Respawn Entertainment has been answering a lot of fan questions about Apex Legends recently and sharing new information about the game, like how the new legend Fuse’s ultimate use to just be an instant kill during development. Now, a developer has shared that the “Gas Daddy” himself, Caustic, is going to be receiving a nerf soon.
Caustic has been the source of a lot of back in forth in terms of balancing in Apex Legends. Caustic nearly got a buff at the beginning of January with the Fight Night Collection Event update, but the fan backlash over the Caustic buff caused Respawn to remove it from the update. With the Season 8 update, Respawn instead nerfed caustic so that his gas will no longer linger even after his team is wiped, a change that doesn’t really matter to the Caustic or his team, given they are already dead.
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In a new Reddit AMA, a fan asked Respawn why Caustic has not been nerfed more, saying that the offensive potential of his abilities is almost more important than using weapons. They liken this perceived shift to the game becoming Overwatch, a game where the meta is intrinsically tied to each character’s often damage-dealing abilities. Respawn’s Live Balance Designer John Larson replied with an in-depth answer, explaining that the developer wants to “remove frustration without hurting how it feels to play as Caustic” in “the near future.”
Larson notes that Caustic’s win rate is high in matches that last over 20 minutes, as Caustic’s tactical and ultimate can really cover a lot of the already small space left late game. They also note that “devastating synergies” between legend abilities, especially in late gameplay, is something Respawn is “actively working on resolving.” The kind of “devastating synergy” is perhaps best exemplified by this clip where players combined Fuse’s, Horizon’s, and Caustic’s ultimates to create an inescapable full circle of death.
What Respawn has in mind to nerf Caustic is unknown at this point. But Respawn has figured out how to bring other legend’s in line without ruining how they feel to play. After going back and forth on changing Pathfinder’s tactical cooldown, Respawn solved his too high win rate by altering his hitbox, a change that Respawn has also made to Wraith this season in hopes to bring her in line as well.
While fans wait for potential Caustic changes, a new Collection Event begins next week to celebrate Apex Legends’ second anniversary. The Collection Event includes fancy red and gold recolors of popular skins and a chance for players to get an heirloom of their choice.
Other things discussed in the Reddit AMA include possible changes to Loba’s tactical that also could be coming soon and another hint towards Apex getting a Team Deathmatch mode.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A Switch version is in development.