In the weeks before Apex Legends: Defiance Season 12, fans have only been able to piece together what the new Olympus map may look think through brief snippets of gameplay in trailers. Although this has mainly generated speculation as to what exactly about the map will differ, developer Respawn Entertainment has now given an in-depth look at what is being added — and even removed. Here’s what to expect to see on this odd snip-off of Olympus.
New locations
Phase Driver
As a previous Season 12 trailer detailed how Mad Maggie transported Olympus with a reactor, it seems the reactor will now have its own dedicated location. This area is seemingly the biggest addition of them all and is known as Phase Driver. Located on the South end of Olympus, Phase Driver will revolve around the reactor (now aptly named the “Phase Driver Device”) and provides various routes to Hydroponics and Bonsai Plaza.
As for the device, itself, players will be able to interact with the machine, as it will lend them three loot rollers every 45 seconds. Better yet, one of these rollers are guaranteed to give players one Gold ball — likely making the area a hot place to drop for months to come.
Terminal
Another point of interest will come in the form of Terminal, a large multi-story building that is connected to a tube that spans from the center of the map to Phase Driver. This location is said to have five different entry points, ultimately giving players new routes to and from Hammond Labs and Bonsai Plaza.
Expanded terrain and relocations
With the addition of Phase Driver, the south side may feel overwhelmingly packed with points of interest. However, to counter that, a new massive open space will stretch these locations further apart. In result, both Solar Array and Bonsai Plaza have been moved further away from the heart of the map. At the time of writing, not much is known about this new terrain, but it is said to include “small towns” and several other objects.
Another, but smaller addition in terms of terrain, is the implementation of another tunnel that leads from Turbine to Rift. Respawn has noted that this inclusion is particularly due to squads holding down the previously lone tunnel, previously making it difficult to travel north.
Map tweaks
As shown in trailers for the new Olympus, the map now has an even bigger emphasis on traversal. This means that players will notice more items such as zip lines attached to numerous points of interests in the battle royale. Speaking of travel, the game has thankfully added slopes to the side of Grow Tower, now allowing legends to simply go over the location rather than around it.
Other small tweaks to Olympus include the removal of the Redeploy Balloons in Solar Array and Hammond Labs, as well as the addition of four new lootbins in Oasis’ east side. On the topic of lootbins, it is also important to note that those that spawned valuable goods underneath Hammond Labs’ waterfall has been relocated to the north edge of Docks.
The developer also made brief mention that other smaller quality of life changes are still to be made, but it isn’t clear what it has in mind. No matter, fans will known in due time, as Defiance launches on February 8 to all of Apex Legends’ supported platforms.
Related: What are Mad Maggie’s abilities in Apex Legends?
