Red Planet

Main Caustic in Apex Legends? I have bad news - developer Respawn says the popular Legend will be “getting some attention in the near future”.

For some time, Caustic was one of those Legends on the roster that players rarely spent much quality time with, but after recent tweaks and buffs he now boasts the highest win rate in games that last longer than 20 minutes and has started to dominate matches.

Responding to a question in which a player wondered why Caustic hadn’t yet been nerfed following frequent complaints from players, Respawn’s John Larson, Associate Live Balance Designer, acknowledged it was a “good question” and agreed that Caustic is now “undeniably strong”.

“Good question. I think ever since the change to gas allowed teammates to play in gas with relatively no repercussions, there was a lot of unrealised potential that was quickly tapped into within the past couple months,” Larson said in a Reddit AMA held over the weekend.

“Caustic is undeniably strong and has the highest win rate in matches that last longer than 20 minutes. Caustic plays a unique role as a defensive legend that can act offensively in certain scenarios, and we have to make sure we tweak him in a way that removes frustration without hurting how it feels to play as Caustic.

“Long story short, we hear the community feedback, as a player, I feel it’s valid, the data backs up that he’s strong, and he’ll be getting some attention in the near future,” Larson added.

The commenter also suggested that given the introduction of new Legend Fuse and the buffs to characters like Caustic, “the game feels like it is beginning to transition to an Overwatch type of game, where abilities are what win fights, not gunskill” which Larson too was happy to discuss.

“In regards to Apex becoming ‘Ability Legends’, as new characters are introduced, it’s important they take up a unique design space,” Larson said. “This opens the door to potentially devastating synergies between legend abilities. I’ve seen (and experienced myself) the clips of chaotic ability driven end games, and that’s something we’re actively working on resolving.”

The news comes just days after fan-favourite Wraith had the size of her hitbox increased. As explained in the Season 8 patch notes, Respawn hopes to control Wraith’s power without nerfing her abilities, and one way to do so is by changing her hitbox.