Some Apex Legends skins are being updated by Respawn as it aims to address community concerns about ‘pay to win cosmetics.’ EA’s Apex Legends is one of the best battle royale games and has seen huge success off the back of its wide range of cosmetic microtransactions. However, a small number of weapon skins have drawn criticisms from players who felt that the ADS (aim down sights) felt superior to using other skins on the best Apex Legends guns.
In a post on its website, developer Respawn says, “Competitive integrity is and will always be a core pillar for Apex Legends. As part of that, our default iron sights are designed to push players to loot for better optics.” It addresses iron sights directly, saying, “We also believe that skins shouldn’t be a factor in the sights functionality.”
Two specific examples of skins that are being adjusted are given. The first is the Heat Sink reactive skin for the VK-47 Flatline rifle. Respawn notes that “We heard feedback from some players that the ADS felt superior to any other skin available.” Conversely, the Revelations skin for the Flatline from the Gaiden event has been given a tweak to improve visibility – the team explains that “We felt the side fins were creating larger blindspots than intended so we’ve reduced them to improve visibility when ADS.”
These updates to improve performance consistency across the whole breadth of the cosmetic offerings will certainly be welcome. Respawn closes by reinforcing that “We believe that any competitive edge in Apex Legends should be gained by honing your skills and not due to any perceived advantages from buying gun skins.”
The community has responded positively to the news so far, with one highly upvoted comment saying, “Seems this is going to be healthy for the game in the long run.” Many people say they are happy that now they can use more skins that they had avoided for looking “clunky but cool looking,” although some players are now fearing for the future of some of their favourite cosmetics. Among those called out by community members are those for the R99 including the Point Zero skin and the season seven reactive skins.
Developer Respawn has previously said that Apex Legends new guns “have to be sexy and strong” in order to succeed. We’ve got an Apex Legends season 14 tier list and an Apex Legends map guide to give you the best chance of success in one of the best FPS games on the market right now. If you fancy a bit of a change without spending any change, our pick of the best free PC games should give you plenty of options that won’t cost you a penny.