Apex Legends fans divided over Wattson nerfs

Yesterday’s Apex Legends patch nerfed Wattson, taking the Static Defender down a peg or two. With the community divided, one fan has tried to put the argument to rest.

The Voidwalker patch aimed at changing the defensive meta, with Wattson being the catalyst behind it. While some fans think the change was needed, others feel like the nerfs were unwarranted. Apex fan on Reddit explained how Wattson’s nerf was not enough to keep her from being “incredibly strong” in a Reddit post.

As of yesterday, Wattson has the Low Profile debuff which increases the damage she takes by five percent. The debuff was originally given to Wraith and Lifeline who were deemed overpowered, in the hopes that the increased damage would make up for their small hitbox.

While many might see the Low Profile debuff as unfair, the player explained that the change is “negligible.”

“She needs to take 190 damage vs 200 to die with purple armor,” according to duskravenswing. “That’s only 10 damage. One R99 bullet. It’s a placebo nerf.”

Wattson also had her ultimate ability, Interception Pylon, nerfed. The character can now only have one pylon out at a time. While this does seem to decrease Wattson’s versatility, this may prevent enemy players from reaping the benefits of your pylon.

“Limiting her ult to 1 means teams don’t get to freeload off your ults that you’ve placed in other buildings,” the fan argues. “You now get full control of your pylons.”

Wattson’s usage in high-level gameplay was frequent due to highly coordinated team play and skill. Duskravenswing argues that in higher ranks the Static Defender was overpowered and needed to be balanced.

Despite Duskravenswing’s argument, some fans disagree and feel like she’s a dead character.

Wattson’s passive ability allows her to recharge her ultimate to 100 percent when using an Ultimate Accelerant. Now that she can only use one Interceptor Pylon at a time, Wattson mains think her passive is “useless.”

Even with the dissent, it’s hard to argue Wattson’s effect on the current meta. Her introduction to Kings Canyon shifted gameplay by having a defensive strategy prove more fruitful than an aggressive one. This was especially obvious in high-level ranks and tournaments, where Wattson’s play rate was virtually 100 percent.

With Respawn’s development team not offering any reason for the nerf, Wattson mains may bring out the pitch forks soon.