In a new type of update, the Apex Legends team shared insights about how balance decisions are made each season.
If you have a favorite character or a main in Apex Legends, then it can be frustrating when they don't receive buffs. In a new type of update called "designer's notes," the game's team shared why the legends with the lowest pick and win rates don't appear to be the priority for buffs each season.
Apex Legends buffs explained
According to the Apex Legends team, some balance updates require extensive development and testing because of their scope. That is, major changes take significantly more time than smaller tweaks. For example, the team's work on the latest Octane updates happened well before community discussions intensified.
"We knew community conversations about Octane were bubbling at the start of last season," the post explained. "We had been actively working on his changes for a while and we just had to bite our tongue knowing that his buffs were just around the corner!"
The post on Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) continued, noting that Apex Legends has 27 playable characters, multiple game modes and maps, plus lots of weapons. Even small tweaks to a weapon or legend can create many ripple effects.
"This means we need to move as quickly as we can while keeping the bigger picture in mind, which results in varied but often longer timelines," the team stated.
Apex Legends pick rates, win rates, and more
The behind-the-scenes update also shared some interesting metrics. These pertain to pick rate, legend encounter win rate, share of downs, and weapon encounter win rate.
- Pick rate: Measure of selection preference adjusting for legend availability (total selections / total times available to be selected).
- Legend encounter win rate: Measure of legend fighting strength based on downs in fights (fights won / total fights).
- Share of downs: Measure of weapon preference based on share of downs each weapon obtains (downs with weapon / total downs).
- Weapon encounter win rate: Measure of weapon fighting strength based on downs in fights (fights won / total fights).
Recent Octane, Newcastle, and Crypto buffs explained
According to the team, Octane is a fan-favorite whose popularity has declined over the years. His pick rate is below average across all game modes and drops near the bottom in Diamond and Masters ranks. Therefore, the team wants to increase Octane's survivability and improve his team utility via his recent Stim Surge and JumpPad updates.
Meanwhile, although Newcastle performed well in higher-ranked lobbies, he was underutilized by the broader player base. Therefore, the Swift Shield and Hero's Hustle upgrades into his base kit increases his movement speed and reduces movement penalties.
As for Crypto, the team described him as extremely low across all skill bands for a long time. The main issue is that he typically falls behind his team while using his drone. Now, with his improved drone interactions and new upgrades, he can stay keep up with teammates and charge his ultimate faster.
Insights about the adjustments to Amps, R-301, Flatline, and Prowler can be found via the notes as well.
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Apex Legends news and updates.
