Shroud calls for Respawn to fix “insane” Apex Legends muzzle flash issue

Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has taken aim at Apex Legends’ “insane” long-term muzzle flash issue, suggesting it’s determining key battles at high ranks, and demanding Respawn patch it out of the game as soon as possible.

Muzzle flash has been a hot topic in Respawn’s flagship FPS title since the battle royale first released. While some don’t see a problem with it, many have begged the devs to remove the “ridiculous” feature from the game.

As well as players and fans on social media, the muzzle flash issue has also cropped up for a number of high-profile stars, including retired Overwatch pro Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned, who admitted he was “triggered” by the bright animation.

Now, one of the biggest names in the streaming game, shroud — who actually had hands-on testing experience with the title before release, and even made sure Respawn balanced the game’s recoil properly — has had enough.

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According to the Mixer superstar, who released a YouTube video titled “FIX MUZZLE FLASH” on February 27, the “insane” issue has reached its boiling point, especially when every moment matters in high-ranked Predator matches.

“The muzzle flash is bad… that’s all this game is, loot and muzzle flash. It’s insane,” the streamer lashed out, and added there were even certain areas of King’s Canyon and World’s Edge where it got worse. “It’s even more insane inside.”

Shroud’s teammate Matthew ‘sQ_WiKeD’ Robertson weighed in with a joke after the Mixer star made his irritated comment, suggesting the human aimbot just can’t “ handle the flash,” before agreeing it was a major and “insane” problem.

Not only is it still bad now, in Season 4, shroud added, but it’s been an issue since he first had his sneak-peak look at the title. While he was helping Respawn figure out the game’s balance he apparently pointed it out, but they ignored him.

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“It’s gotten so out of hand, and it’s crazy to think about how long it’s been an issue in Apex Legends for too… even before day one. It was a concern for everyone in the testing phase,” shroud revealed as he continued to rant about the issue.

WiKeD suggested it may be a lighting issue that is plaguing the battle royale’s backend code, resulting in more animation effects than Respawn may want to appear. Shroud agreed, but added that should mean it was fixed by now.

“Even if it’s a lighting issue, wouldn’t you think they would fix that on the next map [Season 3’s World’s Edge]? I get that lighting can be an issue, but just recreate the lighting on a new map… maybe they tried, and just failed.”

For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 2:10 in the video below.

While Respawn didn’t do anything like what shroud suggested and tweak the muzzle flash between maps, it does seem like they have the bright gun barrel issue in their sights at the moment, and maybe working on a tweak.

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Respawn producer Josh Medina confirmed the muzzle flash effects have been a “deeper issue than expected”, and while the devs have been working on adjusting it, they “want to properly fix instead of half-ass it,” which takes time.

Now-retired data miner That1MiningGuy revealed on February 14 that muzzle flash changes had indeed landed in the game’s backend code. There was “nothing too concrete” to actually share though, the code-diving personality said.

One tweak he was able to share, however, was the potential of Barrel Stabilizers being added to the game. These gun add-ons would likely decrease the “skill-based” flash the devs seem intent on keeping in the game in at least some form.