Apex Legends Season 9 preview: Arena mode and Valkyrie change the game

• Read more: Apex Legends characters - the full list

With Valkyrie being the first legend to wear a jetpack, and the Arena mode offering 3v3 thrills on small maps, it feels like Apex Legends Season 9 could be one of the biggest shake-ups the game has had so far.

It's not overstating things to say, that between these two major additions, Apex Legends Season 9 could majorly change the game, helping the developers from Respawn to evolve Apex Legends beyond the battle royale genre. Read on for our full impressions!

Arena mode changes everything

The battle royale genre is huge, but it isn't for everyone, and even some of its biggest fans might like to try something else from time to time. Enter Apex Legends Arena mode, a brand new way to play that will be introduced as part of Season 9. Although it still feels like Apex Legends, this 3v3 multiplayer mode also has a strong identity of its own, and it feels like a bit of a throwback.

In this new Arena experience, two three-person teams compete against each other on a smaller map, across a maximum of nine rounds. You only have a small selection of weapons to choose from at the start of each round, with a limited amount of cash to spend on them. If all three members of your team are killed, you lose the round. You've got to be two rounds ahead in order to win the overall match, which means there are lots of opportunities for teams to claw their way back into contests and force another face-off.

In terms of the overarching lore, these Arena battles are described as a precursor to the main Apex Games. They're scrappier, smaller bouts where Legends can be made before they reach the big time. But how do they actually feel to play? After spending a good few hours in this mode, we feel confident in saying that they feel pretty great.

One of the major benefits of this new mode is that you play with the same teammates, against the same enemies, numerous times. This means you have much more time to build out your own tactics, compared to the frantic 'one and done' nature of battle royale, and you also have more time to learn how your opponents are trying to play. This makes for some dramatic match-ups, with plenty of potential for epic showdowns and heroic moments.

The fact that there are only two teams in each match is a very strong idea, too, as it eradicates the 'third-partying' that you often see in the Apex Legends battle royale experience. Although one member of your team could try to stay out of sight before swooping in when your enemies are weakened, you can't have a whole team loitering on the edge of a conflict and waiting for an easy moment to get the jump on you.

The removal of third-partying opens up the floor for more creative tactics, which is great. Even playing on teams with random strangers during the press event, patterns soon began to emerge in our playstyles, which helped us synchronise our sweeps of the map and prepare for every eventuality. You might, for example, find that one person on your team is the man on the ground, running around and trying to grab gear the semi-regular loot drops, while the rest of you scour the rooftops and try to find your foes.

The maps feel nicely built, too, still retaining that core Apex Legends feel. There are buildings of various sizes, with lots of verticality on offer, and those familiar ziplines connecting a few key locations. One interesting wrinkle is that there is still a deadly orange ring closing in on the centre of the map, forcing players toward confrontation.

All of these choices, which seem carefully made by the developers at Respawn, combine to make Arena modes feel very exciting and snappy. Matches are fast-paced and fun, and they require a fair amount of thought and care if you want to come out on top. It should be an enjoyable way to play, beyond battle royale, for both pre-existing fans and newcomers.

Valkyrie rewrites the rulebook

Apex Legends Season 9 is going by the title Legacy, and no character embodies that more than Valkyrie, the brand-new Legend whose family ties link her back to Respawn's Titanfall 2 game. Valkyrie's dad is the villainous Viper from Respawn's beloved Titanfall franchise, and that relationship was explored in an eye-catching, heartstring-tugging anime cinematic that was shown during this event.

Playing as Valkyrie is even more exciting than learning about her backstory, with her Titan-like jetpack totally rewriting the rulebook of Apex Legends gameplay. Although verticality has always been a part of the game, it's a bold move from Respawn to introduce a new Legend whose whole vibe revolves around flying.

It's impressive that Valkyrie's addition doesn't break the game – having her flying around the map only makes things more fun! And in the interest of keeping things balanced, she can only use her jetpack when you use her key abilities, each of which has a cooldown period. So if you're lucky enough to play as Valkyrie, don't expect to spend the whole match in the air!

That being said, playing as Valkyrie is a total hoot, and you may well find yourself watching that cooldown timer closely. Being able to boost up in the air, fly over to the perfect spot, and then take down a rival with a perfectly timed shot – that's the stuff that great moments are made of, whether you're playing in the Arena mode or good old-fashioned battle royale.

You do have to be careful, though: flying noisily up into the air does make you something of a target, with the developers joking during the event that a mistimed flight could turn Valkyrie into something of a clay pigeon. Although I had a good time playing as Valkyrie over several Arena matches, I did also bow out quite early a few times because I made the wrong call on when to deploy my jetpack ability.

It's worth noting that Valkyrie has other abilities, too. There is one that focuses solely on letting you fly for a few seconds, but there's also one that allows you to fire a cluster of missiles. And Valkyrie's Ultimate ability, named Skyward, allows you to hook your teammates onto your jetpack – if you time it right, you can all fly off to safety together and redeploy wherever you want.

Read more:

• Apex Legends Mobile release date
• Fortnite Neymar skins revealed
• This gaming laptop is a smarter choice than a console

Between these three moves and all the usual weapons, playing as Valkyrie feels really fun and fresh. With a new way to traverse and plenty of powerful moves, she's sure to become a favourite for many. Certainly, everyone will want to try her out at least once to see how the game has changed.

Across Valkyrie and the Arena mode, in both cases, you can tell that Respawn has put a lot of thought into keeping things balanced. Having a skilled Valkyrie on your team can be a major advantage, and she's certainly fun to play as, but she's far from being a game-breaking overly-powered option. As we mentioned earlier, she can be really vulnerable if your flight path is poorly planned.

With the Arena mode and Valkyrie, you can tell that Respawn is going to great lengths to keep this game feeling fresh with new ways to play and new tactics to consider, even after all this time. It'll be interesting to see how the player community reacts to these changes, but we'd wager there's a lot of positivity when Apex Legends Season 9 rolls around.

Apex Legends Season 9 launches on 4th May, bringing the Arena mode and Valkyrie with it.

Check out some of the best subscription deals in gaming below:

• Get unlimited gaming with Utomik 3 month subscription for £13.49
• Buy Nintendo Switch Online 12 months membership for £14.99
• Get a 14-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for £2.99
• Get PS Plus 12 months at CDKeys for £43.99

Visit our video game release schedule for all upcoming games on consoles. Swing by our hubs for more gaming and technology news.

Looking for something to watch? See our TV Guide.