Respawn have fixed Muzzle Flash in Apex Legends but not for all weapons
Respawn EntertainmentDevelopers Respawn Entertainment have implemented a fix for muzzle flash in Apex Legends as part of the System Override Collection Event, but hasn’t applied to every single weapon in the game.
Since Apex Legends first dropped back in February of 2019, one of the biggest criticisms against it has been the frustrating presence of strong muzzle flash in the gunplay.
The bright flash of light that emanates from the tip of a gun when fired seriously limited visibility, inevitably affecting shooting accuracy when aiming down sights.
Muzzle flash was a frustrating issue in Apex Legends during its first year of existence.Despite the constant complaints and negative feedback, Respawn didn’t do much to address it during the game’s first year of existence. However, that all changed on March 3.
The official patch notes for the System Override Collection Event update revealed that the developers have finally done something about the annoying game mechanic: “Reduced the intensity of muzzle flash while aiming down the sight for all weapons except shotties and snipers.”
The weapons that are not be affected by this change include all shotguns and snipers currently in the game:
- EVA-8 Auto
- Mastiff
- Mozambique
- Peacekeeper
- Longbow DMR
- Kraber .50-cal
- Triple Take
- Sentinel
- Charge Rifle
This muzzle flash fix will not apply for shotguns and sniper rifles in Apex Legends.A change to muzzle flash was hinted as early as January 9, when Respawn producer Josh Medina confirmed that they were working on a fix.
It’s taken this long to implement because, according to Medina, the effects were a “deeper issue that expected” and the devs “wanted to properly fix instead of half ass it,” which took more time.
Shortly after that, prominent Apex Legends data miner ‘That1MiningGuy’ claimed that Respawn were testing out different ways to address the issue, even a potential system that would add a flash limiting effect on Barrel Stabilizers. While that’s not what ended up being implemented, it could still be something they think about adding in the future, depending on how well this current fix ends up working out.
This is not the only weapon-related quality of life improvement that Respawn haved implemented with System Override. The event’s update also adding a red dot to the iron sights of the Prowler and L-STAR that will “stay properly centered during weapon sway and bob movements.”
Speaking of weapons, the patch considerably nerfed the Peacekeeper and buffed the Sentinel, both of which aren’t affected by this muzzle flash fix.
The System Override Collection Event kicked off on Tuesday, March 3 and will last for two weeks, wrapping up on Tuesday, March 17.