Update May 9 1:15pm CT: Shortly after season 17 hit the live servers on May 9, Respawn quietly removed the line about Catalyst’s buff from the legend section of the balance updates. We will update this article as more information comes in regarding the interaction and the cause of the change’s removal from the patch notes.
With Apex Legends’ season 17 hitting the live servers tomorrow, Respawn Entertainment published a new set of patch notes today for the impending update. Fans of the battle royale will be happy to know the notes address what was a rather controversial character interaction last year.
Catalyst arrived in the Apex Games with season 15 in November 2022, bringing a wall of ferrofluid to the bloodsport. Prior to the season’s launch, many expected Catalyst’s ultimate Dark Veil would directly counter Seer and his Exhibit, which revealed opponents moving in a wide area by highlighting them with diamond-shaped indicators. The Ambush Artist was, at the time, considered by the majority of the player base to be an oppressive pick for his “wall-hack” abilities that allowed players to see enemy locations through objects and buildings. But fans—and even pro players—were quickly disappointed when they discovered Seer’s ultimate still showed enemy whereabouts through Catalyst’s murky black veil.
Six months later, though, Apex fans are finally getting the interaction they originally hoped to see between the two characters. In today’s patch notes, Catalyst received a slight buff to Dark Veil. “Scan Highlights [and] Diamonds are no longer visible through the Dark Veil,” the notes read.
That means the Ambush Artist will be doing a little less ambushing to those behind any ferrofluid wall. Seer’s Exhibit will no longer reveal enemy locations through Catalyst’s Dark Veil beginning in season 17.
In addition to this change, Respawn is introducing buffs to the game’s support class and a slew of bug fixes. Mirage, who was previously a Skirmisher, has joined the roster of Support legends. Previously, any Support legend could craft a respawn banner for their teammates. Now, however, anyone sharing a team with a Support has access to the perk.
Fans can check out the full list of patch notes on EA’s website.
Related: Apex’s ranked mode undergoing ‘foundational shift’ in season 17
Season 17 launches tomorrow, May 9, with the game’s newest Assault legend, Ballistic, as well as changes to the Firing Range and the battle royale’s ranked mode.
