Kings Canyon was the very first Apex Legends map, so it should come as no surprise that it has undergone the most changes since the game’s launch. Season 14: Hunted is bringing even more adjustments to the map, including a brand-new POI and alterations to existing popular spots. The team even created a new skybox for Kings Canyon, while also going through and re-lighting the entire map to breathe new life into it.
During a press event last week, Respawn’s lead level designer for the Kings Canyon changes, Jeff Shaw, went into detail on what players can expect to see after the Season 14 update goes live.
In terms of lore, players who follow the story will know that Loba destroyed Kings Canyon’s Skulltown and Thunderdome in Season 5, which is the reason for the ongoing salvage operation. Well, that operation is now complete, adding a new POI called Relic to the map — the location shown in the featured image above.
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According to Shaw, Relic will be “bringing back some of that classic Kings Canyon gameplay that people love and miss.” It’s a mid-sized POI that’s located underneath a giant skull, which is reminiscent of Skulltown.
“The other big reason we decided to put the POI here was a solution to a problem that we saw,” Shaw said. “Moving between Caustic, Market, and Octane’s Gauntlet really funnelled you into a single lane, and if a good squad was defending the area, you were almost always forced into an encounter. So, we felt this area was kind of lacking rotational options.” Relic is meant to solve this issue by giving squads a new area to rotate to.
Outside of the new POI, several adjustments have been made throughout the map. Non-POIs like the caged tower and the hillside base have been reworked so that fights end faster. The caged tower has been opened up and shortened, while the hillside area has lost its indoor structures.
As for existing POIs, Broken Relay has been altered, as it was “falling short” as a POI. New buildings have been added to the location and it is now called Basin.
If you’re looking for more on Apex Legends beyond map updates, check out our pieces on what else is coming in Season 14, including the new Legend, Vantage.