The player-discovered techniques, or tech, can make or break a title like Apex Legends, as quick-twitch reflexes and proper utilization of these skills can be the difference between victory and defeat. However, a recent announcement from Respawn Entertainment has confimed a "bug fix" coming to the game that will remove a tech favored by PC players on mouse and keyboard that is otherwise inaccessible with controller.
This specific change in tech comes as a highly controversial topic for Apex Legends, sparking further debate about the merits and deficits of crossplay between PC and consoles. With fans on both sides of the argument, the decision on Respawn Entertainment part was likely difficult, as both options would upset some amount of the player base.
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The tech in question is referred to by fans as Tap-Strafing, a way of rapidly manipulating the direction a player is facing and moving by strafing while in the air. Pulling the trick off is only available while using mouse and keyboard at the moment, with the easiest and most effective way to activate the tech is by rebinding forward motion to a mouse wheel. Due to the ability not being available on controllers or gamepads, and there being little counterplay for the majority of console players, Respawn Entertainment will remove the tech in an upcoming patch for Apex Legends.
Players have quickly begun responding to the announcement, some thankful to see the tech go away, and plenty upset that Tap-Strafing is being removed in order to accommodate the players that don't have access. The controversy has also sparked the argument again about controllers getting aim assist in order to make up the difference in minute control that mouse and keyboard gives players. Some have even compared the features that remain for controller players inApex Legends to be cheating, while PC players are now losing a major skill-based movement advantage.
It can be difficult for players when a live-service title like Apex Legends sees a rebalancing change that heavily affects the tech that has become a major strategy for high-level gameplay. However, Respawn Entertainment does have the difficult task of catering to both pro players as well as the regular, everyday users on multiple different platforms. The initial backlash to the decision will likely continue to be negative all the way through the patch arriving and removing Tap-Strafing, but it could help maintain Apex Legends' player base overall between the several platforms the game is available on.
Apex Legends is available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with Mobile, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
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