Mixtape has become a staple part of Apex Legends’ available gameplay experiences since its addition in season 16, giving players an environment with much lower stakes and a much faster pace to enjoy Apex’s robust arsenal and gameplay loop. But it hasn’t seen many changes or updates since then and it’s due to receive a few additions to its game list.
Season 18’s launch is just around the corner on Aug. 8, and while Revenant’s rework is undoubtedly its premiere feature, the Mixtape playlist is also set to get some upgrades of its own. When Resurrection goes live, Mixtape’s game list will be updated to include three new maps taken from Broken Moon POIs: The Core formatted for Gun Run and Team Deathmatch, as well as Production Yard for Control.
It’s a set of updates that, according to design director Evan Nikolich, the team is “excited” to deliver to Mixtape in season 18. “We want to bring variety to the Apex experience, with Mixtape being a place to play in new and exciting ways,” he said in a recent press conference.
Related: Revenant’s rework transforms him into a fast, relentless hunter in Apex season 18
Both Broken Moon POIs were specifically chosen because they offer up different angles of gameplay compared to the maps currently in rotation for all three of Mixtape’s core game modes. “It’ll be a bit bigger than what you’ve played in the past,” Nikolich said while talking about The Core, which will play host to Gun Run and TDM in season 18. “We’ve added in some zip-rails to help rotations and open up some sightlines for different styles of gameplay.”
While The Core is setting the stage for longer ranges and a slower pace for these game modes than traditionally expected, Production Yard is doing the opposite for Control. “We’re aiming for a frenetic and intense close-quarters combat experience,” Nikolich said. That’s a far cry from the kind of experiences Control commonly offers, with a lot of wide open spaces surrounding each capture point leading to consistent long-range engagements instead.
Broken Moon makes for some welcome additions to Mixtape, but Respawn isn’t done by any means. Nikolich said Respawn is excited to “continue to evolve and grow Mixtape,” and that will undoubtedly involve more updates in future seasons once more battle royale maps make their way to Apex. But for now, this should be a perfect dose of freshness to make the arcade-like playlist feel reinvigorated for its player base.
You can try out Mixtape’s latest additions when Apex’s eighteenth season, Resurrection, launches on Tuesday, Aug. 8 across all platforms.
