Apex Legends players were surprised to learn Horizon received a shadow nerf—that is, a nerf not mentioned in the patch notes—when they logged into the client on Jan. 10. The shadow nerf makes Horizon shoot less accurately when using Gravity Lift. In the past, hitting shots was a piece of cake. After the patch, it was noticeably harder.
The jury is still out on whether it actually was a shadow nerf or a bug that slipped through the cracks, but TSM pro ImperialHal is convinced it’s the former, and he’s not thrilled about it.
“One of the few legends with an insane skill gap praised being nerfed since they couldn’t utilize it properly,” he said, implying it was done to stop skilled Horizon players like him from thriving. “Truly embarrassing to see.”
Horizon is the fifth most-picked legend. It’s often used in conjunction with Wraith and Pathfinder in what has become a meta hyper-mobile trio, but it certainly wasn’t overpowered. But while Horizon players like ImperialHal slammed the devs over the shadow nerf, others who have fallen victim to skilled Horizon players are on board with it.
XSET coach Hodsic said it was “one of the best changes in a long time,” while NRG pro Sweetdreams said “thank god,” suggesting it’s a wanted change he felt was long overdue.
It’s a pretty significant nerf, and it will be interesting to see how it affects the Apex meta moving forward for the rest of the competitive season.
