Apex Legends' newest map, Broken Moon, is set on Cleo - the moon of Seer’s home planet of Boreas. In terms of its size, Broken Moon sits somewhere between the fan-favorite World’s Edge and the loathed Storm Point. With this in mind, the closest comparableApex Legendsmap is that of Olympus.
Unlike Olympus and Storm Point, however,Broken Moon removes a lot of traversal optionsthat let players navigate the map much more easily. Gone are the noisy Tridents, Gravity Cannons, and Phase Runner. In their place stands a new navigational tool: ziprails. While ziprails may be the most fun traversal method in the game, the fact that they can transport entire squads in complete silence means that they need a nerf.
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A Familiar New Addition
Ziprails function very similarly to the many ziplines found throughoutApex Legendsas well asPathfinder’s Zipline Gun ultimate ability. Players can interact with ziprails to propel themselves down fixed paths on the Broken Moon map. As a bonus, players can also perform the zipline trick that allows them to alternate between jumping and hanging on them, making them harder to hit. This trick can only be performed a certain number of times before players are barred from interacting with the ziprail until they touch the ground.
The first big difference between ziplines and ziprails is mounting. While both ziplines and ziprails both require player interaction, ziprails have the added bonus of having multiple jump pads set along their courses. These jump pads boost players upward so they can more easily interact with the ziprails and get around the map faster.Unlike Octane’s Launch Pad, these jump pads lock players into a strictly vertical position so they can only reach the ziprails. The jump pads allow for no diagonal movement whatsoever and failing to interact with the ziprails above them quickly causes players to fall back down to the jump pads.
The second difference between ziplines and ziprails is momentum. Unlike ziplines which propel players at a specific speed, ziprails slowly increase their riders' momentum as they travel. This allows entire squads totraverse large sections of Broken Moonin seconds instead of minutes. Most squads will use ziprails for three reasons: to get into the ring quickly, to escape a dicey situation, or to attack squads that are already fighting.
The Unwelcome Party Bus
The ability for squads to easily sneak up on other teams is what makes ziprails so dangerous. Ziprails have almost no audio cues that signify a squad is traveling along them.Other methods of transportation like Tridents or Gravity Cannonshave loud, telltale sounds that let others know that a squad is approaching. This lets teams prepare for upcoming third parties or disengage from fights entirely.
The only audio cue that partially corresponds to an enemy traveling down a ziprail comes from the jump pads that boost players vertically. Sadly this cue isn’t enough, as players can find other ways to get onto a ziprail that doesn’t involve using a jump pad. Multiple legend abilities,such as Valkyrie’s VTOL Jets, allow players to take height and even those without vertical capabilities can simply climb onto a ziprail using the map’s layout. Even if players hear the sound of a jump pad, the speed at which enemies travel down ziprails is so fast that there is little time to prepare for a counterattack.
Let The Third Parties Be Heard
The fix for ziprails is simple: add loud audio cues for players traveling down them. Not only does this let players know when enemies are rapidly approaching them, but it also adds a certain degree of spatial awareness. Squads that are looking to third-party other players may want to huff it on foot instead of using a ziprail to avoid giving away their position. Likewise, players that want to throw enemies off their tracks can use a ziprail before bailing on it and moving elsewhere. This also leaves room for certain legends to use their abilities on ziprails, withMirage’s Psyche Out decoyshaving the potential to confuse enemy squads of his exact location.
Ziprails are extremely fun, but the ease at which they can propel squads across the map without so much as a peep makes it the first traversal method that might need a nerf. Speed isn’t necessarily the problem with ziprails as much as their lack of audio. Considering Respawn Entertainment has its work cut out for it when dealing withApex Legends' audio cues, here’s to hoping it fixes them sooner rather than later.
Apex Legendsis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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