Quarantine zone. After which now we have, in my view, probably the most artistic and enjoyable use of zip rails within the Quarantine zone itself, particularly proper now. They’re designed primarily as a rotational device throughout the POI as a result of it is lots quicker paced, nevertheless it’s extra… managed chaos, I assume, is an efficient method of placing it. You are now going to have the ability to establish threats and formulate a method for navigate by there. So you’ll be able to both use the zip rails throughout the POI–they’re solely contained throughout the POI–to both rotate or when you simply wish to make a very large spectacular play off them, that is straightforward to do now too. Nicely, straightforward when you’re like [Apex Legends balance game designer] John Larson.”
The narrative reasoning for Quarantine’s addition is that after Apex Legends’ third map, Olympus, collided with Broken Moon and destroyed Promenade, alien eggs of an unknown species have been found and the situation was coordinated off. Badly, evidently, if the legends are nonetheless utilizing the area as a battleground for his or her blood sport however that is neither right here nor there. Regardless, I requested if this may trace at future PvE components coming to Broken Moon, just like the prowler dens and spider nests on Storm Level.
“No,” Younger responded, chuckling. “It helps contextualize the containment zone space that was arrange, so the eggs themselves are inside these storage containers that you may have a look at. I am simply making an attempt to hype up how ridiculous the biome replace is as a result of it genuinely seems and seems like a brand-new map, and that was one cause I used to be calling [the eggs] particularly out, however now I am realizing I must be a bit bit extra cautious.”
Alongside Quarantine, Broken Moon is receiving a number of smaller changes throughout the map, in addition to the addition of some smaller POIs injected between the bigger ones. The map can also be getting a beauty facelift–the light greens and pinks of grass and shrubbery will rework into sharp reds and purples, and the beforehand clear skies will now seem like Broken Moon has been transported to a different, extra alien realm within the Titanfall multiverse, doubtless in reference to Season 21’s new playable legend, Alter, a tiefling-looking villain who can stroll by partitions.