Apex Legends leak reveals first significant map change

Well, looks like someone's let the cat out the bag a little early. Apex Legends season 2 is kicking off next Tuesday, 2nd July, but two trailers have leaked ahead of their official reveal at 6pm today. The videos detail exactly what the upcoming changes in season 2 will be - and it seems like King's Canyon is getting a makeover. And also skydive emotes.

We already knew map changes were coming this season, as a couple of days ago, Respawn released a teaser hinting at "animal intrusions" caused by a weak signal from the Repulsor tower, and yesterday a brief clip of a Leviathan eye was shown. Thanks to the leaked trailers, we know those huge Leviathan creatures (the massive dinosaurs lurking in the distance), along with a hoard of Titanfall's Flyers, are all set to invade King's Canyon and wreak havoc on the arena. The first of the trailers shows an impressive cinematic of the invasion taking place, while the second provides a closer look at how the disaster occurred.

Destroying 6 POI In One Shot from r/apexlegends

Did you catch all that? Here's a break-down of the information from that second video.

Set in the aftermath of the initial critter crusade, the trailer reveals the cause of the invasion was due to an EMP attack on Repulsor, causing the tower previously keeping the animals out to come tumbling down. A mysterious unknown figure has been spotted "along the ridgeline of Cascades", who sounds pretty damn shady. One theory is that this is the backstory for the next legend, who could possibly be previously-leaked character Crypto. Players have already found laptops displaying the Repulsor tower, which lends a bit of weight to the theory.

In any case, new legend Wattson will be on hand to help repair the engineering damage, which I suppose explains her sudden appearance in the arena.

CRYPTO LAPTOP has appeared!!! [Video] from r/apexlegends

As a result of the attack, beasts are back on the island, and it looks like those Leviathans might actually be able to stomp on players (Mirage finds out the hard way). A Flyer is also displayed in a crate, along with the promise of "new features" being added to the arena - perhaps you can release the space dinos onto unsuspecting players. Judging by the Flyer munching on a supply bin, it's a fair guess to say there could be some PvE elements this season.

In terms of map changes, Shattered Forest has been transformed from smouldering ash pile to a luscious green space, while "cleanup crews" have created new base camps around the map. And then there's general destruction and mayhem pretty much everywhere.

Finally, it wouldn't be a battle royale without emotes, and Apex Legends is now introducing skydive emotes so you can look extra fly while... flying.

Other things mentioned in the trailer were already known - such as the new L-Star weapon, the upcoming Ranked mode, and Wattson, the newest legend. At EA Play a couple of weeks ago, I (thankfully) had a good match where I was able to take her for a trial run, and you can check out my Wattson impressions over here.

Meanwhile, I'm just happy to see Apex Legends embrace a seasonal narrative, make meaningful changes based on player feedback, and provide some environmental changes to spice up the map. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to some more relaxed matches in the regular mode while the pros battle it out in Ranked. Peace and quiet at last.