5 things we learned from Apex Legends Season 4 gameplay trailer

The new gameplay trailer for Apex Legends Season 4: Assimilation previewed a lot of noteworthy content, including Revenant’s new abilities, changes to the World’s Edge map, the new Battle Pass, and more. Here are the five biggest things to take away from everything shown in the video.

With just one day to go until the highly-anticipated launch of Apex Legends Season 4, developers Respawn Entertainment added to the hype with a new gameplay trailer.

The trailer was jam-packed with new content, like how Revenant functions in-game, the major changes to the World’s Edge map, new Battle Pass skins and camos, the new Sentinel sniper rifle, and much more.

Needless to say, there was a lot for players to process, and there’s no doubt most fans watched the video several times just to be able to wrap their minds around all of what was shown.

In order to help with that, we’ve put together a list of the five biggest things we learned from the preview about what to expect in Season 4.

• Read More: Season 4 Battle Pass skins and weapons revealed

1. Revenant looks fast and powerful

Although the trailer stopped short of revealing the exact details of Revenant’s three abilities, it showed enough footage of the Legend in action to pretty much confirm what they are.

The gameplay coincided heavily with the abilities that had been previously leaked for the characters. His ultimate, Death Recall, makes him and his teammates impervious to death, his tactical, Poison Bomb, is a lethal object he throws that causes damage to nearby enemies, and his passive, Infiltrator, allows him to move and climb walls faster.

Considering how powerful and fast Revenant looked in the trailer, it’s clear that Respawn is warning players not to take him lightly.

• Read More: First look at Revenant’s abilities in Season 4

This, of course, comes on top of already-existing concerns about the Legend’s wiry shape, with some players worrying that his hitboxes could be too difficult to strike consistently, especially if he can move around so quickly like that.

2. Massive changes to World’s Edge map

While it’s true that Respawn did say “big” map changes were coming in Season 4, not many expected the changes to be as massive as the ones they’ve decided to implement.

There are several new points-of-interest, including Planet Harvester and Survey Camp, while Capitol City has been split in two, forming two zones called Fragment East and Fragment West.

Those are just the confirmed changes; there are bound to be other small and minor tweaks to the map that will become much more clear once the season launches.

3. In-game strategies will likely change

As with every battle royale, higher-level players in Apex Legends usually have strategies and plans for things like where to land, what kind of loot to look for, rotations, and other facets of the game.

With all the changes that are being implemented, particularly having to do with the map, these strategies could begin looking a lot different.

For example, the new Survey Camp is a smaller POI with less loot than some other more appealing locations, but it does feature the new Weapon Racks that will contain guaranteed guns for players to pick up right off the bat.

• Read More: All confirmed Apex Legends map changes for Season 4

So, players will now have to decide whether they want to land at a hotter drop for loot or go with the quieter Survey Camp and get a good weapon.

There’s also the large fissure that split Capitol City into the two zones. The only way players can cross this giant crack is either by using the provided zip-line and fallen skyscraper bridge or the Ultimate Ability of either Octane or Pathfinder.

Also, falling into the gap won’t be fatal, as Respawn have added a new mechanic called Updraft that will lift whoever stumbles over the ledge back to safety. To balance things out, players who fall in will get 25 damage and be slowly hovered out, meaning they could be sitting ducks for a few moments.

Changes like these are what will affect rotations and how players prepare for gunfights, as falling into the fissure could end up becoming a strategy for those who are desperate to survive.

4. Sentinel sniper rifle looks usable

As has been the case for Seasons 1-3, the fourth chapter of Apex Legends will introduce a brand new weapon – a sniper rifle called Sentinel.

While we didn’t get too long of a look at it in the gameplay trailer, it was enough to suggest that this could be a very usable bolt-action sniper that will be effective at both medium and long ranges.

We also got a peek at what appeared to be the weapon’s special ability – a function that allows players to charge up a shot by consuming a Shield Battery while wielding the gun.

5. Potential rivalry brewing between Legends

This theory is actually courtesy of popular Apex Legends data-miner and content creator ‘That1MiningGuy,’ who believes that one of the biggest takeaways from the trailer, in terms of the game’s story and lore, is that there are factions forming.

After taking a look at how some of the characters were portrayed in the video, he came to the conclusion that there’s a divide forming between them, based around their allegiance to or hatred for the entities that control the Apex Games.

https://twitter.com/That1MiningGuy/status/1224463526703632385

For example, he proposed that Wraith, Crypto, Lifeline, Caustic, and Revenant “all have a reason to hate/fear the Syndicate and Hammond,” whereas Wattson and unreleased Legends like Loba and Blisk could be on the side of those groups.

While this is certainly pure speculation and not definitive, That1MiningGuy looks at it as a possible explanation for why Hammond was “suddenly coming onto the scene, out of nowhere,” and that Respawn “loves hiding stuff in plain sight like this for people to try and put together the puzzle.”

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Apex Legends Season 4 launches on Tuesday, February 4 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. While the release time hasn’t been announced, it’s expected to be around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.