Since its release last month, Apex Legends has received a few updates but most of them have been pushed to address the stability issues apart from the addition of the new weapon Havoc.
As the game evolves, balance issues are bound to arise and Respawn are always on the ball to release quick patches to make the game as fair and balanced as it can be. This new update released on PC, Xbox One and PS4 brings several weapon balance changes to the table.
In a post on Reddit, Respawn also explained its strategy on updates saying that it aims to release less minor updates and instead focus on making big and meaningful changes to the game. “We make less frequent, better tested, higher impact balance changes in order to minimize the impacts on your time spent mastering the game”, Respawn said. The only exception to this rule would be if Respawn discovered something to be “way out of balance”.
“We want to let you know we’re constantly reviewing the state of the game and considering and testing a variety of changes”, Respawn said while talking about the future of Apex Legends and where it is headed.
Regarding the update released this week, the patch notes reveal a lot of details that have been fixed. The fan favourite Wingman has been nerfed by reducing its rate of fire and the Skullpiercer headshot damage multiplier. The base hip fire speed of the weapon was increased though, along with a reduction in the rate at which hip fire spread falls off. One of the best guns in the game, the almighty Peacekeeper shotgun also sees a nerf with a decrease in Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate. Other than that, players would also be more likely to find energy weapons and ammo in all the zones. The chances of finding the Wingman and Peacekeeper shotgun have also been reduced throughout the map.
At this point, the Mozambique shotgun pistol has become a meme in the gaming community just because of how bad and under-powered it is. Sadly, Respawn has no plans to change anything about it. According to Respawn, the Mozambique and P2020 are under-powered as part of the game’s “power curve”. This means that some weapons are just meant to be less powerful. The Mozambique, thus, continues to be an unloved child that no one wants to adopt. Respawn did reiterate their commitment to monitoring player feedback and data to make these pistols “more exciting”. This might mean a potential buff for these pistols in the future.
Other than the balance fixes, the update also fixes some common stability and connection issues. You can see the full patch notes from the Reddit post below. With the Fortnite-style Battle pass on the horizon, these are exciting times for Apex Legends players with new content and patches being pushed out consistently by Respawn Entertainment.
Apex Legends March Update Patch Notes:
Weapon Adjustments:
- Wingman:
- Rate of fire reduced from 3.1 -> 2.6
- Skullpiercer Headshot damage multiplier reduced from 2.5 -> 2.25
- Increased base hip fire spread and decreased the rate at which hip fire spread decays (shrinks back down).
- Peacekeeper:
- Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate has been reduced for the Peacekeeper only.
- Level 1 mitigation 10% -> 7.5
- Level 2 mitigation 20% -> 13%
- Level 3 mitigation 25% -> 16%
- Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate has been reduced for the Peacekeeper only.
- Wingman and Peacekeeper availability has been reduced in all zone tiers.
- Increased availability of energy weapons & ammo in all zone tiers.
Other Changes:
Fixed some script errors that we identified were occasionally causing disconnects during matches.
- Caustic occasionally causing disconnects while throwing is Ultimate.
- Pathfinder occasionally causing disconnects when activating a Survey Beacon.
- Players occasionally causing disconnects when removing an attachment.
- Gibraltar occasionally causing disconnects when pulling up his Gun Shield.
- Players occasionally causing disconnects when entering Spectate Mode.