Arenas have only been a part ofApex: Legendssince May 2021, but Respawn, the game’s developers, hasalready released several new mapstailored specifically for the new game mode. Habitat 4 is the most recent addition to the mix, offering players a new tropical aesthetic based loosely on Season 11’s new map, Storm Point.
RELATED:Games That Support Cross-Play But Are Better Without It
Set on an island with sandy beaches and caves carved by the flowing rivers inside them, Habitat (like most Arenas maps) features a symmetrical, balanced layout tailor-made for competitive play. Map knowledge is key to success in Arenas. Thankfully,you don’t have to drop 200,000 killsto get good at the game: with solid fundamentals, understanding the flow of a map like Habitat can push your team over the finish line. Here are 9 tips for masteringApex’slatest map.
9Material Locations
Arenas usean economy based around crafting materials, a valuable resource used to purchase weapons, grenades, and healing supplies. While every player will always have enough to buy something, collecting extra Materials allows a team to upgrade their guns further than their opponents can. This next-round advantage is crucial when two teams have the same skill level.
RELATED:Every Planet In Apex Legends Lore Explained
Because each station grants200 Materialsto each player on the team, each player could upgrade their gunone extra time each round. And if a team snags two Material stations, that’s400 points(enough to buy another four grenades or even an Alternator or Eva-8).
There’s one Material station inthe caves, one on thebeach near the cliffs, and one inthe middle lane of the map. This middle lane Material station is a great option for players to grab as they head into the fight or rotate to another location.
8Supply Bin Locations And Tips
Getting rich off of Material stations is one thing, but looting a supply bin for shield batteries, medkits, and phoenix kits can save players money. Why spend 150 Materials on a shield battery when you can pick one up yourself? After all,players are guaranteed every healing itemin the game in Arenas.
Be aware though, that opening a supply bin maygive away your location to the enemy team. Not only do theymake noise when openednearby, but they alsostay open, signaling to opponents that an enemy has been there.
There are two supply bins,both located in the center of the map(one at theedge of the cave, the other on thenorth side of the Leviathan nesting grounds). Players have a direct line of sight between each supply bin, so teams will be able to notice if their enemies have been looting nearby.
7Caves Strategies
The caves are a beautiful spot to play in, but how can players increase their survivability here? Thankfully, Respawn’s level designers have provided plenty of cover, but they’ve also included several options for players to drop down and fall back.
Players can take advantage ofsome excellent coverageprovided by thelarge rocky pillars supporting the cave’s roof. If players are getting pushed on low health and need to make a hasty retreat, there are many opportunities for players todrop down off of the high groundand fall back to a safer location to heal.
6Beach Strategies
The Leviathan nest is an impressive sight to behold. These megalithic beasts have dotted their giant eggs across the beach like fallen meteorites. Use these eggs for cover if you dare: they’re suitable enough to crouch behind in a fight, but their irregular shape and relativelyshort height limits player options.
RELATED:Apex Legends: Beginner Tips For Playing As Ash
If possible, try to engage from behind some of thelarger boulders. Although these are further back from the center of the beach, they provide more versatile cover that allows players topeak different corners each time.
5The Big Rock: Always Take The High-Ground
On thenorth end of the nesting grounds, there’s alarge jagged rockthat any legend (not justmovement legends like Pathfinder or Horizon) can climb. Doing so gives players an incredible view across much of the map, with theadded high-ground advantagethat is so important inApex.
Habitat is such a new map that many players might not realize this is a climbable piece of cover, so players who utilize this massive boulder may also have theelement of surprise on their side.
The rock alsomakes for a great trap: if your enemies haven’t spotted you yet, you can likelyhide from their field of view as they approach the beach. Patient players can get an easy pick with their opponent’s back turned obliviously away from them.
4The Middle Lane: Best Avoided
In between the caves and beach, you’ll find awatery canyon connecting the two regions. This is one of the lowest points of elevation on the map, which is a red flag for fans of the high ground.
Combine that with the fact it’s relatively exposed, with only a couple of small rocks and palm trees to hide behind, and it’s easy to seewhy this area is best avoidedas a defensive position.Not even Rampart’s amped cover can helpin this situation. It’s not all bad, though:one of the Material stations is located here, but grab the Materials and head for somewhere with better cover and fallback potential.
3Hiding Spots
The big rock makes a great hiding spot, but other locations provideexcellent out-of-view cover as well. Take a look as you approach the Leviathan nests from your team’s base. The cliffs that rise at the nesting groundshave a few ledges where players can retreat toduring combat, or even lurk unnoticed. Like the giant rock, these ledges are climbable by every legend.
RELATED:Battle Royale Game To Play If You Loved Bloodshore
Keep in mind that this isn’t a very defensible spot, asplayers will back themselves into a corner fighting here. When it comes to these ledges, it might be best tostick to healing. And while you wait for that phoenix kit to kick in, you canfind out whyApexhasn’t introduced any new healer characters.
2Weapons Suggestions
WhileApex’sbattle royale maps like Kings Canyon and World’s Edge are famed for their wide-open areas,Habitat is a relatively small map, even for Arenas. Its compactness doesn’t make sniping impossible (in fact,the Longbow isn’t a bad choicefor this one), but don’t go pulling out your Charge Rifle any time soon.
Tried andtrue meta weaponslike theR-301andFlatlineshine on Habitat, butnever underestimate the power of a Mozambiqueto finish off low-health opponents. Remember,the Mozambique is freein Arenas.
1Use The Ziplines To Rotate, But Be Careful
Habitatincludes a couple of ziplinesthat allow players to cross from the outskirts of the beach to the edges of the caves. If a team’s players have spread out over the map, theseziplines could shave precious seconds off a player’s rotationacross the arena.
In an FPS likeApex, this can often mean the difference between a teammate dying or living. Just be careful when riding the ziplines, asplayers are totally exposed. When taking fire, the reliablejump-and-reattach methodcan make it harder for enemies to hit their ziplining opponent.
Apex: Legendsis available for free on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
