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Apex Legends Dev Defends Planned Season 8 Wraith Nerfs

By Ralston Dacanay

Respawn Entertainment is looking to balance evening out Wraith's win rate with keeping the Interdimensional Skirmisher fun to use.
Respawn Entertainment is looking to balance evening out Wraith's win rate with keeping the Interdimensional Skirmisher fun to use. / Photo courtesy of Respawn Entertainment

An Apex Legends developer has put out a message to those in the community concerned about planned nerfs for Wraith in Season 8.

Despite her extensive history of nerfs thus far, Respawn Entertainment is looking to make Wraith's hitbox easier to hit some time in January, similar to the way Pathfinder was tweaked at the start of Season 7.

Being that the Interdimensional Skirmisher remains one of the most popular Apex Legends despite major nerfs to her kit, news of this development has since sparked outrage from those who've managed to still find the outlier success Respawn Entertainment is looking to settle down.

On Nov. 27, Reddit user u/QuikScopeDash10 started a thread voicing their displeasure with Respawn's agenda, "Hi Day one Wraith main might switch legends. 25% portal use reduced, Naruto run gone, Low Profile 5% damage increase, slowed when shot, Leg shots for Low profile legends now equal body shot damage,1.4sec downtime before tatical is used, Increased hit box, FINE RESPAWN I'LL F*CKING MAIN CRYPTO HAPPY?"

Around three hours later, Respawn Entertainment Live Balance Designer John Larson replied in detail to defend the upcoming nerfs from the perspective of a fellow "sweaty Wraith main" who recently started working on the game.

“Wraith’s kit has been nerfed and tweaked more than any other legend’s, but her win rate and encounter win rate has remained an anomaly,” Larson said. “The common argument is that mechanically gifted players are drawn to her kit, but when we filter by skill brackets (rank, average damage, you name it) she’s still head and shoulders above everyone. So what does this mean?”

Citing that Pathfinder's recents nerfs gave light to Respawn about how to balance win-rates while maintaining the appeal of the characters, Larson added, "We never want to nerf legends to the point where they lose their identity."

Although it remains to be seen just how much Wraith's hitbox will be adjusted, feel free to check out our coverage on Respawn's stance on the state of Wattson in the current meta.