Following the backlash from the Apex Legends community over a new biting buffalo coming during the Fight Night Collection event, Daniel Klein – Senior Game Designer at Respawn – explained via Twitter his thought process for the changes.
The Fight Night Collection event in Apex Legends is expected to begin January 5. In addition to adding limited time modes and cosmetics, the update will also bring some balancing changes, bug fixes, and quality of life updates.
While the community has praised many of these changes – such as the updates to Ultimate Accelerant functionality and inventory management – they have experienced issues with the balancing adjustments that Respawn has planned for the next patch of the game.
The patch notes confirmed two Legend changes: a Rampart amp lid and a decrease in the cooling of Caustic’s gas trap. After seeing the changes that Respawn had in line, the Apex community expressed concern and Klein took to Twitter to address it.
Apex Legends players are not happy with several proponents of Caustic’s abilities.
While Klein’s original Twitter discussion was based on a proposed change to Gibraltar’s gun shield, it quickly shifted gears. One player tweeted at the designer and asked the additional Caustic buff: ‘Nobody asked for a biting buff. At what point did the office decide this? ”
Before the developer got a chance to respond, another user pointed out that changing a character’s cooling off for five seconds was probably easier than changing the entire mechanic of Gibby’s arm screen. The Respawn developer quickly confirmed this with an official response.
‘Yup! The one was very easy to do, ”Klein confirmed. He further explained that changing a cooling only requires a short time and a few play tests. He further explained that Caustic, although players are worried about the lover, has to work because he is ‘one of the weakest characters in the game’.
Yup! The one was very easy to do (it took me about 10 minutes to do and verify, and 2-3 play tests to convince me that it would not harm the game) and Caustic is actually one of the weakest characters in the game.
– Daniel Zenon Klein (@danielzklein) 2 January 2021
Some members of the community were a little skeptical about this. Comments referring to the Legend’s ability to play aggressively and defensively, its strength in ranking against unclassified play, and the general strength of its abilities were all mentioned in responses to Klein’s tweet.
When asked why Caustic is still receiving fans, Klein announced that the character’s viability was already a topic at Respawn in March 2020. The developer still thinks that Caustic might need even more work, and responds to one user with ‘you do not seem willing to accept my core message here: biting is weak. ”
Several content creators and pro players responded to the game designer with their own concerns. Pro player Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona uttered his own verdict and once again noted how the differences between Caustic’s performance in regular matches versus ranking or competitive play were.
I think we need to differentiate here. Caustic is weak (in pubs) because people do not sit in buildings and worry about victory, Caustic is weak in open fields and in disorganized teams. How about we take away his ultra gas after he’s killed so that all finals are not 4 biting mistakes
– TSM Snip3down (@ Snip3down) January 3, 2021
Despite the doubt, Klein stuck to his explanation for the changes. Respawn regularly quotes their internal metrics – such as the profit rate and the rate – when balancing each legend, and the game designer sticks to the information his team is working on.
Although developers usually keep up and balance changes after they’re released, there have been instances where feedback has convinced them to undo a change or update an unbalanced mechanic after it’s added to the game (as was the case with the adaptations of Evo Shield back in season 6).
Klein is very active on Reddit and Twitter and often engages in open conversations about community interests such as the upcoming Caustic buff. Players should keep an eye out for further comments or changes as the arguments over Caustic’s balancing continue.