There’s a number of changes coming to Apex Legends’ upcoming Season 9, from new Legend Valkyrie to the incredible challenge of the pulse-pounding Arenas. However, the most interesting change is coming to the game’s newest map, Olympus.
Introduced in Season 7, Olympus is a massive, sprawling map with a phase runner and a bizarre anomalous area. The map was well-received, but players definitely wanted some changes, and they’re getting them in the form of the haunting Icarus.
Players may have noticed ships looming in the background of the Olympus map recently. Starting with Season 9, their mystery will only deepen. The ships have crashed into Olympus, and one ship, in particular, the Icarus, has become a new area. The Icarus is a massive installation consisting of four major areas and a locked bridge that players can access — if they can find the keycard.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
But the Icarus is host to its own secrets. Aboard the crashing ships is a bizarre vegetation, as seen in the Season 9 gameplay trailer. The vegetation has spread throughout the entirety of the vessel, and while the devs were tightlipped about its origins during the recent Season 9 preview event we attended, they did hint that the arrival of the Icarus and the debut of Valkyrie were more than mere coincidence.
Apex has been known to make these types of map changes throughout the run of the game. The original map, King’s Canyon, underwent a radical shift when Crypto destroyed a chunk of it upon his debut in the game, leading to the Skull Town area dropping into the ocean and a new area opening up in its wake. Meanwhile, all three maps have seen Takeover locations geared towards specific Legends, such as Bloodhound’s Trials on World’s Edge, Caustic Treatment on King’s Canyon or Pathfinder’s Fight Night on Olympus. These areas become home to high-tier loot and a heavy concentration of landing parties, but rarely have they been so deeply integrated into the season’s ongoing narrative.
There are some other subtle changes from a meta standpoint being made to Olympus this season as well, with two of the map’s Redeploy Balloons being removed. According to the devs, these balloons were left in place initially due to concerns about the Trident vehicles not being viable enough as transportation. However, with the speed at which players were clearing the map, two Balloons were removed to ensure game balance.
It’s not yet known precisely how far the infestation goes, but with Apex’s ongoing narrative inching closer to Titanfall 2’s lore and the arrival of Valkyrie, it’s certain that Legacy will be one hell of a ride for Apex fans.
Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, Apex Legends is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Season 9: Legacy begins May 4 across all platforms.
About The Author
