The balance of Caustics in Apex Legends has remained a topic of debate for several seasons. With the start of season 8, Respawn confirmed that his team agrees with the community’s feedback and will nerfy the Toxic Trapper at some point.
Success in Apex Legends requires a combination of skillful shooting and clever use of each Legend’s skills. Although Respawn has repeatedly confirmed that the main focus of Battle Royale revolves around the use of firearms, they are certainly aware of the impact that the Legend’s abilities have on the game.
While all of the characters have been augmented or nerfed in some way since their release, Caustic has remained a controversial legend after receiving several buffs in season 7, and the community has not stopped criticizing Respawn for the character’s balance.
In a Reddit AMA after the release of season 8, a user asked, “Why wasn’t the caustic nerfed after significant community calls? [His abilities] are directly contrary to the design philosophy that was given at the launch of the game, which was first weapons, then Legends. “
The caustic has remained a controversial legend for several seasons, especially among professional players.
Following other criticisms that the game was “becoming more like Overwatch”, a common community concern during season 7, John Larson – Respawn’s Associate Designer Live Balance – responded with an explanation.
“Good question. I think that since the switch to gas allowed teammates to play with gas relatively without repercussions, there was a lot of unrealized potential that has been quickly tapped in the past two months. The caustic is undeniably strong and has the highest rate of wins in matches that last more than 20 minutes. Caustic plays a unique role as a defensive legend who can act offensively in certain scenarios, and we have to make sure that we adjust it in a way that eliminates frustration without harming the feeling of playing as Caustic.
In short, we heard feedback from the community, as a player, I think it is valid, the data shows that it is strong and will receive some attention in the near future. Regarding the Apex becoming “Legends of the Skill”, as new characters are introduced, it is important that they occupy an exclusive design space. This opens the door to potentially devastating synergies between the legend’s abilities. I have seen (and experienced) the final game clips guided by chaotic skills, and this is something that we are actively working to resolve. “
Fans will be happy to know that Respawn has plans to resolve the balance issues surrounding Caustic.
Following this response, TSM streamer and ex-Apex pro Mac “Albralelie” Kenzie Beckwith provided another suggestion on how to handle the Caustics balance.
He proposed that the gas in the barrels of Caustics should only debuff opponents to make them more vulnerable, rather than causing damage on their own.
I thought of a balance shift to the caustic that I talked about in the flow a few days ago, basically removing the damage from the barrels, but giving anyone in the gas a vulnerable status effect that increases all the damage suffered by one% at the same time highlights anyone on the gas teammates.
– TSM_Albralelie (@TSM_Albralelie) February 6, 2021
Whether or not Respawn decides to change the role of the Toxic Trapper’s abilities as Albralelie suggested, or simply to reduce his damage or duration is yet to be seen.
Anyway, a caustic nerf will certainly come as good news for a large part of the community, especially professional players and content creators.