Apex Legends is approaching the middle of Season 7, which means a potential patch may affect a number of legends. Recently, Respawn Entertainment Developer Daniel Klein shared a few Apex Legends statistics including the most-played characters, win rates, and encounter win rates during Season 7, as well as some tentative plans for buffs and nerfs going into Season 8. However, some fans were not happy with the planned changes to one fan-favorite characters.
During an interview with The Third Party Podcast, Klein revealed that Wraith is still the most-played Apex Legends character across all levels of competition, and boasts a 100 percent pick rate in competitive play. Wraith has endured a number of nerfs including removing her coveted "Naruto run" during the Aftermarket patch update. However, through all of the nerfs, Wraith still has the highest win rate of all legends.
Klein shares how changing hitboxes can result in more freedom to buff character abilities. He cites the change to Pathfinder's hit box and his grapple buff resulting in a lower win rate, with players still enjoying his gameplay and abilities. However, when Klein mentioned a change to Wraith's hit box, fans expressed their outrage.
The tentative plan to nerf Wraith going into Season 8 received so much negative feedback on Reddit that Respawn Live Balance Designer John Larson stepped in to defend the plan. Larson wrote a lengthy reply mentioning that he is a Wraith main and that she has received the most nerfs and tweaks in Apex Legends, but still needs a change. Larson rebukes the claim that skilled players are drawn to Wraith, citing that her win rate and encounter win rate remains miles ahead of any other legend in every skill bracket.
While Wraith mains may be upset with the potential change, developers believe it is hard to ignore the stats skewed in her favor. Larson also said, "We never want to nerf legends to the point where they lose their identity." Wraith fans believe that continuous nerfs to the legend may do so, though many also believe Pathfinder maintained the same identity after various changes to his hit box and grapple.
Even though Respawn developers have said that Wraith's kit will not be affected, some fans are still upset by potential changes. Respawn developers have shared that character balances are intended to make the game fun for everyone, and that balances are very heavily researched throughout seasons to decide the best course of action. Most character changes are done at the beginning of a season, or at the midpoint, which for Season 7 will be the Holo-Day Bash event scheduled to begin December 1.
Apex Legends is free-to-play on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version coming in 2021.
Source: Reddit