Arenas have only been a part of Apex: Legends since May 2021, but Respawn, the game’s developers, has already released several new maps tailored 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.
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 kills to 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 mastering Apex’s latest map.
9 Material Locations
Arenas use an 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.
Because each station grants 200 Materials to each player on the team, each player could upgrade their gun one extra time each round. And if a team snags two Material stations, that’s 400 points (enough to buy another four grenades or even an Alternator or Eva-8).
There’s one Material station in the caves, one on the beach near the cliffs, and one in the 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.
8 Supply 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 item in the game in Arenas.
Be aware though, that opening a supply bin may give away your location to the enemy team. Not only do they make noise when opened nearby, but they also stay 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 the edge of the cave, the other on the north 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.
7 Caves 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 of some excellent coverage provided by the large 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 to drop down off of the high ground and fall back to a safer location to heal.
6 Beach 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 relatively short height limits player options.
If possible, try to engage from behind some of the larger boulders. Although these are further back from the center of the beach, they provide more versatile cover that allows players to peak different corners each time.
5 The Big Rock: Always Take The High-Ground
On the north end of the nesting grounds, there’s a large jagged rock that any legend (not just movement legends like Pathfinder or Horizon) can climb. Doing so gives players an incredible view across much of the map, with the added high-ground advantage that is so important in Apex.
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 the element of surprise on their side.
The rock also makes for a great trap: if your enemies haven’t spotted you yet, you can likely hide 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.
4 The Middle Lane: Best Avoided
In between the caves and beach, you’ll find a watery 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 see why this area is best avoided as a defensive position. Not even Rampart’s amped cover can help in 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.
3 Hiding Spots
The big rock makes a great hiding spot, but other locations provide excellent 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 grounds have a few ledges where players can retreat to during combat, or even lurk unnoticed. Like the giant rock, these ledges are climbable by every legend.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a very defensible spot, as players will back themselves into a corner fighting here. When it comes to these ledges, it might be best to stick to healing. And while you wait for that phoenix kit to kick in, you can find out why Apex hasn’t introduced any new healer characters.
2 Weapons Suggestions
While Apex’s battle 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 choice for this one), but don’t go pulling out your Charge Rifle any time soon.
Tried and true meta weapons like the R-301 and Flatline shine on Habitat, but never underestimate the power of a Mozambique to finish off low-health opponents. Remember, the Mozambique is free in Arenas.
1 Use The Ziplines To Rotate, But Be Careful
Habitat includes a couple of ziplines that 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, these ziplines could shave precious seconds off a player’s rotation across the arena.
In an FPS like Apex, this can often mean the difference between a teammate dying or living. Just be careful when riding the ziplines, as players are totally exposed. When taking fire, the reliable jump-and-reattach method can make it harder for enemies to hit their ziplining opponent.
Apex: Legends is available for free on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.