The Kings Canyon of today is not the Kings Canyon you started with. Over the seasons, developer Respawn has made a huge amount of changes to Apex Legends‘ first map in order to make it feel fair, fun, and much less fragmented. Its most recent major iteration arrived in season 14 with the Reforged update, which added a redesigned version of Skull Town to the map, changed its rotational paths, and made it a lighter, brighter experience.
If you’re looking to hit the ground running in Kings Canyon, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the map, from the best places to land to the highest-tier loot zones and the best ways to rotate across the map. Equip your hop-ups and put your shields on–it’s time to take on the legendary Kings Canyon.
Best landing spots on Kings Canyon in Apex
With the introduction of Relic, Kings Canyon is larger than it’s been for several seasons, so you won’t need to worry as much about landing on other teams when you make your first drop. If you’re looking to fight as soon as you land, The Cage is a classic hot spot for fights. It’s also occasionally designated as a hot loot zone, meaning you can find higher-tier loot and potentially a fully-kitted weapon while you’re there. The Cage was adjusted as part of the Reforged update: it no longer has the high walled-in area where squads used to hole up, which makes the whole area feel more fair, and also more open in for fights.
Another good early fight zone is Containment. This area has classically had good loot and plenty of ammo, and it often contains a Replicator, too. Crafting a gun like the RE-45 with Hammerpoint Rounds can be very useful in early- to mid-game fights, so it’s worth dropping here for that alone. If any of your teammates are downed, there’s a nearby respawn beacon that can bring them back quickly. Containment is a very central zone, so no matter where you need to go next, there’s always a way to rotate there. It’s got a little bit of everything, making it one of the most versatile POIs on the map.
If you’d rather loot than fight, check out Swamps. This classic POI has always had decent loot, but it was sometimes difficult to get to. The Reforged update added several ziplines that make getting up to the houses’ walkways a lot easier, and it also had its loot distribution brought up a notch, according to a Respawn dev blog. Explosive holds can also now spawn there, making it easy to get great attachments and lots of ammo quickly if you’re able to find a grenade nearby. It’s out of the way enough that not many people land there, so chances are you’ll be the only squad in the vicinity.
Basin, which has replaced the old Broken Relay, is also a great place to drop. The buildings from Relay are back, meaning there’s a lot more loot to find, and they’re easy to access thanks to the network of ziplines. Like Swamps, it’s right on the edge of the map, which lowers the chances you’ll run into a squad and gives you more time to loot before heading into The Rig or Capacitor nearby. The only thing to be cautious about is ring position: if you get unlucky and the ring is centered around Relic or Caustic Treatment, you’ll have quite a trek in front of you.
Rotational zones on Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon’s rotational strategy has been dramatically increased with the Reforged update. Respawn explained in the dev blog that the old Kings Canyon made it too easy for squads to get the jump on one another, particularly in the maze of canyon paths that make up the heart of the map. The changes were designed to decrease the potential for third parties, and now force squads to make more definitive decisions about the direction they want to head in, and the POI where they want to make their stand.
If you’re coming down from the northern part of the map, from POIs like Artillery or Basin, you’ll want to avoid Containment and Capacitor. Both zones are much lower in elevation than their surrounding terrain, so it’s easy for snipers like Vantage to take pot shots at your squad as you run across them. Capacitor attracts a lot of people coming out of Labs, which is traditionally an early-game slaughterfest, and Containment squads usually find a decent amount of good loot, so fighting them in the early game isn’t a great idea. Thread the needle between the two POIs instead and aim for the Hillside area to get a good vantage point.
If you’re coming from the east side of the map, which includes Hydro, Labs, and Swamps, avoid The Cage for the same reasons as Containment and Capacitor. Even with the changes that prevent squads from bunkering up at the top, it’s still a sniper’s paradise. Squads standing on the top level can see for miles around, especially if they’re packing a recon legend. With how important positional advantage is in Apex, it’s easy to lose a fight if you try to go through here. Instead, head south toward Caustic Treatment and through Repulsor if the ring is to the south, or go between The Cage, Labs, and Capacitor if the ring is to the north. In both cases, stay on high ground and move carefully.
Landing on the south side of the map puts you close to Caustic Treatment, Relic, and Market. Market is now less of a headache to rotate through thanks to changes to the network of nearby tunnels, but it’s still a dangerous place to traverse because it’s hard to tell if there’s anyone inside. Relic is walled off from several sides, which makes rotating into the POI a deliberate choice. Don’t stake out there unless that’s where the final ring is going to be, as it leaves you at a disadvantage if you have to run through its chokes to make it to a different POI. To get some early intel, head to Map Room to scan the map for other squads, then head up the river and keep to the canyon walls.
The west side of the map is home to Runoff, Airbase, and a handful of other POIs. The obvious place to rotate out of most of these zones is Bunker, which is a strong choke between the west side of the map and everything else. If you’re looking for a fight and have a lot of area of effect abilities on your team, it’s worth a look; otherwise, avoid it entirely and head through the tunnels by Market or south around Bunker toward the river. Rotate through Gauntlet if you need some better loot, as the Reforged update bumped up its item distribution.
Kings Canyon’s best loot zones
Several POIs and loot zones on Kings Canyon got a boost during season 14’s overhaul. According to Respawn, many of the older POIs that had fallen off in popularity have been boosted in terms of loot disparity, including Hydro Dam, Swamps, Octane’s Gauntlet, and Runoff. On the flip side, Crash Site and Spotted Lakes were taken down a little bit, but both of those POIs are large and still have plenty of room for players to find weapons, ammo, and more.
Some frequent hot loot zones include Capacitor, The Cage, and Market. When marked, a hot loot zones has better loot than usual and gives players the chance to find a fully-kitted weapon, but know that you’re more likely to encounter a fight there. After all, who doesn’t want to find a gold gun right off their drop?
For higher loot chances in general, Gauntlet is a good place to start. This out-of-the-way POI always includes a high-tier shield within a fiery ring that can be accessed by using its jump pads. It also has a variety of other loot scattered around and sometimes contains a replicator, making it easy to craft anything else that you need. Once you’re kitted, rotate into Relic to take on some squads with your newfound treasures.
Artillery is also a good place to find loot, as it has a lot of items in close proximity. Once you’ve cleared everything out, you can rotate into Crash Site or Spotted Lake to find hop-ups, attachments, and other items to complement your guns of choice. Avoid running south toward Containment, as there isn’t much loot until you get into the POI proper and you’ll be seen very easily coming down the hill into the valley.
Caustic Treatment is also a high-density loot zone. You can use the controls in the interior to find gold armor, fully-kitted weapons, and more. The interior zone is a good place to hide from squads at Market or Map Room who might be trying to scout you on the outside. If you prefer to snipe, stay in the doorway of Treatment and aim carefully; close-range legends can use the ground pillars as cover while they weave in and out.
Labs, particularly Labs Interior, often has good loot, but it’s not usually worth dropping there. Players love to take the portal on drop and duke it out in the small, dark zone in the middle, so chances are you won’t live long enough to take advantage of anything good that you find. A better strategy is to drop Capacitor or Hydro, kit up, and catch stragglers trying to rotate out of Labs.
Kings Canyon might be Apex‘s oldest map, but it doesn’t feel like it. With the changes from Reforged, it’s full of life and wonder again, with plenty of POIs and new paths to walk. No matter what kind of game you’re looking to have, you can have it on Kings Canyon, so don’t be afraid to dive in and explore. After all, it’ll make you a better player!
