The start of a new season for any live service game is always met with excitement, and Apex Legends is no different. Saviors, the game's latest season, has a big addition by way of the new legend, Newcastle. Along with his introduction come changes to the ranked system, various buffs and nerfs to existing legends and weapons, and of course, new map updates.
Storm Point is the setting that gets a makeover this season. Introduced late last year in season 11, it is by far the biggest map in Apex Legends with multiple points of interest to explore. But while the map itself is huge, the changes to Storm Point this season seem far less than the map updates seen in previous seasons for Apex Legends.
What's New on Apex Legends' Storm Point
The biggest change to Storm Point is without a doubt the new Downed Beast point of interest (POI) located on the west side of the map. Filling out the once-empty space between The Mill and North Pad, this POI has multiple single-story buildings dotted around the beast that was defeated by the legends in the Saviors launch trailer. The beast itself has multiple entry points that lead to a number of raised platforms with high-tier loot, while players looking for good vantage points can take the ziplines to the top of the carcass.
The second, smaller addition to Storm Point is the addition of four new IMC armories dotted around the map. Interacting with the panels inside spawns waves of Spectre NPC enemies, and it is the job of the trapped squad to survive for 60 seconds. Doing so grants the survivors access to Supply Bins that guarantee upgrades to their loadouts. The ease at which other squads can capitalize on an activated IMC armory makes these areas bonafide deathtraps, so it might be best to avoid them altogether.
Two Changes Doesn't Seem Enough
Even if players count the IMC armories (which aren't exactly POIs but rather map features), this brings the total number of changes to Storm Point to two. For a new season that is supposed to last three months, that isn't enough. Taking a closer look at the POIs, the Downed Beast isn't very interesting apart from the fact that it was once a living creature. The layout features only two levels (the inside of the beast and the top) which don't allow players much room to explore, much less adapt their strategies to the Downed Beast's structure.
The IMC armories provide even less in terms of unique design. Since these areas were made to house weapons and items, the overall structure of the armories is small and cramped. This leaves very little space for players to move and makes activating the IMC armories feel like springing traps (which they should be). The launchpad that allows players to redeploy once they have survived the onslaught of Spectres is cool, but the exits are so limited that it would be advisable to find loot in a safer location. Since the four IMC armories are found in areas with little to no traffic, players who are spoiling for a fight would rather avoid them altogether.
Past Apex Legends Seasons Had More Map Content
To put things into perspective, Apex Legends' fourth season, Assimilation, had way more map changes. For starters, the skybox was changed - which turned World's Edge from a bright, sunny locale into a place baked in twilight (the theme also fit very well with the introduction of Revenant). Two new POIs in the form of Planet Harvester and Survey Camp were introduced - the former of which is a uniquely designed location found in a central area while the latter established the now-staple weapon racks. Not only that, but the split of Capitol City into Fragment East and Fragment West and the emergence of fissures around the entire map made World's Edge feel like an entirely new playground for players to explore.
Saviors' map changes to Storm Point make players feel like they are coming back to an old amusement park and finding only a few new attractions. Downed Beast and IMC armories are interesting, to say the least, but the point at which players get tired of them and revert back to their usual rotations comes much sooner as compared to the map changes in past Apex Legends seasons. When the new additions can be figured out in the span of a few rounds, there isn't much to look forward to when dropping back into Storm Point.
Apex Legends is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
