Apex Legends Resurrection features a variety of changes to the gameplay experience which are all positive steps in the right direction. From reworking underused Legends to fit into the new metagame to Weapon Balancing and Ranked System Changes, the Respawn devs have delivered what they promised in their Dev AMA. For once in a long time the team at Respawn have really stepped up and made the game feel playable again, and while some of the map design hinders the play experience, they have cleaned up a lot of the mess and it feels like a normal BR game rather than an inherently problematic 60 man skirmishing game.
Legends Rework
Revenant Reworks
Revenant got reworked going into Resurrection, as his kit got more modernised and useful rather than something that was heavily dependent on meta and maps like his previous abilities. His Passive now highlights visible nearby enemies who are low on health. It feels like his wall-climbing ability wasn’t powerful enough compared to some other passives in the game such as Valkyrie’s jetpack, so it’s nice they’ve added something that fits in character with Revenant that isn’t game-breaking.
This allows Revenant to prioritise targets instinctually and fits into the assassin theme he has going, as it will theoretically allow him to secure kills better than anyone else and encourages aggressive peaking after a firefight has commenced. He still has increased movement while crouched and wall climbing, but these benefits weren’t big enough to offset the fact that his hitbox was shaped like a fridge and he was just an oversized cockroach that could instantly burst down. Now his repositioning with his wall climb ties in with his other abilities, which makes it more useful, rather than feeling like an added cool gimmick the devs wanted to make cannon.
Check out how Season 18 has changed the game.
His Tactical and Ultimate are both extremely fun to play and frustrating to play against, but in a good way, rather than the unhealthily broken way that a lot of Apex Legends abilities tend to be when they’re strong. Shadow Pounce is both good for flanking into enemies out of positioning and getting out when teammates are backing off a fight. It’s a unique movement mechanic that can be combined into movement tech so I’m sure the community will come up with interesting uses for this ability.
His Ultimate, Forged Shadows, is a real menace to play against and extremely powerful to play with. His 75 HP shroud is difficult to play against especially in the shotgun meta as he absorbs one or two more pumps to the body during his ultimate. The fact it regenerates completely when he secures a knock makes it imperative to burst him down as a team quickly, and makes him a priority target. If his flank goes unpunished, he has the potential to fully wipe teams and his Tactical coming back off cooldown if he secures a knock gives him follow-up ability or the ability to get in and out on a whim. His kit makes him terrifying 1v1 and difficult to deal with unless coordinated. They’ve certainly made Revenant as scary as his voice now.
Look fierce as you decimate the competition during the Death Dynasty Collection Event 💥
Take over the arena with explosive news looks like Hellforger Rampart, Brood Anomaly Horizon, and Revenant's Death Grip Heirloom. pic.twitter.com/mzOc3wE6VO
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) August 13, 2023
Other Legends to Be ‘Reborn’
Other Legends that need to be ‘reborn’ include Legends such as Lifeline. An idea is to give her back her resurrection shield but make it breakable. Her small hitbox is her only redeeming quality as her care packages are still only good situationally, and her healing drone isn’t actively good in most combat situations. Mirage is in a weird spot where his abilities aren’t powerful but they are unique and tie in with the character well. His Ultimate is good but the rest of his kit leaves a lot to be desired. Giving Legends that are underused some unique passives is also a way to make them viable and not just a watered-down version of other Legends.
Also, someone needs to nerf Horizon. Please, that character has the strongest Tactical and Ultimate in the game, has a hard-to-hit and small hitbox, and hasn’t faced a meaningful Nerf since they nerfed the movement on her tactical, which they can still kind of do anyway.
Weapon Balancing
Shotguns Are Back
The SMG meta might have been fun for rollers but was quickly getting stale for most people. Shotguns are back with a bang and I hope they stay around. I think Shotguns being the best close-combat weapon is inherently healthier for the game. No one can really match the consistent accuracy of a roller spraying on SMG on keyboard and mouse, and this remains true at all levels including the very top at pro play. Shotguns give a fairer playing field to both inputs as they require not just tracking but flicking and crosshair placement, which is easier for the keyboard and mouse to compete on. Controllers still have the advantage of aim assist so it doesn’t feel oppressive like SMGs are to keyboard and mouse players.
The Peacekeeper and Mastiff in particular feel satisfying to use, with my go-to being the PK with no bolt up to white Shotgun Bolt, and Mastiff for blue Shotgun Bolt, and PK for purple and above. It’s good that different guns are better depending on the rarity of the Shotgun Bolt and it feels like both Shotguns are viable, which is a stark contrast to the SMG meta where the R-99 or CAR were always clearly superior to their counterparts depending on the balance changes.
Revenant’s shroud can absorb a shotgun bullet for free. He’s a menacing frontline or a deadly flanker.
Charge Rifle Changes
The Charge Rifle had the highest skill floor in the game prior to the update as it was the easiest poke weapon in the game. It allowed players to easily evolve their armour when the situation didn’t allow teams to push into each other without the risk of dying. Now the Charge Rifle is reworked and feels very different to use, and it definitely is a high-skill weapon. The fact that it has collateral damage makes it effective against camping teams, and it definitely feels like a sniper rifle rather than a point-and-click laser like it used to be.
Testing it out on bots in the Firing Range made me realise this weapon is virtually unusable without a sniper scope and even with one, it felt difficult to use but satisfying to hit shots on. It’s a neat mechanic that it does more damage the further away enemies are, and I hope the Respawn devs add this level of individual flavour to new guns so they offer something new and exciting for every player. I’ve had enough of automatic spray weapons with different ammo types.
Watch @AmbushAB walk through the recent Charge Rifle changes in this dev interview 🎯
And make sure to check out the new and improved weapon next time you hop into the game! pic.twitter.com/40Yb295dZE
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) August 9, 2023
Crafter Weapons
The Nemesis moving to the crafter is a good and bad thing in my opinion. Still, the best mid-range weapon in the game by a long shot, the burst damage potential this weapon has is second to none and its consistent hip-fire accuracy makes it a viable and accurate close-quarters secondary weapon. With the nerfs coming to the R-99, the gun returning to floor loot will still give SMG lovers what they want, but it is meaningfully tuned down enough that it isn’t as dominant as it was last season. The Hemlock is also mega powerful as it also has the burst potential to fry enemies at mid-range while putting it on single fire will make it more viable long-range. Burst mid-range weapons becoming meta isn’t a coincidence and it will be interesting to see how Respawn view this trend.
Ranked System Changes
Colour me unexpectedly pleased, the ranked system is in a much better place now. While Broken Moon remains the most unplayable map in all of Apex Legends ranked, the Olympus and Kings Canyon experience was refreshing and felt fun for the first time in a long time. No longer obtusely oppressive for points and without encouraging ratting, this game mode feels better and isn’t inherently problematic like the previous iteration was.
Me and my friend duo queued together but we would keep running into 3 stacks so making exclusive 3 stack queues is a must in ranked as it ruins the experience for duos and solos. Coordination is much more difficult and it’s difficult to play together without voice comms or familiarity versus a 3 stack who are likely coming and at least familiar with each other. It’s been a problem for Apex Legends for a while and many players in the community have commented that separate playlists are a must to maintain competitive integrity. Get it done Apex.
Revenant is viable in ranked again? At least it’s not totem Revtane…
The biggest point of contention was how LP worked and it is now less generous and slams down the law harder in Diamond and higher lobbies. With a bigger emphasis on placement and not a ridiculously high kill multiplier, it helps keep players in check as it doesn’t encourage suicidal pushing by random players while also the ratting problem has been better.
It doesn’t feel like the system is encouraging bad behaviour but I still want Respawn to not hesitate to make in-season responses to the Rank System as things can still be exploited and I don’t want to wait months for small adjustments to a flawed system as it alienates the player base and will reduce retention. I give them a solid score for trying to right the wrongs of the past while still sticking to their identity of trying to make BR about winning the game rather than wiping out as many squads as possible.
Mixtape is adding Production Yard and The Core to their playlist.
The Ring Balance update forces teams to burn more meds during early rotates and emphasises that teams need to move quickly. My experience in ranked is landing closer to the centre made the game feel easier as landing in the corner and having the ring pull to the opposite corner almost got me killed due to our teams’ lack of syringes. The first few rounds feel quicker for the player and the extended team fighting in the first POI will result in both teams probably dying, so having the clarity of mind to cut your losses is important to place high and gain LP.
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