Looks like some big changes are coming to Apex Legends' Caustic
One of Apex Legends' most popular characters, Caustic, may be due a debuff after more players than usual flock to the poison-toting hero in Apex Legends Season 8.
Caustic, who hasn't traditionally been one of the more popular heroes in the battle royale game, has enjoyed something of a renaissance in Apex Legends Season 8. With some new balance changes that went live with a recent update, he's now the character with the highest win-rate in games that last over 20 minutes (which is, let's be honest, most of them).
During the Reddit AMA held by Respawn to celebrate the launch of Season 8 (which goes by the name Mayhem), one player outlined their displeasure with the newly beefed-up toxic madman.
"I think ever since the change to gas allowed teammates to play in gas with relatively no repercussions, there was a lot of unrealized potential that was quickly tapped into within the past couple of months," Respawn's associate live balance designer, John Larson said in a response to a player airing his grievances.
"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 that can act offensively in certain scenarios, and we have to make sure we tweak him in a way that removes frustration without hurting how it feels to play as Caustic.
"Long story short, we hear the community feedback, [and] as a player, I feel it's valid, the data backs up that he's strong, and he'll be getting some attention in the near future."
Don't expect Caustic to lose his character-defining area-denial superiority, but maybe some changes to the amount of damage his gas does to teammates and enemies will be tweaked as the season progresses will be enacted soon.
That said, the team is also looking at the shift from gunplay to ability-based play in Apex Legends. One player noted that, towards the ends of matches, abilities seem to override the action. Larson agreed, stating: "As new characters are introduced, it's important they take up a unique design space. This opens the door to potentially devastating synergies between legend abilities.
"I've seen (and experienced myself) the clips of chaotic ability driven end games, and that's something we're actively working on resolving.”
Expect big changes in Apex Legends Season 9, then.