Some big changes are coming in Apex Legends’ upcoming Season 9. On top of a new legend, Valkyrie, and some weapon changes, the most significant new addition is the deadly Arenas.
Spoken of briefly in the lore, the Arenas are essentially qualifiers. While the Apex Games are all about the spectacle of being a Legend and putting on a show, the Arenas are about brutal violence and putting down opponents in hopes of becoming a Legend. CBR was given some hands-on time with Apex Legend’s Season 9 gameplay, and we found the brand new Arena mode to be so fun that it may rival the traditional 60-man battle royale mode.
WHERE ARE THE ARENAS?
Ran by Ash, another Titanfall 2 boss who recently resurfaced in Apex Legends’ comic-driven story mode, the Arenas are peppered throughout the worlds of Apex. The Arenas will rotate maps like the regular modes but only consists of five maps.
The first map, Phase Runner, is set in a secluded area in the mountains of King’s Canyon, wherein an experimental, dilapidated phase runner still exists. The phase runner is open on both starting ends, meaning players on both teams who opt to use the phase runner can find themselves quickly thrown into a battle. Outside of this, Phase Runner is a bit of a trek, encouraging long-to-mid-range skirmishes.
The second, Party Crasher, takes place aboard the fan-favorite Mirage Voyage location, which has crash-landed in the downtown Plaza area. Players familiar with the giant ship will find many recognizable sites in the area, but it’s buried in the ground and may not be coming back up in the air anytime soon.
The remaining maps are made of key areas from the game’s other three maps -- Thermal Station from World’s Edge, Artillery from King’s Canyon and Golden Gardens from Olympus -- offering players familiar battlegrounds to spill blood on. The five will rotate in and out, with the two new maps always in rotation and one reworked map available for two weeks before rotating out. The team at Respawn has already stated more maps are in the works.
HOW THE ARENAS WORK
In the Arena, matches start like any other in Apex. You’ll be in a squad of three but won’t be thrown right into the match. Instead, you’ll load into a Shop screen. From here, you’ll have a limited amount of Materials you can spend to purchase guns, items and special abilities. After each round, though, any purchases are lost, and you’ll have to start over. Ash will give you more materials each round, and still more if you win the round.
Arenas are best of three with a two-match gap. This means your shortest Arenas match will be three rounds, but a more evenly matched team can go up to nine. Rounds themselves are much like Apex rounds, and you’ll have the ability to pick up downed teammates. However, there are no respawns ships, so once you’re in a death box, you’re done.
The matches here are meant to be based purely around skill, so there are no character counters. Sure, some abilities are incredibly useful -- Caustic’s gas traps and Bloodhound’s Eye of the Allfather are both powerful abilities for keeping your enemies locked down. Ultimately, though, it’s all going to come down to gunplay and weapon mastery, so make sure you’re grabbing weapons and abilities you’re good with.
The Arena definitely fills a gap in Apex’s gameplay that has been sorely missing, allowing for a much more frenetic pace than the more drawn-out battle royale mode. With new maps on the horizon, a new Legend to rule the skies, and all the action Apex has come to be known for, Arenas is sure to blow up fast.
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.