A balance update in Apex Legends adjusts two of the community’s most popular weapons, the Wingman and the Peacekeeper. It has already been announced how the Legends will change at the start of Season 1.
When is the balance update coming? The patch has already been applied server-side and is active in Apex Legends. You do not need to download any updates for that.
What has changed with the weapons? On Reddit , the developers of Apex Legends explain that they currently do not want to change the meta too drastically. Nevertheless, they deemed it necessary to weaken two dominant weapons. What has changed is detailed in the patch notes.
Wingman
- The rate of fire has been reduced from 3.1 to 2.6 shots per second
- The headshot damage multiplier of the Skull Splitter attachment has been reduced from 2.5 to 2.25 (this only applies to the combination of this attachment with the Wingman. For the Longbow, it remains 2.5).
- The spread when shooting from the hip has been increased and now recovers more slowly
Peacekeeper
- The rate of fire of the Peacekeeper with the bolt extension has been reduced
- Level 1 now only increases the rate of fire by 7.5% instead of 10%
- Level 2 now only increases the rate of fire by 13% instead of 20%
- Level 3 now only increases the rate of fire by 16% instead of 23%
Why are these changes being made? The developers want to ensure that the wielder of the Peacekeeper is more vulnerable between shots.
General weapon changes:
- The Wingman and the Peacekeeper are now rarer to find
- Energy weapons and energy ammunition are found more frequently.
Have Legends been changed? Yes, but only regarding crashes. Bugs causing disconnects with Caustic, Pathfinder, and Gibraltar have been fixed. Major balance changes to the Legends will happen at the start of Season 1.
How often do these balance updates happen? The developers want to conduct significant balance changes less frequently. This is to ensure that players do not have to read the patch notes every week to understand a new meta. “We are making less frequent, better-tested changes that have a strong impact on balance. This minimizes the time needed to master the game.”
What does the community say? Players seem satisfied with the Wingman nerfs. “As someone who plays the Wingman as a primary weapon: Thank you. The nerf is completely reasonable.” Additionally, one other player responded, “It’s absolutely reasonable. I agree.”
These character changes are planned for Season 1
In the patch notes, the developers also provide insight into how the game will change for Season 1, even though there is still no official start date for it.
Caustic
- Gas Traps – Cooldown reduced from 30 to 25 seconds
- Gas Traps – Radius and trigger radius increased by about 10%
- Gas Traps – The 1-second delay before the smoke deals damage to players will be removed
Pathfinder
- Passive – The number of beacons on the map has been increased from 10 to 12
Lifeline
- Care Package – The small chance of containing Level 4 armor or helmets has been removed
Wraith
- Into the Void – Cooldown increased from 20 to 25 seconds
Bangalore
- Passive (Tactical Sprint) – Movement speed bonus reduced from 40% to 30%
Note that these changes to the legends are not yet active in the game, but will become active with Season 1.
The developers are also addressing another problem:
