With the impending launch of Apex Legends Season 8, the classic Kings Canyon map is on the verge of getting its biggest update yet; a transition to the new variant known as “Obliterated Kings Canyon“. This map redesign is one of the biggest features of Season 8, and following the release of the gameplay trailer, Respawn has offered fans more details about what they can expect from the change.
Apex Legends Season 8: Obliterated Kings Canyon
“When revisiting Kings Canyon, we wanted to tell a story that would extend over the course of the season while expanding the size of the map overall and introducing new rotations throughout,” explains Eduardo Agostini, World Director for Apex Legends; “The catalyst of all this was the epic ship crash in the North that opened up new gameplay, new real estate, and a story thread we could pay off over time.”
The biggest new addition to the map is Crash Site; the resting place of Fuse’s ship after his catastrophic arrival in Kings Canyon. Because the crash brought down a whole mountainside, this new area is part of the map which was previously unplayable. Players will be able to see a column of billowing smoke rising from the site, making it clearly visible from anywhere on the map. The ship itself serves as a fortress of sorts, with many platforms and firing points. Meanwhile, ECHO camps arranged around it serve as sources of loot and places to take cover.
Slum Lakes is no more in the new map, and has been replaced with “Spotted Lakes”. Because of fuel contamination, ECHO has taken over the area for clean-up, and a new Filtration Dam has been built. As such, the area has become much denser and more expansive, with zip-lines providing a quick path towards Crash Site. More ECHO camps can be found across Kings Canyon, and four of these contain observation towers; useful vantage points which you can manually raise. However, while these can be valuable, the sound of the tower rising up may give your position away.
Finally, another new addition are the Explosive Holds. These mobile armouries were originally stored in Fuse’s ship, and were scattered during the crash. These Holds serve as high-value loot caches. However, you’ll need to use an explosive to blast open the doors and get at what’s inside.