In the new "Amped" season of "Apex Legends," Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and deliver fairer gameplay—introduced by the development team.
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/449/G044914/20251030058/
Writer: Natsukami Shiki | 2025/10/30 15:00 (UTC)
Respawn Entertainment developed, and Electronic Arts is operating the battle royale FPS “Apex Legends” (available on PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S / Nintendo Switch 2 / PS4 / Xbox One / Nintendo Switch). Information for Season 27, titled “Amped,” has now been released.
The new season is scheduled to launch on November 5, 2025, at 2:00 AM (Japan time). Numerous updates are planned—including buffs for legends—but the most significant topic is the major overhaul of the long-beloved map, “Olympus.”
Image Gallery No.011 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team Image Gallery No.012 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Prior to the season launch, a joint online press interview covering general updates was held. Separately, we were able to speak directly with the development team focused specifically on Olympus. Through demonstrations using test builds and Q&A sessions, here’s what we learned.
The following two individuals explained the new Olympus:
Jaclyn Seto: Senior Game Writer
Michael Shannon: Senior Level Designer
Materials provided for media include Japanese translations where available; this article follows those terms. For items without a known Japanese equivalent, English (original) or placeholder names are used.
A New Olympus to Kick Off the Game
Let’s first review Olympus’ history. Introduced in Season 7 “Ascension,” Olympus was implemented as the third battle royale map following “King’s Canyon” and “Worlds Edge.” It also introduced the legend Horizon at that time.
The distinctive visual of endless blue skies became a hallmark, but it also sparked discussion (and some complaints) due to its unique setting—floating in mid-air—and the inclusion of fall damage across various locations. Looking back on this now feels nostalgic; I myself once threw grenades from Olympus’ heights while riding the Horizon wave after being frustrated by Ray’s nerfs.
Anyway, moving on: Seto explained the game design background behind this major overhaul. In past storylines, the mysterious Olympus—distinct from the one above planet Pasa-Mate that players currently use and which appeared suddenly in Outlands—collided with the Stasis Network of Broken Moon and vanished. Though its exact origin remains unclear, it was later discovered beneath the snowy planet Pagoth.
The Mercenary Syndicate, responsible for running Apex games, repaired this mysterious Olympus with Horizon’s help and relaunched it into space once more. From a standpoint of environmental stability, Apex gameplay is now transitioning from the old Olympus to the new one—the narrative backdrop behind the transformation.
In short, the Olympus featured in this season should be understood as an entirely different, second Olympus compared to the previous version.
Thus, while the background still features endless blue skies, it now aligns with its setting as a floating landmass above Pagoth—a snowy planet—featuring rocky mountains. Fragmentary objects scattered across the map allow players to piece together this backstory.
Image Gallery No.013 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team Image Gallery No.014 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Checking Out the Rewritten Olympus
Now let’s examine the major changes to the map. Shannon began by noting, “Olympus is one of the game’s iconic maps and has been beloved by many players.” However, from a competitive standpoint—particularly in events like ALGS—the previous layout had shortcomings: “The relationship between vast open fields and limited cover meant that certain aspects weren’t fully utilized in competitive environments.”
According to him, the primary goal of this overhaul was “to introduce greater competitiveness into Olympus while achieving fairer gameplay.” Let’s first look at a side-by-side comparison.
Image left shows the original Olympus; image right shows the new Olympus. Image Gallery No.015 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team Image Gallery No.016 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Even at a glance, major changes are evident in shape and POIs (points of interest). Here’s what Shannon explained.
・Somers University
This is a reworked version of Olympus’ former railgun. It’s set as the university founded by Horizon to explore cosmic mysteries and honor her son Newton. The building features bold multi-level architecture, with lifts (similar in function to Horizon’s tactical ability) installed at multiple points for easy access to higher levels.
The central area features a shape resembling Horizon’s ultimate ability, “Black Hole.” Inside the facility, an interactive hologram of her is placed (though not for tactical use, it serves story-related purposes).
Players can enjoy evolving legends’ dialogue changes each season. According to Seto: “Our team has done truly outstanding work in map design and details. You’ll hear Horizon’s new lines frequently at Somers University. Of course, be sure to enjoy her interactions with other legends too!”
The old railgun had a problem where the surrounding terrain was open, giving teams that secured positions first an unfair advantage. This issue is now resolved by this rework. Additionally, Eridium—previously located in the southwest of the map—is now relocated near the southeast side, close to Somers University. Early-game clashes between teams landing at both POIs are likely.
・Gravity Engine
This is a reworked version of Olympus’ former energy storage facility. It serves as the core system utilizing Branium (a fictional substance central to the game’s story) to keep Olympus afloat. Multiple zip lines and lifts are now installed, making this area a hotspot for intense combat.
Gravity Engine – viewed from Hammond Research Institute side Image Gallery No.020 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Old energy storage facility – viewed from Hammond Research Institute side Image Gallery No.021 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Shannon noted two major issues with the old facility: “The roof-covered areas where loot was placed made landing locations unclear,” and “Once teams entered, it was difficult to escape.” Particularly, the narrow, long passage toward the Garden area left players vulnerable for extended periods—often leading to fatal outcomes in mid-to-late matches.
This rework addresses these issues while aiming to create more combat hotspots (similar to how the Sand Dome became a central hub in old King’s Canyon).
Gravity Engine – viewed from power grid side Image Gallery No.022 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Old energy storage facility – viewed from power grid side Image Gallery No.023 thumbnail image / In the new “Apex Legends” season “Amped,” Olympus undergoes a major overhaul to enhance competitiveness and achieve fairer gameplay. Introduced by the development team
Additionally, a new option has been added to make map rotation easier: players can now safely navigate around the central floating island using surrounding structures. A tunnel providing direct access to turbines is also available.
Incidentally, although the central floating island appeared ideal for creating fall kill clips, it features an updraft function (which causes players to rise back into mid-air when falling), eliminating concerns about portal-related suicide falls.
・Stabilizer
This reworked version of Olympus’ old dock stabilizes its structure and includes floating rock formations extending toward the outer rim.
The old dock was located at a high elevation with open surroundings, giving teams nearby an unfair advantage. To fix this, the overall height has been reduced and obstructive objects have been added to block line of sight. Additionally, zip lines and lifts have been installed inside to improve mobility within the POI.
Although outer rim areas existed in the old dock, it was discovered that combat rarely occurred there—contrary to initial expectations. The rework now brings these edges closer together; the team hopes for battles not just at the center but across the entire map.
Moreover, loot quality has improved. From my personal observation, nearby POIs are now much closer together, making combat more likely and dynamic.
・Dockyard
A newly added POI located between hydroponic facilities and Oasis. It features new elements like lifts and floating islands, along with container clusters reminiscent of the old cargo storage (now known as Fight Night) from earlier Olympus versions—giving it a blend of nostalgia.
This POI was introduced to fill in the gap left by Eridium’s relocation; previously only small camps existed in this area. With its addition, the total number of POIs has increased from 21 to 22 on old Olympus.
Note: No supporting materials were available for further details—this section consists solely of textual explanation. Beyond major POI overhauls, terrain adjustments have also been made; Shannon provided detailed insights into these changes.
・Hammond Research Institute area
To address the issue where teams stationed at Hammond Research Institute were hard to attack due to sparse cover and limited terrain variation, significant elevation differences have now been added across the map. A jump tower has been installed behind the institute, improving access for Phase Runners.
Additionally, a series of elevation changes have been introduced on side slopes adjacent to the high ground where teams often take position in front of the waterfall. Inside these slopes, tunnels facilitating rotation are also included—allowing safer movement without facing concentrated fire from either the research institute or the high ground sides.
An open deck previously used only in control mode has now been added near areas accessing the energy storage facility. Overall, the Hammond Research Institute area now features significantly more cover. These changes can be clearly seen in earlier images provided; please check them out.
・Gloria Tower entire area
This zone received frequent feedback stating it was “too strong” when a team fully controlled all three towers within it. As a result, one tower at the map’s edge has been removed. In its place, new structures including an underground bunker, ground-level facility, and jump tower have been added.
・Lift vicinity
A small building has been added directly below the center of the lift, near Phase Runner access points. The previously curved walls surrounding the Phase Runner have been moved closer to the central area, resulting in a more compact structure overall.
On the old map, the area from the lift toward the Garden was flat and rolling—now it’s transformed into a minor POI featuring steep structures resembling large staircases. Alongside this change, new vertical movement options like zip lines and lifts have been added.
・Turbine West Exit vicinity
A building has been added directly beneath the elevated walkway connecting the Turbine to the Estate direction. This area was previously extremely risky for traversal; now additional cover has improved safety.
Additionally, areas receiving feedback for being “too open” (such as Bonsai Plaza, Oasis, and around Phase Runner devices) have undergone general improvements—increasing overall cover across these zones.
The revamped Olympus balances its original atmosphere with a renewed focus on fair gameplay. Combined with other updates, the launch of this season is highly anticipated.