Respawn is taking Apex and all of its legends to the beach. Make sure you pack your heat shields.
In the launch trailer for Escape, Apex’s 11th season, we finally get to see some little confirmations of leaks and rumors that have swirled around for months. Chief among them is the new battle royale map that seems to be coming to the game.
In addition to the trailer, the teasers on Olympus suggest that this new map is on the planet Gaea and is called Storm Point.
Bangalore’s hesitance at enjoying herself in the tropical destination is well-founded: The legends traveled to Gaea in season nine’s quest comic to find Carthage spiders, whose toxin they used to help cure the Legacy Antigen that sickened so many on Olympus. And while Bangalore didn’t make that trip, stuck in a hospital room while sick with the antigen herself, the teasers Respawn has lobbed players’ way hint that this won’t be her first time on the planet, either.
The trailer shows off plenty of varied terrain in the new setting, from pristine beaches to dense jungles and craggy mountains. It also reveals a host of wildlife the legends have to fight off. Apex is no stranger to PvE elements, with the season five quest and Bloodhound’s Trials on World’s Edge giving players waves of enemy AI to fight against. This looks like a whole new ball game, however: Prowlers, Carthage spiders, and even a flyer from Kings Canyon are cut down in the trailer. It looks like that “Escape” name for the season might end up being more literal than the nice, figurative, vacation-esque connotation of the word.
New legend Ash and some hints at what her abilities will be are also heavily featured in the trailer. Granted, Ash’s kit has been leaked heavily over the past couple of weeks, but it’s still cool to see some of these things in animated action and get some hints confirming those leaks. We see an electrical tether of some sort thrown onto the ground, which connects with Caustic and appears to incapacitate him before Ash finishes him off. We also see Ash throw a Pilot knife into a dead body, which seems to give her information on the location of more enemies. And finally, we see what’s rumored to be her ultimate ability, the portal she can create with the giant sword strapped to her back. We also see Ash creating many dead bodies with that sword—many, many dead bodies. So, you know, get excited for that.
Alongside a few other goodies, like a peek at the new C.A.R. SMG and hints at a continued storyline between Horizon and Ash, the Escape launch trailer should give players plenty to chew on. The new season begins in just a few short weeks, but a gameplay trailer comes out on Oct. 25 to help tide people over until then.
