Apex Legends: New update nerf Wingman, Peacekeeper and hitbox talk

Respawn just released the first major balance update for Apex Legends. This update will adjust the two most powerful guns in the game, Wingman and Peacekeeper. In addition, Respawn also shared plans to change the hitbox for the three characters.

Here are the important points in this Apex Legends update:

• Wingman now shoots slower and is less accurate when not aiming
• Peacekeeper reloads slower depending on your shotgun bolt equipment
• Both Wingman and Peacekeeper will appear less often
• Caustic’s trap is now a bit stronger
• Energy ammo now more
• Respawn will adjust the hitbox sizes of Gibraltar, Caustic and Pathfinder at the beginning of Season 1

There are no new weapons, characters or content in this update. However, in addition to the patch notes, the studio also shared some of their philosophies on game balance, as well as what we can expect in future updates.

“Our goal is to limit the release of high-impact changes, to minimize the time you spend getting used to the mechanics, weapons, characters, etc. You don’t have to read the patch notes. of Respawn constantly to see how the characters and weapons work…”

The studio also shared an important detail about weapon balance. Respawn’s goal is not to make guns equally powerful, but to intentionally create a difference in power between guns, helping to create a clear disparity. “Our goal is to create a ‘power curve’ for the weapons. The power curve means that some weapons will be weaker but more abundant, while others will be stronger but rarer. Some weapons are intentionally weakened until purple accessories are equipped [level 3] with hopup and attachment, while the other weapons at the bottom of the ‘power curve’ are better guns for early game than hand, but force you to upgrade other weapons early. We’ve received some good feedback from players on how to make pistols more interesting without losing sight of the goals we set out above. We will continue to monitor player data and feedback, and then test it internally, but for now they will remain the same.”

Within 4 weeks of its release, the hitbox became one of the most discussed topics. Respawn confirmed their philosophy while announcing plans to tweak it. “In terms of character balance, we look at the following general things: character pick rate, win rate, character win rate against other characters, and finally character feedback. The results between the 5 mini- and medium-sized characters are quite positive – they are all equally powerful. However, with the large characters and their size being the main reason they are not used much.”

Respawn said it plans to “reduce” and “optimize” the hitbox sizes of the three biggest characters — Pathfinder, Gibraltar, and Caustic — in the Apex Legends Season 1 patch. The above character is back, we will consider other changes such as reducing damage as well as adjusting the strength of the character’s skills. Because these changes are so impactful, we want to make sure they’re thoroughly tested before going live, if absolutely necessary.”

Finally, Respawn also knows that everyone is looking forward to Apex Legends Season 1 and there is no official information yet. “We are still working to make sure everything is ready and we won’t talk about it right away. There’s a lot going on before the big announcements, so be patient. I know this isn’t much fun, but please be patient with us,” said Respawn community manager Jay Frechette.

You can read the details of this patch notes at the following link.