Apex Legends players complained and Respawn listened.
A quick balance patch shipping later today will target a couple of overperforming weapons, including the Prowler SMG and L-Star LMG. While fans may have wanted to see some Seer nerfs come sooner, Respawn plans on balancing the new legend next week.
The Prowler has been wreaking havoc since it returned to the floor loot pool, dealing tons of damage while also maintaining good mid-range hip fire accuracy. Respawn is addressing the weapon by reducing its body damage from 15 to 14 per bullet, which should noticeably impact its burst damage. And since it became a popular pick up in Apex‘s three-vs-three Arenas mode, Respawn is hiking up its price.
Associate live balance designer John Larson addressed the Prowler change today, saying it will reduce a body shot burst from 75 to 70. As for the gun’s hip fire, Respawn will skip it for now and take a more “conservative approach.”
“Prowler has the same hipfire properties as the R9, and SMGs should be reliable close range,” Larson said. “I think there are smarter ways to further adjust if it still proves to be the de facto cqc option.”
The L-Star’s Arenas cost will also go up in the balance patch. And players will now have their speed reduced when they’re aiming down sight with the LMG, making it a bit more difficult to run and gun.
Even though Seer isn’t being tweaked today, he should get balanced next week. Gameplay software engineer Travis Nordin discussed the Ambush Artist in a Reddit AMA last week, explaining that he’s “a bit too strong at the moment” despite introducing “a lot of new gameplay elements.”
It’s unclear what the balance changes will be. But with Seer offering plenty of intel, an extremely useful interrupt, and the ability to locate enemies through walls, the devs can go in multiple directions.
