Apex Legends players have noticed a huge change to Horizon in the Spellbound patch that could be a bug—or a nerf.
In a tweet captioned “Horizon is dead,” Apex pro player HisWattson shared a video today that showed him testing Horizon’s Gravity Lift tactical in the firing range. When he reached the top of the lift and fired down at a dummy with a kitted R-301, his weapon accuracy seemed to be significantly lower than before the patch. The R-301 has one of the lowest recoil rates of any Apex weapon, especially when kitted, leading some to believe that players will now experience decreased accuracy when floating in her Gravity Lift.
It’s unclear whether this change is a bug or a nerf. No Horizon changes were included in the Spellbound event patch notes, and developer Respawn Entertainment has not mentioned any Horizon nerfs publicly.
Horizon has been a powerful force in both upper-level and pro play for the last few months, sitting at an incredibly high 23.7 pick rate and 45 percent win rate among master and Predator-level players, according to stats site Apex Legends Status. This power was largely due to her ability to float and strafe in the air with no weapon accuracy penalty. Because of this history, many players were quick to call the change a nerf.
It’s possible that this change will be reverted or adjusted in the future, especially if it was unintended. It’s also possible that this accuracy decrease was intended to arrive as part of Apex’s upcoming sixteenth season but was accidentally shipped early. It remains to be seen whether the change will be removed, but for now, many players are celebrating what looks like the end of Horizon’s reign.
