Apex Legends Developer Confirms Caustic Nerf for "Near Future"

Caustic will receive a nerf following Apex Legends community feedback and criticism. The Legend is considered to be one of, if not the most imbalanced part of the game. Caustic's ability to trap enemies in his gas, while having them highlighted, and no penalty to his teammates' movement puts the Legend at an advantage above the rest in close quarters gameplay.

Respawn has plans to take Apex Legends beyond battle royale this year, but the community will first want to see a Caustic nerf to improve competitive and casual gameplay. One suggestion on how to balance Caustic comes from Apex Legends Team Manager at Team Liquid, Malik "Crusader" Forrester.

Apex Legends Developer Confirms Caustic Nerf for "Near Future"

Crusader's idea, though simple, isn't unimaginable. The Legend's many lines like "I feel most alive when rapidly approaching my death" or "Life is meant to die, accept your fates" could be a way for Respawn to incorporate a nerf where Caustic receives damage inside his own gas, while keeping in touch with the Legend's lore. Perhaps a balanced nerf would be Caustic taking damage in his own gas, but not another Caustic's.

In a Respawn "ask us anything" session on Reddit, one user voiced the community's criticism of Caustic's perceived imbalances: "Why wasn't caustic nerfed after the significant calls from the community? Competitive play has suffered immensely due to his abilities, and they are directly counteracting the design philosophy that was given at the release of the game, which was guns first, then Legends."

John Larson, Associate Live Balance Designer at Respawn, replied "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. 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."

There is no official date for the nerf, but it's coming.