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The balance of Caustic in Apex Legends remained a subject of debate for several seasons. With the start of Season 8, Respawn has confirmed that their team agrees with the community’s comments and will put the Toxic Trapper to the test at some point.
Success in Apex Legends requires a combination of skillful shootout and smart use of each Legend’s abilities. While Respawn has repeatedly confirmed that the primary focus of the battle royale revolves around guns, they are certainly aware of the impact legendary abilities have on the game.
While every character has been improved or nerfed in some way since its release, Caustic has remained a controversial legend after receiving multiple buffs in Season 7, and the community has not been shy about criticizing Respawn for the balance of the character.
In a Reddit AMA after the Season 8 release, one user asked, “Why hasn’t the Caustic been nerfed after important community calls? [His abilities] go directly against the design philosophy that was given when the game was released, which was first guns, then Legends.
Following further criticism that the game “looked more like Overwatch,” a common community concern during Season 7, John Larson – Associate Designer Live Balance at Respawn – responded with an explanation.
“Good question. I think since the change in throttle allowed his teammates to play in the gas with relatively no repercussions, there was a lot of unrealized potential that was quickly tapped into over the past couple of months. Caustic is undeniably strong and has the highest win rate in matches that last longer than 20 minutes. Caustic plays a unique role as a defensive legend who can act offensively in certain scenarios, and we need to make sure we polish him d ‘a way that takes the frustration out without hurting what it feels like to play as Caustic.
Long story short we hear community feedback, as a player I think it’s valid, the data confirms he’s strong and will get some attention in the near future. As for Apex becoming “Ability Legends,” as new characters are introduced, it is important that they occupy a unique design space. This opens the door to potentially devastating synergies between Legendary abilities. I’ve seen (and experienced myself) the chaotic end game clips, and it’s something we’re actively working to resolve.
Following this response, TSM streamer and former Apex pro Mac “Albralelie” Kenzie Beckwith provided another suggestion on how to approach Caustic’s balancing.
He proposed that the gas from Caustic’s barrels should only weaken opponents to make them more vulnerable, instead of doing damage on their own.
Thinking about a balance change for the Caustic I talked about a few days ago, essentially remove damage from barrels, but give anyone in the gas a vulnerable status effect that increases all damage taken from a % while highlighting anyone in the gas for all teammates.
– TSM_Albralelie (@TSM_Albralelie) February 6, 2021
It remains to be seen whether or not Respawn decides to change the function of Toxic Trapper’s abilities as Albralelie suggested, or simply to reduce their damage or duration.
Either way, a caustic nerve will definitely be good news for a large part of the community, especially pro gamers and content creators.
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