Caustic’s gas staying after a squad wipe has been a bug this entire time—and Respawn is looking for a fix

There could be a solution to one of the most frustrating aspects of Caustic’s kit in Apex Legends in the near future. Respawn revealed last night that Nox Gas staying after a squad wipe is actually a bug—and the developers are “looking to implement a fix soon,” according to live balance designer John Larson.

The unintended interaction keeps Caustic’s signature gas on the map even after the Toxic Trapper or his squad dies. The noxious fog deters squads from pushing, healing, or looting death boxes despite no enemies being in the area. Some players could take advantage of the gas and spam his traps before dying to create a poison cloud and get in the way of their opponents, even from beyond the virtual grave.

Pros have voiced their criticism of the issue before, but the latest flagrant example of the issue took place during Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen’s stream yesterday. A push against a Caustic cost ImperialHal’s team, TSM, the match—even though the squad won the teamfight.

During a match on World’s Edge, TSM took out an adversary and pushed into a train cart to capitalize on their numeric advantage. The enemy Caustic bombarded the area with his noxious gas, including the inside of Gibraltar’s dome shield. And although TSM ultimately took out the two remaining enemies, Hal was downed and killed by the noxious gas after the opposing team was out of the match.

Caustic’s Nox Gas not disappearing after his death has been a part of the Toxic Trapper’s kit since the battle royale launched. Fans believed it was an intended mechanic rather than a two-year-old bug, but Larson’s statement confirms that it’s a long-running incident—and it should be resolved soon.