Navmesh and End Ring Generation - GDC Rewind #gdc2026 #GDCRewind #ApexLegends #gamedev

Apex Legends' end rings previously required level designers to manually mark invalid zones (like two-level buildings) to prevent unfair final circles, which was error-prone and caused bad rings at launch. The team solved this by leveraging navmesh data, which inherently understands vertical space, playable area size, and cover availability. The key insight shared is that navmesh is far more than a navigation tool — it's a distilled, efficient representation of game world data that gameplay engineers and designers can use creatively beyond pathfinding.