At 1 pm PT on Wednesday (6 am Thursday in AEST), an Apex Legends Reddit AMA with two of Respawn’s Apex developers took place.
Game Designer Casey and Senior Game Designer Evan took to Reddit on a mission to answer fan-submitted questions. Overall, the AMA thread explored Legend balance, weapons balancing, loot rotation, and more.
Here are the highlights:
Apex Legends Reddit AMA developers face interrogation on Ash
Several questions in the Reddit AMA thread centred on the topic of Legend balancing. Maintaining an appropriate balance and fresh rotation of Legend strength is a longstanding challenge in the game.
Currently, many players feel that Ash is the most unbalanced Legend in the game.
One commenter asked, “Why the long wait to nerf Ash? She’s extremely dominant.”
Senior Game Designer Evan responded that they are “very aware of how commanding Ash has been since her buffs in 24,” but that devs have “taken the approach of leaning into the fun that she’s brought to the table.”
In Evan’s words, they want to “bring other Legends up to meet that fun.”
However, he did recognise the irritation many players are feeling regarding her current overpowered state. In his response, he included that although they don’t want to nerf Ash to the ground, Respawn are “looking at ways to tamp down her power and synergies, as well as counters to movement like Wattson’s fences.”
Another question asked the Respawn developers about the movement meta concerning Ash’s dash and Sparrow’s double jump. In particular, the commenter inquired about plans to implement a universal movement for all Legends to make them more viable.
In response, Evan reinforced the idea that balance does not equate to equality in game development. Instead, he reminded players that Apex Legends devs want to focus on “creating opportunities for the other lasses to be able to deal with those high mobility characters that makes them feel rewarded and powerful in their own way.”
Overall, their response to a broader question on overbuffing was as follows:
“So far, we have been enjoying how the recent balance shakeups have been shifting the meta pretty drastically. It’s kept seasons feeling fresh and interesting, but we are also aware of the stickier legends that are staying at the top. Our goal is to have a healthy rotation of legends that are able to be strong and breathe some new levels of fun into them, but we dont want them to remain for too long or become frustrating either. In addition to season changes, you have likely seen how we have increased the frequency of balance changes outside the usual season and mid-season patches, and we’re hoping to keep up that practice going forward so we can keep on top of problems as they come up!”
Adjusting the Class System – overhaul, additions, or updates?
The Apex Legends Class System was officially and structurally implemented in Season 16, released in February 2023. It divided the available Legends into Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller, and Support Classes, each with individual perks.
One commenter on the Apex Legends Reddit AMA thread mentioned that, in their opinion, Class perks were becoming overwhelming, particularly in casual gameplay modes.
In response, Evan admitted that Class perks and upgrades are a continuous internal debate. Developers are constantly reevaluating where perks cross the line from being an interesting game feature to an overly complicated or confusing system.
Evan did confirm, however, “we’ll most likely have new perks in the future, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come with the removal or modification of existing perks.” He also reassured, “we don’t plan on slowing down with more frequent balance changing and updates either, so your feedback is being heard and actioned on!”
Navigating the weapons meta, in both the present and future
One response by Casey on the Apex Legends Reddit AMA gave a good overview of how Respawn developers are currently approaching the weapons meta:
“The team is currently focusing on improving the current weapon roster at the moment. Similar to the approach Legend’s has been taking with taking a deep dive at one or two members of the roster and beefing them up, we are aiming to do the same with our weapons and loot. Expect to see more larger scale changes with some of our weapons, more than just small number tunings or a damage tweak. Think bigger. Think Bocek explosive arrows. Think Devotion turbocharged. These are the kind of changes we are working towards.”
The devs also acknowledged that the Devotion weapon “has been a little too hot this season,” but reassured that “the previous hotfixes and upcoming changes address that power a little bit more.”
Some of the Reddit AMA questions also questioned floor loot rotations.
As Casey reiterated in a response, the typical floor loot to care package rotation lasts for two seasons. As a result, the Peacekeeper’s time in the care package is coming to an end soon.
One question zeroed in on maintaining a weapons balance that is navigable for newer, less skilled players. This user expressed a preference for increasing the game’s skill level.
Casey acknowledged the validity of this user’s point, recognising that some weapons and abilities are easier to use than others. However, they provided a counterpoint that after six years with an active player base, Apex Legends has become increasingly challenging for new players to navigate.
Every update to the game now requires developers to keep the navigation of the Apex skill curve in mind.
In Casey’s words, “We want higher skill players to get those sick clips with a Kraber. We want lower skilled players to get that one kill that wins them a team fight and keeps them coming back for another.”
Responding to Casey’s answer, Apex Legends Reddit users noted that they believe issues with new player experience and skill curves are more closely related to match-making. This has been a continuous point of contention in the community.
Were any future plans revealed in the Apex Legends Reddit AMA?
As usual, most future plans for the game were kept under wraps. However, one comment from Evan will be of particular interest to Caustic fans.
The Legend is not easy to utilise in the current meta. As one Reddit user described in a separate thread, “His farts used to be a choking hazard, now it’s like he’s handing out roses.”
When asked about boosting the passives of underutilised legends, Evan hinted:
“Caustic has been researching some new ideas that he hopes to reveal to the world soon 😉 It seems he may have let a few things out of the lab a bit early. All will be revealed soon!”
Overall, the two developers who participated in the Apex Legends Reddit AMA reassured that upcoming seasons will reveal a longer-term strategy around balancing Legends and weapons in the game. They also recognised the need to keep all Legends in mind when these changes occur.
We may soon see a new era of Caustic and Seer players dominating the lobby. Just maybe…