Apex Legends Broken Moon Guide (2026): POIs, Ziprails, Rotations

Broken Moon is the map that never quite leaves the rotation: it has been in Pubs and Ranked for at least one split of every season since August 2025, and in Season 31 "Cipher" (from 3 November 2026) it is back in both, next to Storm Point and E-District Night, and also in the Wildcard playlist. This guide covers Broken Moon as it plays now: the POIs after the Season 21 rebuild, the routes EA itself named between them, what the May 2026 ziprail cut and the new balloons changed, where to land, how to rotate and how to finish a match on it.

Broken Moon at a glance

The Apex Legends Wiki lists Broken Moon as the map of Season 15, set on Cleo, the moon of the planet Boreas, whose surface was shattered by a comet and then terraformed. In Season 21 (Upheaval) the map's story moved on: EA's update post of 3 May 2024 says Broken Moon is now detached and floating in space between Cleo and Boreas, and that the Terraformer recalculated, mutating familiar biomes. That update rebuilt the centre and added or moved six POIs, and it is the version you play today, with the 2026 rotation changes on top.

The POIs, old and new

Broken Moon is easier to learn in three groups: the seven areas EA added or moved in Season 21, the older core around the Terraformer that EA's routes connect, and the rest of the moon. Loot tiers are the Apex Legends Wiki's labels (its Broken Moon page dates from October 2024); the notes are EA's.

Two of the old names are gone: Promenade, wiped out by a crashed Stasis Array Node and replaced by Quarantine Zone, and the Backup Atmostation, whose spot Breaker Wharf now occupies. If you return to Broken Moon after a long break, those are the two changes that move the map's centre of gravity.

The routes EA named

EA's Upheaval post is unusually specific about how it wants squads to move. It describes six routes, and they are the backbone of every rotation on the map:

BoostPirate's reading: the Hazmat Tunnel is the fastest way between the centre and the Terraformer, but a tunnel is also where a squad waiting at the exit wins easily, so send one player to look before the squad commits. The Terraformer – Stasis line is the safe anchor EA describes, a route that avoids chokes, which makes it the default for a ranked squad that wants to reach the north side without a fight. And Quarantine Zone – Underpass, with its slide-downs and covered bridge, is the quickest way out of the centre when the ring moves south of it on our network diagram.

Ziprails, balloons and the 2026 changes

Broken Moon launched with ziprails, long rails you ride between areas. EA's Overclocked patch notes of 4 May 2026 changed that, alongside the removal of Tridents from Storm Point and Olympus:

EA explained its vehicle removals by saying "we want to let our Legends take the wheel", so that legend choice matters more for rotations. On Broken Moon the effect is that the long, safe rail rides between POIs are mostly gone, while short rails inside POIs remain. Rotations now take longer and cross more open ground, which makes movement legends and early departures more valuable. The two west-side balloons give the west of the map a fast way back into the fight, and the two new rotations, north of Stasis Array and west of Terraformer, add exits where squads used to be funnelled. For movement technique, see our movement guide.

Where to land on Broken Moon

EA's descriptions do some of the work here: Space Port is "the perfect drop for one team to get some good loot", Underpass offers a slower start for teams that don't want a hot drop, and Experimental Labs gives more loot in a less desirable landing spot. The rest of the board is BoostPirate's opinion.

Since EA's Season 30 loot overhaul, normal POIs mostly hold white and blue items, so a quiet drop costs you less than it used to. Our drop spots guide explains how to choose across all three Season 31 maps.

Rotating on Broken Moon

1. Plan by route, not by POI.

   When the ring appears, pick one of the named routes toward it. Routes have cover; the ground between them often doesn't.

2. Leave earlier than you did in 2025.

   Without ziprails between POIs, the same rotation takes longer on foot. Move as the ring timer starts.

3. Scout the tunnel.

   The Hazmat Tunnel is fast but predictable. One player checks the exit; the other two follow only when it is clear.

4. Hold the high side.

   Cliff Side and the Terraformer area give height over the routes into the centre. Arrive there first and let squads walk into you.

5. Use the balloons on the west.

   If you die and get respawned, or you need to reposition fast on the west side, the two balloons added in May 2026 are your shortcut.

Our rotations and endgame guide turns this into a ring-by-ring plan, and the third-partying guide explains when to join or avoid the fights you hear along a route.

Endgame, Strongholds and ranked

Broken Moon endgames are fights over a few strong positions linked by routes. In Season 31 every map gets the same new air drops: two care packages as the first ring closes, and one care package plus one Stronghold as the second closes. A Stronghold is locked until a squad holds its zone with no other squad alive inside, and pays a care package weapon, three gold guns, three amps, two corrupted attachments and a level up for every living member of the squad. EA's Designer's Notes say its impact depends on "local terrain and ring position at time of drop": on Broken Moon that means whether it lands on a route you control or in the open between them.

In ranked, the Season 31 rules apply on every map: two Legend bans in Diamond+ matches, Challenger (−30% entry) and Goliath (+50% entry) matches when your squad is two or more tiers away from the lobby's median, and the new Ranked tab shown above. Our Season 31 ranked changes page covers them in full, and how to rank up in Apex explains why placement matters more than kills for most climbers.

Broken Moon in Wildcard

Broken Moon is also one of the Wildcard maps this season: EA's Cipher notes list a Broken Moon Wildcard from 3 to 9 November 2026 and again from 1 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, alongside E-District and, in December, Olympus. In Season 31's Wildcard, Wild Cards are granted at the start of Rounds 1, 2 and 3, and EA removed Replicators from the mode. Wildcard isn't ranked, which makes it a low-stakes way to learn Broken Moon's routes before you queue ranked on it.

Broken Moon timeline

1. Season 15

   Broken Moon arrives, set on Cleo, the moon of Boreas (Apex Legends Wiki).

2. 3 May 2024

   Season 21 update: the moon breaks away; Quarantine Zone replaces Promenade, six POIs added or moved, six routes named.

3. 6 Aug 2024

   In Pubs and Ranked with E-District and Storm Point for the first half of Season 22.

4. 24 Mar 2026

   Out of Pubs and Ranked for Season 28's second split; a Broken Moon Wildcard runs from 31 March to 5 May.

5. 5 May 2026

   Back in the rotation; ziprails cut from most rotations, two west-side balloons and two new rotations.

6. 3 Nov 2026

   Season 31: Pubs, Ranked and Wildcard.

Common Broken Moon mistakes

More map guides: Storm Point · E-District · Season 31 map rotation · drop spots · ring and zone · best legends for Season 31 ranked