Having played Overwatch for over a thousand hours, sitting down with Apex Legends was
an eye opening experience.
Now I'm going to admit that, based on my First Impressions video, you might be surprised
to hear that I am still playing this game.
But honestly, it ended up being addicting and insanely fun in a way I really didn't
see coming.
So as a token of appreciation for what Respawn has done with this game, I want to talk about
how they have achieved this brilliant level of balance, that many Overwatch players thought
was impossible to achieve in a hero based shooter.
And as such, it makes the most sense to start talking about the Legends.
Every character brings a unique set of abilities to the table to help their team succeed.
It would be easy to go overboard with these things and create an immediately broken and
overpowered character.
But here's why most of the discussion surrounding power happens in the context of the weaponry
in the game, rather than the legends.
It's because the abilities in Apex work complimentary to the shooting mechanics in
the game.
Where Overwatch plays more like a MOBA than an FPS, Apex Legends is very much embracing
the fact that we are playing a First Person Shooter.
Every ability in this game is balanced based on its own merit, rather than any outside
influence.
Case and point- Gibraltar's ability to pop down a shield.
This isn't a universally powerful ability as it doesn't allow anyone to shoot through
it, including players who are taking advantage of its protection.
The simple fact that you can't take shots through it severely lowers the effectiveness
of the ability and arguably makes Gibraltar one of the weaker Legends in the game.
But he still brings all the combo potential you'd expect from this team based game.
If you look at this as a strictly defensive ability, you can combo it with a smoke grenade
from Bangalore to make a daring escape, or use the time you have bought yourself to teleport
out, using a portal from Wraith.
If that is your kind of playstyle, then you can definitely make use of it.
And speaking of Wraith, if I told you that you can make yourself invulnerable for a limited
time, you'd probably initially think that this ability is really broken, right?
But again, the ability balances itself.
Because when you pop out of existence, you don't only leave a blue trail behind you,
but you also lose sight of your enemies eventually.
Mirage is not completely invisible.
Bloodhound's tracking only shows you where the enemies were, rather than where they are
right now.
And it's obvious to the enemies.
Lifeline's healbot is completely stationary.
Caustic's gas tanks can be disabled by shooting the bottom of them.
Bangalore can't see through her own smoke.
Wraith leaves a blue trail behind her when disappearing.
Gibraltar can't shoot through his own barrier.
And Pathfinder has a bigger hitbox to combat his mobility.
I think, at least.
It's not like Overwatch where you hear us talk about it in the sense of, "Yeah so
Pharah is really not that strong, if you have a Hitscan Player on your team."
More often than not, there is a set of prerequisites that dictates the effectiveness of any given
hero in the game.
And unfortunately, their effectiveness is in big part dependent on other heroes.
Whether we're talking about team synergy or counter play.
That's one of the reasons why Overwatch often feels so poorly balanced.
You can't guarantee that any of these prerequisites are given for any match that you play.
But Apex doesn't rely on that.
It's not like Wraith is overpowered and you can only combat her effectiveness by running..
Mirage, or whatever.
The Developers have made an effort to have these abilities be strong and be weak in their
own context.
They are contained in their own power ecosystem.
And that ecosystem includes the map itself.
There are definitely points in the game where you are really glad that you have a Pathfinder
on your team, because it allows you to take an engagement in a way that no other Legend
allows you to do.
But in other situations again, you couldn't have won a fight if you weren't running
with a Wraith player in your team.
Every character is so unique in how they help your team win, and they facilitate different
playstyles so very well without being grossly overpowered.
And as much as I tried to make a tier list of who the most powerful Legends are, I found
myself debating my own arguments over and over again.
I used to think that Bangalore was one of the strongest characters because of how universally
viable it is to have smoke grenades.
It allows you to close distances without getting popped and it gives you cover to retreat or
pick up a downed teammate- It's just a really, really strong toolkit.
But then I look at Pathfinder and I keep thinking about how universally powerful mobility is
in many different games.
And in Apex Legends, too, having more mobility can be such a massive advantage.
So both of these characters are definitely up there.
And if I was to run in a tryhard group aiming to farm as many wins as possible, those are
probably two characters I would want to have at all times.
But what if that just isn't your playstyle?
Does their relative effectiveness look different from the point of view of a different playstyle?
Am I missing something here?
Is Wraith, after all, more powerful than I give her credit for?
I am only one person and I only made my own experiences, so I found it very difficult
to make a tier list like that.
But as I was playing the game, I figured how situational each and every ability is.
And how I have seen people win with literally any combinations of Legends.
Lifeline is a very powerful character if you have a defensive, long-range playstyle that
gives you enough time to make use of her kit.
Pathfinder is a very powerful character if you love to be in the face of your enemies
and just go ham.
Mirage is a very good character if you love to flank your enemies and make use of information.
At the end of the day, we are still playing an FPS, and not a MOBA-FPS hybrid.
Being a good shot is going to win you games regardless of which character you decide to
play.
And the map itself is definitely featuring enough hot spots for all of the Legends to
shine, no matter which one you decide to go for.
Where in Overwatch, hero effectiveness is very strictly dictated by the map in the first
place, and then which heroes are on your and the enemy team, in Apex, because everyone
is taking advantage of the same gunplay, I don't find myself having these kinds of
restrictions.
Legends don't become weak only because you don't pair them up with another, kinda like
Pharah would be weak without a Mercy.
They become stronger when pairing them up smartly and playing together.
What does Anthem say again?
Strong alone, stronger together?
Because that sounds about right.
Abilities in Apex, more often than not, provide you with more utility, rather than more power.
Now, gunplay is where you will see a lot more discussion.
The Wingman, for example, seems extraordinarily powerful in the hands of a good player.
Where one side always argues that, "Yeah it's powerful, but only when you can land
your shots."
the opposition would argue, "Well yeah, but we're playing an FPS, landing your shots
is kind of a given."
Naturally, with a game as popular as Apex Legends, you know, 25 million players in the
first week and counting, there is a strong point to be made towards perfect aim not being
a universal skill set, but then I find myself asking: If that guy doesn't miss a shot
and kills you, and you didn't kill him because you have missed some shots- Should you be
winning that fight then?
I feel like the Wingman became a very sensitive subject, especially because most of the popular
streamers out there have excellent aim and they show the upper limit of how powerful
this weapon can be.
Personally, I most commonly get killed by a fully kitted Devotion, rather than a decked
out Wingman.
Overall, I feel like there is a good balance between strong and weak weapons in the game
that create a contrast between early and late game.
If there was one gun I'd like to see nerfed just a little bit, it's the Peacekeeper.
Shotguns are often very powerful in these types of games, but in this case, it seems..
Excessive.
But there isn't anything else I would classify as "obviously overpowered" in terms of
both, Legends and Weaponry.
And for that, I commend Respawn Entertainment.
They have definitely created a really fun game here, without completely abandoning game
balance and competition.
Now if you excuse me, my squad is already waiting, so I best get going.
Did I overlook something?
Is there a Legend or Weapon that you believe is overpowered?
Feel free to let me know down in the comment section below.
While you're down there, don't forget to drop me a like on your way out if you enjoyed
the video, subscribe if you want to see more, and I hope to see you guys next time.
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