Apex Legends celebrated its 100 million player milestone with a taste of what’s to come. A new video released today hinted at the next legend to join the Apex Games and showed a possible map update to Olympus, alongside a date: April 19.
While it’s unclear what Respawn has planned for April 19, the date could mark a reveal or an in-game teaser for season nine, which is scheduled to debut early next month. The trailer, however, gave fans plenty to dissect as they wait until early next week.
New legend?
The end of the video shared a glimpse at someone who seems to be the next legend to join the fray in season nine. The character briefly flies on-screen, as if propelled by a jetpack. It’s hard to see anything but a silhouette. The way she’s presented in-air, however, could point toward a previously data-mined legend that’s been slated to join the game for some time.
Data miners uncovered a legend who’s supposedly able to fly in the game files. The character, known only as Valk, would be a Soaring Aviator and would have several abilities that allow her and her teammates to take vertical flight.
The addition of a flying legend could shake up the gameplay in Apex. Vertical mobility—for instance, with Horizon’s gravity lift or Octane’s updated jump pad—is a valuable resource and having a legend that can use that verticality to its fullest could have a monumental impact on how the game is played.
Possible map update
In addition to the new legend teaser, the video hinted at a possible change to Olympus. A screengrab shows a new part of the arena—and it boasts neon lights, a waterfall, and a familiar ship.
The new section of the arena could be a part of an upcoming map update to Olympus when the next season hits. The area looks like the plaza in Oasis, including the lake that stands above the underground lounge. The two symmetric builds, however, don’t appear in the picture. Instead, there are two light-up pillars with “Oasis” written on them.
The waterfall in the background of the screengrab is reminiscent of Research Basin, the elevated area between Turbine and Hammond Labs. The new section of the map, however, appears to be located on the edge of a map since the rightmost side of the screengrab looks like the end of the arena.
As part of the map update, the Mirage Voyage will presumably make its way to Psamathe after being in both World’s Edge and Kings Canyon. Mirage’s ship appears to be at the center of the new section and the legend appears in front of his boat on a few occasions during the trailer.
Respawn hasn’t officially confirmed any of this information and Apex fans will have to wait to learn more. With season nine quickly approaching, however, and the possibility of a big reveal on April 19, the wait may not be that long after all.
