Apex Legends players claim adding health bars “ruined” Season 22
Respawn EntertainmentThe addition of health bars in Apex Legends Season 22 was controversial since the mechanic was announced, and most players aren’t happy with how they’ve panned out.
Adding HP bars was meant to make it clearer just how much health and shields your opponent has left, and it’s done that while also adding clear indicator as to the location of targets you’ve hit. It’s working as intended by the devs.
However, Apex Legends players are questioning that intent in and of itself, and have pointed out that the inclusion of this mechanic has drastically nerfed some characters in unexpected ways for Season 22.
As one Reddit user pointed out, smokes like what Bangalore and Caustic have are useless once you land that first shot since the health bar gives away their position. Hiding behind cover that obscures vision and not bullets is now pointless if someone already has a shot on you.
Additionally, Mirages decoys don’t have health bars, but he does. This means that anyone shooting him as he ults will know which one is the real Mirage, drastically nerfing his entire kit. The same is true of his stealth passive when reviving teammates.
Mad Maggie’s passive isn’t nearly as good now, either, as every character now has access to what only she had in the ability to see targets they hit. It’s also impossible to bluff your health bar with a full red shield, as people will see right through you and know you’re low.
Some feel as if this has “ruined” the fun of Apex, though there are a number of “bad” players who feel as if they’re able to have more fun with the game now.
“As a bad player I like them, but I can definitely see how it removes some skill expression from the game,” one Redditor claimed.
Another claimed that the addition of health bars likely exists for the sake of these lower skill players, but that Apex doing a better job of onboarding newer players would be a better fix:
“I think the key point is flattening the skill curve is bad for the games health long term. Instead they need ways to help lower players actually improve rather than give them crutches.”