PC Gamer - UK (2022-01)

L

ast season
notwithstanding, Apex
Legends has had one
hell of a year. So, to
celebrate, Respawn
has sentour gangofdelightful
murderbudsoff onanunseasonably
sunny holiday toclose out the year.
Welcome toStorm Point, Apex
Legends’ largest map todate.

With a landmass roughly 15% larger
than World’s Edge, Storm Point is
truly massive. But it’s also both
denser and taller than any Apexarena
yet, laid out as a sprawling jungle
wrapped around a mountain that
extends higher than any previous
map, dusty peaks descending into
thick foliage before levelling out into
white sandy beaches.
It’s gorgeous, but it’s also a jarring
shift from the tight, clustered maps
we’ve seen so far. Without obvious
hotspots like Kings Canyon’s
Skulltown (RIP), or World’s Edge’s
Fragment, matches are scattered, and
it can take some time before you find
a scrap. It’s the closest Apexhas ever
come to feeling like a more
traditional battle royale likePUBGor
Fortnite, trading constant firefights
for the lingering tension of stalking
through the wilds for five, ten, even
fifteen minutes before firing a shot.
I’m not entirely sure it’s a
trade-off that works. Apexis
traditionally a game that wants you to
fight early and often, and already you
can see players choosing to land in

more central locations like Barometer

or Cascade Falls to force an early

combat. Clustering in one spot just

makes the rest of the map feel even

emptier. It’s a shame, because Storm

Point has some of the strongest

locations of any map – densely

layered, tactical arenas with a strong

focus on verticality.

To help you get around the island

quicker, Storm Point features the

nippy wee Trident hovercars from

Olympus. But it also trades the

traditional redeploy balloons for

Halo-style gravity cannons which

punt you in a single direction at

ludicrous speeds. You’ll need them,

too, lest you risk being bogged down

fighting the island’s ecosystem, with

Prowler dens and spider nests ready

to ensnare passing squads. These

beasties can be shockingly vicious,

but reward hunters with extra loot,

evo shield charges, and crafting

materials for clearing them out.

ASH, CATCH ’EM!

Who better to guide you through the

jungle than an expert tracker, then?

Season 11 brings backTitanfall 2

baddie Ash as a new Legend, and as a

deadly hunter-killer, she’s already

proving herself a favourite among

Twitch streamers and Wraith mains.

Ash’s abilities are powerful enough in

their own right – her tactical is a

snare that prevents enemies from

leaving a small radius, while her

ultimate tears a rift in space-time,

leaving a one-way portal to bring her

and her team straight into the fight.

But her real trick lies with her

passive, which flags death boxes on

the map as soon as any player on the

map beefs it. This lets her know

where the fights are happening,

pulling her squad into the action with

terrifying efficiency. By throwing a

data-knife into a death box, she can

even ping the poor sod’s killers. In a

game defined by third-partying fights,

Ash is brutal, and has already

established herself as a top-tier pick.

Following a good Ash around the

map can be a terrifying thrill, as you

track down and pick off weakened

squads with ruthless precision. But

it’s so, so easy for a bad Ash to lead

you to your doom, and her lone-wolf

kit often makes playing with one feel

like you’re playing constant catch-up.

Really, my favourite thing about

Ash is the absolute venom she brings

out in my main space mum, Horizon.

There’s a sour history between these

two, one that’s been spun out

through cinematic trailers and now

plays out through Apex’s

phenomenal voice interactions.

Believe me when I say I’ll never tire

of hearing Dr Somers revive this

cold, calculating murderbot while

spitting out lines like “back on yer

hooves, ya heartless toaster”.

NEED TO KNOW

RELEASE

Out now

PUBLISHER

Electronic Arts

DEVELOPER

Respawn Entertainment

LINK

bit.ly/3Cp4bvG

APEX LEGENDS

Storm the beaches witha backstabbing blender. By Nat Clayton

I’M NOT

ENTIRELYSURE

IT’SA TRADE OFF

THATWORKS

ASHES TO ASH Our newestSimulacrumhas thiswhole ‘deathand resurrection’ thing downtoa tee

1

Dr Ashleigh Reid,

scientist and dear

friend, punts Dr Mary

‘Horizon’ Somers into a

black hole. This will have

consequences in 87

years’ time.

2

Reid then dies,

stabbed in the back

while attempting to

murder the rest of

Somers’ colleagues to

steal their unobtanium

crystals.

3

Reid’s mind is

salvaged and turned

into a Simulacrum, a

cyborg built from the

fleshy brain of a human

being, and shortens her

name to ‘Ash’.

4

Ash then dies,

crushed into a pulp by

Titanfall 2’s best metal

boy BT-7274, as kind of a

footnote during that

game’s stellar

singleplayer campaign.

5

The shattered pieces

of Ash’s skull are

retrieved inApex

Legends’ Season 5 quest.

A few months later, she

gets a cushy job running

the game’s Arenas mode.

6

Horizon, having not

quite gotten over the

whole black hole

situation, accidentally

wakes up Ash’s latent

memories and triggers

her entry into the game.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE BIGGEST GAMES

UPDATE