Apex Legends dev reveals plans to nerf Horizon in Season 8
Respawn EntertainmentA developer from Respawn Entertainment has revealed more about the ways Horizon could get nerfed in Season 8 or beyond, as the newest Apex Legends coharacter has already overtaken all others in the win-rate category.
Horizon has been a delight to have in Apex Legends since her launch in Season 7. She’s had a strong presence in the battle royale that’s earned her a win rate that matches Wraith, but Respawn are going to be cautious with how they inevitably nerf the Gravitational Manipulator.
Admittedly, there is a multitude of ‘dials’ that Respawn can tweak with Horizon’s ability kit, but the studio is going to be careful not to ‘gut’ what makes her strong, according to Associate Live Balance Designer John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson.
“It’s safe to say (Horizon will) be getting nerfed,” JayBiebs said. “But how we do that is important… Looking at her tactical alone there are all sorts of dials we can turn including vertical lift speed, horizontal speed/acceleration, ejection speed/time, cool down, weapon accuracy, and the list goes on.”
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While the devs can just turn the knob down on any of those factors, meaningful nerfs to Horizon will take testing and smart tinkering so that Respawn can stay “true to her design intent and how it feels to play as her.”
The idea is to bring down the outliers of her power while still letting players who have been experimenting or having fun with the Legend to retain playstyles they’ve discovered and had success with, JayBiebs said.
Respawn thinks that Horizon matching Wraith’s win-rate is a great thing for diversity among high-priority pick characters, but they have to keep her in check lest she becomes OP.
Apex players have been loving how much flexibility Horizon provides in the way of mobility, crowd control, and maneuverability, especially in tight engagements.
Her kit is really fun in terms of how you navigate full-on team skirmishers or 1v1 duels, but Respawn don’t want Horizon players to get carried away with power. JayBiebs hasn’t said when the Apex Legends community can expect her nerfs to come through, but they’re sure to be meticulously tested before hitting the live servers.
Horizon is just one of several Legends that Respawn are planning on tweaking for Season 8; for a full breakdown of all the changes that have been discussed so far by any of the developers, make sure to check out our Apex Legends Season 8 buffs and nerfs page here.