The 1.2 Apex Legends update seemed to bring simple changes to the game, at first. It brought the new limited-time event Legendary Hunt and fixed some bugs.
But the patch notes revealed that Respawn has deployed fixes to what seemed to be features in Apex, not bugs or exploits. One of them is now removing players’ ability to turn off muzzle flash and modify the game’s lighting options in the configuration files outside of the game.
Respawn wrote that the 1.2 update “removed the ability for players to change game settings not intended to be modified on a client level.” It specified that the company’s intent is “to prevent exploits like removing muzzle flash, disabling lighting, and other changes that give players an unfair competitive advantage.”
Removing muzzle flash has become a trending topic in the Apex community. Players discovered that they could change some Apex text files in their system to reduce or disable the flash that comes out of their guns when they shoot, which improved their visibility when shooting with assault rifles and submachine guns. Before the 1.2 update, it wasn’t clear if Respawn considered such manipulation of game settings cheating or against the rules, so players were using it freely without being punished.
Only players on the PC were able to use this exploit. It required changes in game files that were impossible for console players.
Players can still try to change these settings, but they likely won’t work anymore. If someone finds a new way of disabling muzzle flash or changing Apex’s lighting from now on, they’ll likely be punished. Respawn said that this is considered an exploit, so players using similar methods could be considered cheaters and be punished by the company.
From now on, Apex players who liked to mess with these settings will have to readapt to the game’s defaults. On the bright side, Respawn has now defined what’s allowed and what isn’t, which will help the game’s competitive integrity across all platforms.
Published: Jun 5, 2019 09:02 am