Apex season 13 introduces IMC armories, a new PvE mini-game on Storm Point

Alongside Newcastle’s bombastic arrival to the Apex Games, Apex Legends’ next season, Saviors, will also bring multiple map updates to Storm Point. One of these map updates delves deeper into Storm Point’s focus on PvE encounters within the battle royale experience, introducing four IMC armories loaded with new “smart” loot bins and a lot of security detail for a new PvE mini-game.

These armories re-emerged on the island in response to the threat of the great sea creature seen in Saviors’ launch trailer. The IMC built them as automated conflict support structures but never put them to use during the Frontier War. This means they are packed with high-tier loot, dotted all around Storm Point for teams that seek them out. Weapons are readily available in racks within, but that high-tier loot will require fighting off waves of AI enemies in the form of Spectres, automated infantry first seen in Titanfall.

The system is similar to Bloodhound’s Trials on World’s Edge, but with a few key updates and evolutions to make the locations more enticing to ransack. For starters, once the IMC armory’s defenses have been activated at the press of a button, the entrance closes behind the team inside. This prevents other teams from potentially being able to grief the squad while they are fighting the Spectres. The wave defense mini-game also has a set time limit of 60 seconds, with your earned loot being based on how many waves you defeat within that time frame.

The loot changes and transforms in this way thanks to a new type of loot bin introduced next season in the IMC armories: smart loot bins. These generate loot that aims to be upgrades or attachments to loot you already have, like an improved barrel for your R-301 or a purple shield to replace your blue one. The quality of these upgrades in the bins might increase with the amount of Spectre waves you successfully destroy. An efficient squad of three should leave the IMC armory kitted-out to meet whatever teams may be waiting for them outside once the 60 seconds are up.

At a press conference last week, Respawn emphasized that Storm Point’s identity is in its PvE-infused features. The IMC armories represent further additive changes that dial in on that theme in new ways. Answering one question on the flexibility of these new map toys, senior game designer Samantha Kalman suggested we could see them on other maps in the future as well.

“While we are starting with them on Storm Point exclusively, depending on the player reception and if the community really resonates with them, they could be added and moved to other maps as well,” Kalman said.

Players can dive into the IMC armories alongside Storm Point’s new POI, the Downed Beast, when Apex season 13, Saviors, goes live on May 10. These sweeping map updates are joined by hundreds of smaller announced quality-of-life changes to make Storm Point feel like an altogether more cohesive gameplay experience.

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