With the Apex Legends Double Take Collection Event just around the corner, Respawn Entertainment has brought along a variety of balance changes which will come into effect when the event starts on June 25, 2024. The biggest highlight of this update remains the nerf for Bloodhound and Bangalore, the popular duo that has been dominating the meta lately. In fact, both Legends were the top picks during the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs, with their pick rate significantly above the rest.
The biggest change takes aim at Bloodhound’s vision. The Legend will no longer be able to see through Bangalore smoke or Caustic gas, taking away a major tactical advantage. Bloodhound’s add-on abilities have also been tweaked, as their Level 2 Upgrade ability Raven’s Blessing will only reduce Ultimate charge to 20%, a decrease from the original 25%.
Furthermore, the Level 3 Upgrade brings in a new ability called Sighthound that will replace the Long Hunt ability upgrade. Sighthound reduces Tactical cooldown by 50% when Bloodhound’s ability is active. The now-replaced Long Hunt ability used to extend Bloodhound’s ultimate ability duration when an opponent was knocked.
The second Level 3 upgrade option has also been replaced. The new Flock ability removes enemy range requirements for White Raven spawns, meaning that players will see Bloodhound’s Raven more often regardless of how near or far away the enemies are. The Flock ability replaces Taste of Blood, which would give Bloodhound 50 HP for knocking an opponent while their Ultimate is active.
It is not tough to decode that these new abilities would be perceived by Bloodhound players as a nerf, given that both Long Hunt and Taste of Blood let them be far more aggressive. Respawn says it was important to break up the Bloodhound and Bangalore combination, as the pairing has “recently become dominant”.
Bangalore’s smoke is no longer a total blind zone
For Bangalore, the nerfs are comparatively more forgiving. Regardless, Bangalore’s smoke is no longer a playground for blind chaos. All players will now be able to see a white highlight on each Legend within the smoke. This visibility is limited to a 20-meter range, and players outside the smoke will not see this white outline.
The final Legend to receive any tweaking with this update is the newest member Alter, who has been slightly nerfed; Crypto’s EMP will now affect all players who are phased by Alter’s Void Passage.
Havoc mag size reduced
Havoc, an energy ammo weapon, comes with a fire-delay and yet it is still one of the strongest weapons available in Apex Legends. In Respawn’s own words, it is “a force to be reckoned with,” even without any attachments to further bolster its capabilities. While its prowess has been left untouched, the developers have reduced the mag size for base Havoc and all its ammo-increasing attachments. Respawn believes that decreasing the magazine size will require players to be more precise with their shots.
Here is the updated Havoc ammo size:
- Base weapon ammo: 20 (was 24)
- White level mag: 24 (was 28)
- Blue level mag: 28 (was 32)
- Purple mag: 32 (was 36)
Unlike Havoc, the G7 Scout has been buffed. Its damage is now up at 33, and that 1-damage increase is accompanied by an increased rate of fire. The G7 Scouts recoil has also been adjusted when fired at the maximum fire rate. The Longbow DMR sniper rifle’s headshot multiplier, meanwhile, has been increased to 2.25 (was 2.15).
Speaking of buffs, the devs have decided to show some love to R-99 finally, and its hip-fire randomness has been reduced. You can also check out the complete official patch notes and find out info about Apex Legends finally introducing Quads to the battle royale.
