Apex Legends Players Discover Hidden Gibraltar Buff

Respawn’s latest update for struggling battle royale Apex Legends went live earlier this week. Patch 1.1.1, while not introducing the new content fans have been clamouring for, did bring about some much-needed adjustments to several low-tier characters.

Both Caustic and Gibraltar have recently attracted stiff criticism from fans for their inability to compete, largely due to their larger size and slower movement speed when compared with their peers. The happy-go-lucky Pathfinder has suffered from similar drawbacks in the past, though a previous round of tweaks to the hitboxes of all three was enough to remedy the robot’s woes.

Caustic and Gibraltar, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky, forcing Respawn back to the drawing board to brainstorm further changes. Those have finally arrived with patch 1.1.1 and while it remains to be seen how positive of an effect they have on each character’s popularity, early signs seem to suggest their improved tankiness more than makes up for a lack of speed. A new passive buff – Fortified – adds a flat 10% damage reduction bonus to both heroes, though in Gibraltar’s case, a further – likely unintended – buff has been added.

Gibraltars' hidden buff not shown in today's patch notes, he can remove arc stars!
byu/VonArne inapexlegends

As the video posted by Reddit user VonAme above so expertly showcases, it appears that Gibraltar’s shield is now able to negate a whole lot more than just bullets. In the footage, a player hurls an Arc Star directly at the character while he has a shield brandished. Normally, the shuriken-shaped weapon would detonate and cause serious damage, though, in Gibraltar’s case, he simply puts the shield away, in turn making the star disappear.

Given its discovery so soon after patch 1.1.1 going live, many had assumed the discovery to simply be a change Respawn forgot to mention in the patch notes, but that’s not the case. Respawn community manager Jay Frechette has since commented on the thread, stating that the discovery has been noted and that the team is “looking into it.” Frechette doesn’t mince his words – this new interaction is clearly an unintended one that Respawn will likely fix in a future update.

That being the case, if you’re looking to have some fun with the quirk, it’s probably a good idea to jump in-game post-haste. As for the intended changes made to Gibraltar and Caustic with Apex Legends‘ latest update, see here.