Brilliant Apex Legends idea would make Dummies useful in real games

Respawn Entertainment’s flagship battle royale is still plagued by bailing teammates, but this savvy idea could ease Legends’ pain during both casual and ranked matches.

Picture this. You’re in a ranked match and have successfully made it into the final few squads. After surviving multiple enemy engagements, the end is in sight.

However, just when you think that you can hear the “you are the Apex champion” quip echo through World’s Edge, your teammate leaves… Rendering your chances of notching another win to your tally a lot less likely.

Players leaving mid-game in team-based shooters is one of the biggest annoyances for both players and devs. Regardless of the situation, fighting with fewer numbers severely impedes your chances.

Yet in the battle royale genre, the price to pay is much higher — given that you cannot simply self-respawn after losing a gunfight.

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Apex Legends’ respawn beacon system revolutionized the game just over a year ago, but that has done little to mitigate the long-standing issue of players leaving prematurely.

However, one Reddit user might have just unlocked the secret ingredient to ensure those left in the server aren’t paying the price for other’s actions. “If your teammate leaves mid-game, then their card should summon a dummy,” the theory goes.

Dummies are the key

Initially appearing in the Firing Range easter egg (and then featuring in Pathfinder’s Grand Soirée event), Dummies could be the ideal solution for players leaving mid-game.

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While the Dummies would be AI-controlled, they would fill the void of former teammates. Apex Legends’ counterpart, Fortnite, has recently implemented a bot system into the majority of their servers.

While prominent figures such as Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins have called for bots to be removed from Epic Games’ battle royale, they would be perfect as a temporary solution in Apex Legends.

However, as another Reddit user pointed out… Having a computer-controlled Dummy is as good as painting a target on your back. “I know if I saw a solo dude with 2 dummies I’d try and get my team to target them,” they commented in response to the suggestion.

This could be easily countered by increasing bot ability in-line with player skill level. Or perhaps implementing a reconnect feature (as suggested by Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek) could be the answer to allow players to fill in the vacant spots.