Apex Legends Season 23 Nerfs Pathfinder Cause Dissatisfaction Among Players

After the release of the new season update for Apex Legends, players found out that Pathfinder was nerfed, especially his grapple ability. Although the update was designed to make some heroes like Mirage and Loba more survivable in the game, some players think that nerfing Pathfinder is a very excessive thing.

What Changes Have Been Made In Season 23 Of Apex Legends?

On January 7, Respawn Entertainment released the update for Apex Legends Season 23. This update brings many changes to this battle royale. Although the update content is very large, some hero buffs may change the rules of the game in the future.

For example, heroes Mirage and Loba, who had a hard time surviving in the arena before, have been buffed this time. The developers redesigned Mirage’s kit, added a new level 2 upgrade and a buff to his tactical. In addition, Loba and Alter also received attention from the developers in this update, and the developers made improvements to their Ultimates and other aspects.

Not all characters have been buffed. For example, Pathfinder was nerfed because the developers wanted to control the power of his kit. But players did not support this change and were full of dissatisfaction. Under the update notes post shared by a Reddit user, fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes to Pathfinder. The most prominent issue was the increase in the cooldown of Pathfinder’s Grappling Hook.

According to the information mentioned in the update content, the cooldown of Pathfinder’s tactical ability has been changed to the current 30 seconds. In previous seasons, Pathfinder’s cooldown was variable. The cooldown will be shortened based on grapple travel distance, so this is a very big nerf. Besides his Grappling Hook, his Insider Knowledge ability and Zipline Zen upgrade have also undergone major changes.

Pathfinder’s Nerf Has Made Players Unhappy With Loba’s Buff

Many Pathfinder players are very unhappy that Pathfinder was nerfed but Loba was buffed. Redditor anidevv put it bluntly: “When Pathfinder’s Q was nerfed, Loba’s two teleports became meaningless.”

Other players also complained: “Why does a support hero like Loba have more potential and mobility than some other powerful heroes like Revenant and Pathfinder? “Why can’t Pathfinder use Grappling Hook every 20 seconds, but Loba can use two free TPS to get out of the fight and win in any situation?”

As the doubts grew, more and more players joined the ranks of condemnation. They were extremely puzzled by the developer’s statement that the change was for the sake of game balance.

Players Believe That Pathfinder’s Grapple Cooldown Should Remain Unchanged

Pathfinder has always been loved by Apex Legends players, not only because of his powerful combat ability but also because of his humorous dialogue and life advice. His Grappling Hook can help players escape from some dangers if players master the skills. Because of this, his Grappling Hook has also undergone multiple iterations and updates.

A few years ago, the cooldown of Pathfinder’s Tactical ability was still 35 seconds. Fortunately, in the subsequent changes, it became a variable cooldown. This change helped Pathfinder become a more powerful hero. This change seriously affected the player’s ability to use him to get rid of difficulties. Therefore, it caused dissatisfaction among many players.

So far, Pathfinder has been one of the most popular characters in the game. Apex Legends Status shows that his selection rate is as high as 14.6%, second only to Lifeline. 18.2%. However, because of the recent nerfs, Pathfinder’s popularity has declined. According to Apex Legends Status, he has fallen to third place.

But the good news is that since this is a newly released update, if players have strong opinions on this change, Respawn may release another update to adjust Pathfinder’s abilities. Players don’t have to worry too much, and look forward to the developer bringing more new content to players!