Apex Legends Season 8: All Kings Canyon map changes

With one week to go until the start of Apex Legends Season 8, Respawn Entertainment has debuted the gameplay trailer, finally revealing all of the new gameplay changes in the upcoming season.

The main attraction of this trailer is our first proper look at the completely changed Kings Canyon map for Season 8, which has been changed significantly thanks to Fuse’s explosive arrival.

The map has faced its share of criticisms in recent seasons, with a lot of players preferring World’s Edge or Olympus over the original home of the Apex Games.

Respawn will be hoping that these map changes will be what players are looking for – and maybe even make it a viable map for Ranked play again. We already know a lot of what’s coming in Season 8, but this is our first look at gameplay.

Season 8 Gameplay Trailer

Kings Canyon map changes in Season 8

The first places to be destroyed by Fuse’s party were Artillery and Slum Lakes, locations that had remained relatively unchanged up to this point.

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These locations have been totally revamped, with new buildings in their place. The overall hue of the map has also been changed, as players often asked for the original lighting from the earlier seasons to return.

The crash site is an all-new POI. It’s situated in a previously unplayable area of the map, in the north. The ship is scaleable too, with a ‘jungle gym’ like feel thanks to all the scaffolding.

A series of other changes affecting Artillery and the tunnels surrounding were shown off by Respawn in a before and after display:

Respawn explains that “The devastation to the North has caused flooding to wipe Slum Lakes off the map. In its place is the new Spotted Lakes, which attributes its name to the unusual spots found in the flooded, contaminated waters.”

ECHO Camps have been setup, and this is what you’ll be fighting in instead. This should give off a refreshed, urban feel.

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“Kings Canyon has gotten a facelift and an expansion with an entirely new addition to the map’s footprint. You can also find ECHO (Ecological Cleanup and Hazard Outreach) camps, Explosive Holds, Observation Towers, and more!”

There are new Observation Towers spotted around the map, which will grant an advantageous high-ground, but also make you a big target.

They can only be raised up once, with a panel at the base, but this will reveal your position too.

Another new area is dubbed ‘uncovered bones’, which acts as a throughway between Slum Lakes and Runoff/Airbase. It’s marked by ancient Leviathan bones, uncovered by Maggie’s bombs.

Explosive Holds

A brand new addition to Kings Canyon are Explosive Holds, which will function similarly to the vaults on other maps.

Here’s what you need to know about the new Explosive Holds, and how to access them.

Respawn explain that they wanted to reduce third partying on Kings Canyon, and have done so by adding a new location, and by “thinning out densely-packed smaller POIs to give more breathing room and reduce combat choke points.”

To help with this, they’ve removed some areas that were notorious for third parties, such as Farm. “Although small in stature, it had been called out as a frustrating spot to travel through and fight in,” Respawn said. “Removing it allowed for more breathing space between towns and one less hotspot for people to ambush from.”

We’ll be jumping in to see these map changes ourselves when Season 8 starts on February 2.