Respawn has decided to remove tap strafing from Apex Legends to even the playing field. Join us as we dive into the community’s reaction, which has not been positive to the upcoming change.
*UPDATE* September 13th: Tap Strafing removal delayed
The upcoming change to one of Apex's niche movement techniques has been delayed. The tweet came out earlier today, explaining that the PlayApex team found some unexpected side effects of removing tap strafing. The balance team still plans to address extreme cases of tap strafing, but for now are leaving the mechanic alone. It seems like a big reason for the delay is that tap strafing allows to string together a variety of movement techniques such as wall jumping or bunny hopping.
In a surprise tweet that came out of nowhere, Respawn has decided to remove tap strafing from Apex Legends. Respawn has been flying under the radar this week following their changes to the L-Star, Prowler and Seer, but came out of nowhere with news for the upcoming patch. Reactions to the news have been poor, as content creators, professionals and casual players alike aren't fans of the upcoming change. The change is set to come during the next Collection Event, patch 10.1 coming out on the 14th of September.
Before we dive in to the issues and reactions, what is tap strafing?
Tap Strafing is an advanced movement technique originated in Titanfall 2 was discovered about 1 year ago by mokeysniper, a avid Titanfall 2 and Apex player. The technique simply allows you to change momentum insanely fast. Although it doesn't sound like much, tap strafing unlocks movement potential as it allows you to keep your momentum flowing. It also has application in various combat scenarios, to take tight corners to play behind covers.
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Community Reactions
The decision has not resonated well with the community. Various professionals, casual players and content creators have voiced a dislike for Respawn's decision to remove tap strafing. Respawn justified their choice by explaining that "it's inaccessible, lacks readability/counterplay, and its exacerbated by movement abilities".
With the changes there is now a lack of movement options, controllers are now superior to mouse and keyboard and Respawn is neglecting the infamous audio issues still in the game. Unfortunately, the change so far seems to be set in stone despite the disapproval from the community.
The main issue that a lot of the community has regarding the change is the now uneven balance between controller versus mouse and keyboard. Since the inclusion of crossplay, there has been a lot of debate between the two options. On one side, controller players have better gunplay thanks to aim assist.
On the other side is movement, which mouse and keyboard players excel at. However, with the removal of tap strafing, one of the better movement options allowed to M&K players is not in the game anymore. It would seem like controller players now have the advantage over M&K players due to the benefits of aim assist.
The other problem that the community has is that they believe there are more critical issues in Apex right now other than movement techniques. From not being able to hear audio cues in game to the rampant cheaters. Respawn still has more pressing issues to address in the minds of the community.
With the changes and the community dissatisfaction, hopefully Respawn can find a happy balance with the community. Maybe removing the keybind or finding a way controller players can utilize it. At the end of the day, the community as a whole just wants a fun, even playing field without cheaters or bugs in the game. For more Apex News, stick around on Esports.gg.
