Apex Legends Patch Reveal Weapon Balance Changes

Balance changes have not been commonplace in Apex Legends so far, but that's precisely what's on the menu in an update released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week. Specifically, developer Respawn Entertainment has implemented several changes to weapon balance, which are outlined in the patch notes below.

Alongside the patch's release, Respawn reiterated its philosophy on updates in general, saying in a post on Reddit that its aim to is to release updates less frequently and instead focus on making them meaningful. "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.

An exception is that Respawn would make a rapid-fire adjustment if it discovered that something was "way out of balance." Respawn didn't make any significant weapon balance changes around launch because it wanted to give new players an opportunity to learn the game and its numerous characters.

"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.

Regarding the specific changes, Respawn adjusted the Wingman by reducing its rate of fire and reducing the Skullpiercer headshot damage multiplier. On the other side, the weapon's base hip fire spread was increased, while the rate at which hip fire spread falls off was decreased. The Peacekeeper shotgun sees its Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate reduced in the new update. Outside of that, the general availability of energy weapons and ammo has been increased in all zones, while you're now less likely to find the Wingman and Peacekeeper weapons across the map wherever you are.

Respawn also addressed why it isn't buffing the P2020 and Mozambique weapons. As part of the game's "power curve," some weapons are simply meant to be less powerful. That being said, Respawn said it's continuing to monitor player feedback and data, and also testing new changes internally, to make these pistols "more exciting."

In addition to the weapon balance chances, the new Apex Legends update fixes some scenarios that could cause mid-match disconnects. You can see the patch notes below, as posted on Reddit. Respawn also outlined an upcoming update that will address character hit box concerns, in addition to making some balance tweaks to certain Legends.

Apex Legends was released in early February, and the free-to-play battle royale game has been hugely popular with 50 million registered accounts. Its first Fortnite-style Battle Pass launches in March, and we're still waiting to find out exactly what's in it and when it'll release.

Apex Legends March 6 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%
• Wingman and Peacekeeper availability has been reduced in all zone tiers.
• Increased availability of energy weapons & ammo in all zone tiers.

Other

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.