Certain members of Apex Legends‘ cast have been struggling to compete in the battle royale’s metagame for quite some time. Pathfinder, Gibraltar and Caustic have all progressively slipped down tier list rankings in the months since launch due to a common problem – size. The unpopularity hasn’t come around as part of prejudice against what Respawn labels as Apex‘s “Thicc Bois,” but rather, the way in which their hitboxes function.
Due to the very nature of their impressive physiques, the trio is considerably easier to land a hit on compared to the likes of, say, Wraith or Bloodhound, leaving mains of each at a disadvantage right from the off. Of the three, Pathfinder is the least affected. Respawn has already made various adjustments to the one-eyed robot’s hitboxes to great effect, but the changes did little to bump either Gibraltar or Caustic up the rankings.
As of patch 1.1.1, however, that’s hopefully all about to change. Acknowledging that past efforts have largely fallen flat, the developer has this time around committed to more drastic changes. As detailed in the patch notes over on Reddit, a new passive perk, Fortified, is now part of Gibraltar and Caustic’s kit, finally giving each hero a benefit for all that extra bulk. The passive provides a flat 10% damage reduction for each Legend, a neat trade-off for their slower movement speeds, but that’s not all.
Caustic’s traps and Gibraltar’s shield have both received a boost to their effectiveness, too, buffs that, Respawn says, aim to bring them in line with the rest of Apex‘s cast. Will the improvements result in a drastic shake-up of Apex Legends‘ metagame? It’s far too soon to tell, but at the very least, they’ll encourage players who had perhaps ignored both to give them a second chance.
If you’ve had the chance to play a round or two with the new and improved Caustic and Gibraltar, let us know how they performed in the usual place below.
