Let’s face it: size matters when it comes to maps in Apex Legends. One of the biggest criticisms multiple maps have faced in Apex is map size, from comments that Storm Point is too big to be exciting to arguments that Kings Canyon is too small to be competitively balanced.
Obviously, these arguments and critiques are about more than just the sheer size of a map, but map size undoubtedly plays a large role as well. Storm Point is often lacking in fights because it is so large. If many of the teams in the lobby land in a similar place, while one team decides to land at a POI on the edge of the map, it’s not uncommon for that team to not sniff a fight until there are only a couple of teams left in the lobby. On the other hand, it’s difficult to have any fight at all on Kings Canyon without seeing a third party (or a fourth or fifth party, for that matter) partly because the map is so much smaller.
With that said, players might be eager to learn just how big the game’s newest map will be. Broken Moon comes on the heels of Storm Point, which was popular with many of the game’s pro players but not beloved by much of the game’s casual player base. At a time when neither the pros nor the casuals seem to be particularly loving the state of Apex, Broken Moon will have to walk a tightrope in trying to satisfy as many people on both sides of that divide as possible.
So, just how big is Broken Moon?
Broken Moon map size in Apex Legends
The short and simple answer is that Broken Moon will be Apex’s second-largest map, smaller than Storm Point and just slightly bigger than World’s Edge, according to Randolph Stayer, the principal level designer of the map.
Does that mean the map will play out exactly like World’s Edge since that seems to be the map that Broken Moon is closest in size to? Not exactly.
World’s Edge is dominated by its centralized POIs, Fragment East and Fragment West. Those two places are clearly the most popular spots for players to drop in any given match, and they feature multiple levels of engagement and many nooks and crannies where teams can land and find a gun before entering the fray.
Comparatively, Broken Moon doesn’t look like it will have one “big” POI that will become the go-to hot drop. Instead, the map looks like it will feature not necessarily as many named POIs as other maps, but there will be more large-scale POIs to choose from. These big POIs, like Terraformer, Atmostation, and Perpetual Core, are all designed to accommodate several teams that want to fight early and often but don’t necessarily want to drop in a place where they get no weapon at all and have to rely on luck in a melee battle with another squad.
In addition to the size of the map, Broken Moon’s zip rail system will have players zipping around the map more quickly than on a map like Storm Point or even World’s Edge. It’s a risk/reward proposition since the zip rails do leave players using them exposed, but they can transport teams that can’t find a fight into a fray quickly.
All in all, with the size of the map and the features added to it, Apex players can expect games on Broken Moon to play out a bit more quickly than those on Storm Point, while possibly maintaining a more competitive balance to fighting and third partying than in the game’s smaller maps.
Published: Oct 24, 2022 04:03 pm