Respawn nerfs Apex Legends’ Peacekeeper

Apex Legends’ Peacekeeper shotgun just became a bit less deadly. Developer Respawn Entertainment pushed a nerf to the weapon today.

The balancing update, as Respawn called it, reduced the weapon’s fire rate and headshot damage. The patch arrived hours after one of the company’s associate producers teased it on Twitter.

The update altered the weapon’s rechamber rate from 1.1 seconds to 1.2 seconds. Its headshot multiplier was also reduced from 1.5 to 1.25.

Initial reactions to the changes were mostly negative. “This is nowhere near enough,” Apex pro Lucas “Mendokusaii” Håkansson said on Twitter. “Not enough of a nerf,” another user commented.

The Peacekeeper received an unintended buff after Patch 3.1 increased its pellet width. The change was tested to positive results with the Triple Take sniper during season two and was supposed to make shotguns more consistent.

The Peacekeeper’s unique star-shaped spread makes the weapon perfect to be aimed at center mass and at point-blank range. The update enhanced the weapon’s advantages and mitigated some of its weaknesses. The new projectile width makes the Peacekeeper hit much harder at close-to-mid range, possibly downing players with low armor in one or two shots.

The Precision Choke accessory, compatible with the Peacekeeper, also increases its impact on mid-range gunfights and dilutes the inherent disadvantages of using a shotgun.

At first glance, the nerf doesn’t seem to fundamentally change what led the Peacekeeper to its buffed state. It’s unclear if this will be the final nerf to the Peacekeeper or if Respawn will use this balancing update as a basis for further balancing.