As an Apex Predator since launch, few things get me more hyped than new season launch trailers. And the details trickling out for Apex Legends Season 19 have all the makings of an instant classic! Revamps across maps, weapons and legends paired with an ingenious treasure hunt mode should satisfy both casual players and hardcore sweats like myself. Let‘s dive deep into everything epic awaiting us next season!
The Glorious Resurrection of Thunderdome
Ask any OG Kings Canyon advocate what location most deserves a comeback and I guarantee Thunderdome tops that list. The tension and verticality of this facility produced some of Apex‘s most memorable skirmishes in early tournaments. Seeing streamers like ImperialHal and sweetdreams squeeze through narrow cage openings before pulling off clutching wingman headshots cemented Thunderdome‘s rightful place in FPS history.
As a proud Octane main rocking the prestigious 10/10/10 badge, I have fond memories Stim sprinting between the iconic central towers for armor swaps mid-fight. And while Skull Town embodied the large-scale chaos that drew battle royale audiences, Thunderdome distilled Apex combat into a beautifully intense pairing of movement and aim.
Respawn wisely chose to reintroduce Thunderdome as a mixtape option instead of overwriting existing Kings Canyon landmarks. This allows both contemporary no-name locations and the legend of Thunderdome to coexist while diversifying map offerings. Players longing for S1 nostalgia can queue for Dome dominance while the Skull Town faithful enjoy continued weekend rotations.
Accompanying Thunderdome‘s return is a treause hunt event mode focused on king of the hill style mechanics. But simply camping a strong position won‘t cut it here – winning teams must continually fight for control of randomly cycling capture points. These temporary objectives likely contain top tier loot to incentivize aggression. By forcing movement between multiple sightlines, this setup enables Legends like Valkyrie, Pathfinder and my speedy stim junkie Octane to shine.
| Legend | Treasure Hunt Impact Rating |
|---|---|
| Octane | 9.8/10 |
| Valkyrie | 9.2/10 |
| Pathfinder | 8.9/10 |
Brace yourselves for era-defining Octane plays as I sling myself between capture nodes faster than a P2020 trigger finger. Mark my words – new movement tech will be discovered on these maps that forever change Apex dashing. I predict seasoned Octanes with enough Stim experience will be able to chain wall bounces between Thunderdome cages at heights exceeding even Horizon‘s current lift capabilities. I‘m already labbing routes through the low-grav phase runner areas for optimal traversal between loot zones. Let‘s go baby!
New Legend – Conduit
While partial ability leakage hints at electricity manipulation, many questions remain about Season 19‘s new Legend, Conduit. My working theory based on lore crumbs positions Conduit as the sister of notorious thief Loba Andrade seeking to avenge the slaughter on Orbital Charon by Revenant under orders from Hammond Robotics. Perhaps Conduit‘s motivations tie into leaks suggesting Hammond will become a playable character down the line as Apex continues exploring the morally gray conflict between syndicates vying for Outland domination.
On the gameplay side, Conduit seemingly fills a defensive support role focused on team mobility and crowd control. Data mined details uncovered so far include:
- Spark Runner – Allies under the speed influence gain 30% movespeed for 8 seconds on a short 25 second cooldown
- Enenergized Barrier – Upon activation, Conduit gains a 400 health shield that protects her back for 12 seconds and regenerates the shields of nearby allies
- Bio-Electric Fence – Conduit places nodes that connect to chain electrified fences which heavily slow enemies and prevent all movement abilities from passing through
These frightening tools in the hands of a skilled shot caller echo tournament winning abilities exhibited by characters like Gibraltar and Caustic. However, persistent fence usage doesn‘t suit impatient entry fraggers like myself who enjoy taking 50/50 aim duels. Therefore, I expect composition diversity to continue with Controller and Recon picks remaining strong for mechanical players wanting independence. But in the later stages, abilities guaranteeing safe positioning for your teammates become essential. So for ranked grinders prioritizing RP over entertainment, Conduit and Wattson could dominate on World‘s Edge following closures.
Artifact Daggers & The Perk System
While Apex has mostly avoided power creep, two major additions targeting late game scenarios – Artifact Daggers and Perks – up the potential power budgets considerably. Let‘s breakdown what each brings to the table.
Artifact Daggers function akin to mythic weapons in certain MMOs, with legendary grade base damage and additional perks unlocked through challenges or events. While Respawn noted these signature arms cannot be obtained from standard loot sources initially, I anticipate special dagger edition heirlooms being monetized similarly to melee skin packs. In fact dataminers uncovered The Forged Knight dagger belonging to Newcastle and an unidentified blade related to Bangalore or Wraith.
Exact unlock trees haven‘t been fully revealed, but possibilities based on variants from partner titles like VALORANT include bonus headshot damage, fire rate increases, ammo regen on knocks and finishers restoring shields. The last two could prove especially impactful in helping teams win final circle heal offs.
The Perk System joins a long list of features adapted from cutting edge shooters that helped cement Apex‘s rightful place among competitive greats. Upon respawning or between ring stages, players can opt into upgrades providing either rotational team mobility or raw combat ability. While thematically the former seems targeted for characters like Valkyrie and Pathfinder, bloodthirsty offerings for the latter camp include scopeless aim down sights, bonus loot radar and even Fortified level damage reduction.
| Stage 1 Perks | Stage 2 Perks | Stage 3 Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Glider Wings | Looter‘s Sense | Adrenaline Rush |
| Clamber Boots | Spotter Rounds | Fortress Plating |
| Thermal Scope | Phase Burst | Specialist Training |
Of these, Spotter Rounds and Specialist Training should prove most popular for their consistant power. I‘ll likely be maining Thermal Scopes with threat vision assisting in smoke based pushes. But the permutations open staggering creativity sure to birth completely new loadouts and meta defining ability combinations I can‘t wait to lab out.
Shocking Lifeline Rework
Balance shifts targeting weapon spray patterns or low profile aren‘t the only agent updates next season. Our favorite combat medic Lifeline is receiving newfound aggression fitting of her lore hardened backstory growing up in the Favela slums.
In addition to standard healing drone revives, DOC will gain a secondary damage mode enabling electric zaps to rez cancelling enemies. This forces foes to consider retreating rather than exploiting self rez immunity for free kills. Couple this area denial capability with Lifeline‘s new ultimate Shock Bot 3000 – a crowd control bot that blasts nearby enemies away from its spawn location – and D.O.C‘s Stim fueled creator can facilitiate clutch repositions while under fire late game.
Overall these changes lean into Lifeline‘s identity as Apex‘s foremost emergency response expert no matter the combat conditions. I‘m thrilled to see previously passive personalities receive power upticks that enable booked weapons experts like myself room to aim train rather than worrying about squad protection. Though to be frank, Lifeline mains have carried me through enough hot drops over the years to deserve this battle ready reboot!
District TR – Verticality Realized
Early concept art showcasing the long rumored cityscape map codenamed District TR highlights massive towers bridged by ziplines perfect for late game Valk ult rotations. Compared side by side with Angel City from Apex‘s Titanfall sister franchise, observers noticed wall running shown in initial leaks got removed pre-release. While this mobility option would undoubtedly amplify the skill ceiling for masterful pilots, limitations imposed likely stem from servers struggling to track clients soaring out of intended bounds. Though I hold out hope modded clients will one day allow this movement mastery!
Until then, the increased verticality over Olympus and military facilities of Storm Point still promises infantry focused firefights similar to beloved maps like Worlds Edge. Loadout preferences skew heavily towards close range options like the CAR, R99 and Mastiff which perfectly complements the specialty of us mechanical players. Expect aggressive Controller aces like Genburten and Resultuh to accrrue even nastier damage totals by demolishing unprepared squads in confined interior spaces.
Let‘s examine how the numbers for District TR measure up:
| Map | Size | POIs | Distance Traversed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Point | 15km^2 | 17 | 3200m |
| World‘s Edge | 15km^2 | 15 | 2900m |
| District TR | 12km^2 | 20 | 2600m |
It‘s worth noting that while the surface area falls slightly below Kings Canyon and Olympus benchmarks, actual land coverage usable for loot and rotations gets expanded upwards through raised city blocks. This contrasts the mostly decorative mountain ranges surrounding Storm Point that soak considerable real estate. Based on sightlines revealed, crossing from one district tower to the next rarely exceeds 100-150m – perfect for my Stim sprinting and CAR beaming!
Prepare for radical meta shifts as ranged marksmen like Sentinel G7 scouts get aggressively pushed off high ground by mobile attackers like Octane and Pathfinder. I predict final zones frequently ending around epicentre skyscrapers or enclosed transit stations highlighted in easter egg screenshots. Hopefully inclusion of ascenders and gravity cannons supplement traditionally vertical focused mobility legends though so the map doesn‘t get totally solved within the first month.
Rotations aside, on an artistic level, District TR channels the cyberpunk urban beauty of Angel City seamlessly into Apex‘s Outlands universe. Neon glows, holographic advertisements and industrial infrastructure pair nicely with corporate ministry architecture. I won‘t be surprised if players beg Respawn to release a city-themed battle pass to celebrate the launch. Expect skyline keyboard backgrounds, legendary skyscraper charms and skydive emotes from the tallest towers to populate store bundles for District TR‘s arrival.
These highlights merely scratch the surface of content en route over the next few seasons. From perk permutations to lore implications, anticipation continues building for the community at large. Let me know which aspect of Season 19 has you most excited! Personally, I can‘t wait to cut loose chaining wall runs between Thunderdome cages and grappling the next with extended mobility perks in tow! See you in the arena, champions! 😎🚀