'Apex Legends' Season 2 Dragons Have Already Infested King's Canyon

Dragons began infesting King’s Canyon in Apex Legends on Tuesday, and based on a new teaser released by developer Respawn Entertainment on Wednesday, it looks like they could be a huge problem when Season 2 begins on July 2. They might seem peaceful for the time being, offering great loot if shot out of the sky, but players should know that these creatures have a violent, horrifying history.

A cryptic tweet from the official Apex Legends account offered an “ALERT” about an “UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY.” The accompanying GIF shows a scan of King’s Canyon indicating that these creatures are popping up all over the map.

The aerial dragons, technically called Flyers, are a reminder that Apex Legends exists in the wider Titanfall universe. These large, winged reptilian creatures exist on many planets, having appeared in previous games. Their appearance on the map Tuesday is probably connected to the giant, dinosaur-like Leviathans that have been walking around the island for over a week now, creeping ever closer.

In the first Titanfall game, Flyers appeared on some of the multiplayer maps where they would interact with players by devouring their NPC allies. A small group of them would even consider attacking a dropship if they felt like it. These huge monsters should not be taken lightly! The massive Leviathans were also featured in Titanfall in a lesser capacity.

In Apex Legends, the Flyers circle the island aimlessly. If players shoot them out of the sky, they’ll drop a death box that has “the name tag and banner from anyone on your friend’s list on it.” Essentially, Respawn gathers data from your friend’s list to make it seem like one of these dragons devoured your friend! By taking your revenge and aggression out on these vicious monsters, you can claim some decent loot. But there’s more.

Players on the Apex Legends subreddit have aggregated everything we know about the Flyers into a cohesive post, and most people think there’s more violence to come. Other than shooting them, the only way players can interact with them currently is with Pathfinder’s grapple. (You can’t land on them from the air.)

“This teaser seems to be like the teaser for Octane (the jump pads. oh god),” redditor u/CoreExen theorized. “It could be possible that Respawn adds another alien species to King’s Canyon before Season 2. For instance, the Prowler, a hostile creature who will most likely wander around and attack players if you get too close. Though, this is just speculation.”

The bit about another hostile creature seems farfetched, but they’re correct in the assessment that this tease is a lead-in to the new season. Octane’s jump pads appeared before the start of Season 1 as a deliberate tease.

What do these huge monsters mean for Season 2?

The Flyers and Leviathans were first teased for Apex Legends during the June 8 EA Play event (in the above clip) in a Season 2 sizzle reel. Through data-mining, some leakers have revealed that Season 2 will feature some kind of “Beast Hunter” game mode. That sizzle reel did show a giant eye on a creature much larger than a Flyer that didn’t look like a Leviathan.

A teaser last week indicated that the Leviathans are indeed moving closer to the island. Right now, a Repulser on the southeastern section of the map somehow blocks the Leviathans from reaching the island, but there’s reason to believe that some event at the start of Season 2 could destroy that piece of technology, allowing King’s Canyon to be invaded by every huge beast that might want to interrupt your game session.

In the wider lore of Apex Legends, the Apex Games are a controlled environment where contestants fight to the death. What impact might huge untamed beasts have on the Games? That could make Season 2 feel like Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park meets Cloverfield.

Things feel pretty quiet right now, but that feeling won’t last much longer.

Apex Legends Season 2 is scheduled to begin July 2, 2019.