Controller players and aim assist on PC have perpetually been one of the hottest, most divisive topics in the Apex Legends community for years. And according to well-known leaker Osvaldatore, season 22 will fundamentally shift that discussion.
According to Osvaldatore, aim assist will be getting a nerf on PC in Apex next season. The rumored news came in a post on X/Twitter, in which Osvaldatore claimed the “magnet” aim assist value for controller players on PC will decrease from 0.4 to 0.3 next season, and also said there will be “increased camera shake while taking damage.” According to the leak, aim assist values on console are not expected to change as this tweak solely targets the PC version of the game.
If this nerf comes to fruition, it’d be a big move for Respawn to make. As the life of Apex gets longer and longer, controller players have had more of a dominant place on PC. Controller players dominated mouse and keyboard users in kills at the last ALGS LAN, according to Liquipedia, and many prominent pros have even switched from mouse and keyboard to controller for the considerable advantage it provides players in close-quarters fights. That includes the most popular player in the game, Team Falcons’ ImperialHal.
The replies to Osvaldatore’s post are understandably filled with a wide range of reactions, from MnK players celebrating to salty controller players and everything in between. But notably, many prominent players don’t seem to think the nerf will end up changing much.
“Rotational AA was the problem imo,” said tier two player Kasellos. “I don’t even think .4 to .3 will be noticeable at all.” Light, a frequent name on the Challengers Circuit scene, shared their own belief that the leak was “false,” and that simply changing the aim assist values in this way was “a lazy way to nerf aim assist, and the camera shake almost seems completely fabricated to piss controller players off (it worked).”
All of these changes will come with the backdrop of plummeting player count and review bombs of the game in season 21 for issues like battle pass changes and the eternal struggle against cheaters. It feels like Apex needs a real shot in the arm, and a new battle royale map alone might not be enough.
But will an aim assist nerf help revitalize Apex gameplay? Or will it just alienate a dominant audience in Apex?
