Recent Apex Legends the update has nerfed Octane and Horizon as Respawn looks to limit some of their power. These two characters are among the most popular Apex Legendsso the latest update could have a significant impact on the meta in the coming weeks.
As January ends, many Apex Legends fans are focused on the opening of the 28th season. However, Season 27 has already made many changes to Battle Royale over the past few months, including some notable changes to Legends like Horizon and Octane. In case Apex Legends' gravity manipulator, the developers tweaked her kit at the beginning of the season so that her Gravity Lift was more reminiscent of her Season 7 release Apex Legends. Later, during the mid-season update, Respawn reworked Octane, giving the high-speed daredevil a new tactic called Stim Surge, among other things. Unsurprisingly, these changes saw an increase in picks for both characters in Season 27. According to Apex Legends Status, Octane currently enjoys a high pick rate of 16.5%, while Horizon is in ninth place at 4.5%.
Highguard is already getting a lot of attention on Steam
The new PVP raid shooter Highguard is already taking off quickly on Steam as the game attracts the attention of thousands of players.
Respawn Nerfs Octane and Horizon January 23 Update
While both characters can be fun to play as v Apex LegendsRespawn thinks their power needs to rule. As part of the January 23rd update, the developer nerfed Octane and Horizon to help them fit better into the current meta. Among the changes, the effectiveness of Octane's Swift Mend ability has been reduced. Specifically, the maximum healing has been reduced from 9 to 6, and the minimum healing has been reduced from 3 to 2. Meanwhile, Horizon's NEWT Scoot upgrade has been nerfed. Players can now only glide for a maximum of 2 seconds, up from 5 seconds. Additionally, her maximum speed has been reduced from 700 to 550, making her a potentially easier target.
Respawn explained the reasons for the changes in the patch notes. According to the developer, Octane's pick rate hasn't dropped to a “healthy” level since the mid-season update. These latest changes should make it a little less durable; they come after his recent rework made him harder to kill. The changes to Horizon are a little more interesting, as Respawn noted that they were happy with the level of character selection since the launch of Season 27. However, the synergy with Octane was described as “squirrel”, prompting a nerf to the NEWT Scoot. It's worth noting that this is an upgrade for Horizon Apex Legendsmeaning that not every player will notice the change if they opt for the fast fall option instead.
It may be a while before we see the impact of these changes Apex Legends meta. However, they are undoubtedly a disappointment to some Octane networks. Since being introduced to the roster in Season 1, he has become a fan favorite due to his movement-based abilities. Unfortunately, Octane became less viable as better alternatives entered the fray. The latest mid-season update for Apex Legends finally gave the character a meaningful overhaul, but it remains to be seen how long the character will stay at the top of the popularity charts after this recent nerf.
These changes come after the end of the Winter Wipeout event on January 27th. This event brought changes to the Wildcard v game mode Apex Legendsincluding HoverBoards. Additionally, new winter-themed cosmetics have been added along with the Apex Stellaris Prestige Skin for Horizon. Once this event is over, fans should learn more about what's next for the battle royale in the coming days, as the current season is set to end on February 3rd. Time will tell what other improvements to Legends might come in Season 28.
Apex Legends January 23 Patch Notes
Hello legends,
We've just released a patch that includes the following tweaks and fixes:
Octane:
We've seen an organic drop in his pick since the mid-season patch, which we expected, but it hasn't dropped enough to what we consider healthy, so some of his new kit interactions are unhealthy.
-
Swift Mend max healing reduced from 9 to 6
-
Swift Mend healing reduced from 3 to 2
Horizon:
Horizon landed at a comfortable pace after their recent buffs, but combined with Octane, the team composition proved to be a bit squirmy.
-
Reduced Newt Scoot max time from 5 to 2.5
-
New Scoot max speed reduced from 700 to 550
Thank you for your continued feedback. See you on Dropship!
- Released
-
February 4, 2019
- ESRB
-
T for Teens: Blood, Violence
- Publishers
-
Electronic Arts
