Remove its outlandish movement tech and Apex Legends would lose the flair that makes it one of the most-loved first-person shooters today. From iconic tap strafing to the latest config files, movement in Apex is about as diverse as it can get. But when it comes to newcomers exploring Apex for the first time, these movement options could be more of a hindrance than a help.
It usually isn’t a newbie’s cup of tea to play against movement experts as they hop, jump, strafe, and glide to dodge bullets and reposition mid-combat. Beginners generally struggle to keep track of Apex’s better players in the heat of battle. Of course, config files and scripting help players to pull off these tricks without practice, but they’re only making things worse.
Naturally, all this bizarre movement tech has made Apex’s competitive arena unwelcoming for new players. At the same time, movement is Apex’s heart and soul, and players are convinced that nerfing it would destroy the game.
In a YouTube video from Sept. 1, popular Apex creator Thordan Smash addressed the need for a solution to stop movement getting out of hand. While appreciating Apex’s uniqueness, Smash shared how such “crazy movement” can make it “hard for newer players to jump into Apex Legends and try to keep up mechanically.”
Considering Respawn Entertainment hinted at impending aim assist changes last month, Smash thinks it’s possible for movement tech to land in the developers’ crosshairs soon.
In his video, Smash showed some of the weirdest movement techs in Apex right now, most of which require tons of practice or are config-only. He also stressed that Respawn should ban configs and scripting, as they’re giving rise to uncounterable mechanics like “Riru strafing” and more.
Most Apex players would agree that configs and scripts have no place in a competitive game. Posing as ‘legal’ cheats, they destroy the integrity of the game and diminish the value of practice and skill.
It’s worth noting that controller players on PC commonly use external scripts, but they have an argument of their own. “It gets very debatable,” Smash said: “The problem is controller players are just trying to keep up with what mouse-and-keyboard players can do. And this has been a long-standing issue.”
The aged debate surrounding Apex’s movement mechanics begs for a neutral solution, catering to both the mouse-and-keyboard and controller community, as well as making it simpler for new players stuck in the whirlpool of skill-based matchmaking.
Respawn has to come up with a solution without stripping the game of its flagship feature. Will that even be possible?
Published: Sep 2, 2023 07:51 am