Apex Legends has released a minor update that nerfs Lifeline and Newcastle based on feedback about support characters being too overpowered in Season 23.
In November, gold knockdown shields were removed from competitive Apex Legends lobbies. The item grants a free revive, and players typically use it to restart their revive before having a healer complete the rest of the bar.
This became an issue when combined with Newcastle’s ‘Retrieve The Wounded’ passive ability because you could abuse the revive shield and constantly revive.
Meanwhile, the Apex Legends developers previously confirmed that the Lifeline rework in Season 23 would intentionally make the character overpowered. The update added the ability to teleport D.O.C. to your allies, glide for unmatched mobility, and deploy an indestructible force field that increases healing efficiency for your squad.
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As a result, Lifeline and Newcastle vaulted to the top of the battle royale game’s current meta, forcing Resapawn to knock both of the Legends down a peg.
Apex Legends December 9 update patch notes
Newcastle and Lifeline will still be popular characters after these nerfs, but here is a look at the full patch notes.
Newcastle
- Revive Shield HP is lowered at all tiers: White is 250, Blue is 400, and Purple is 600
- Mobile Shield is no longer invulnerable, has 750 HP, and the cooldown has been increased to 20s
- The Swift Shield Upgrade now reduces the cooldown to 12s For Lifeline -D.O.C.
- Halo now has a 180s cooldown -Hands-free D.O.C. revive is now the same speed as non-support Legends.
Lifeline
- D.O.C. Halo now has a 180s cooldown
- Hands-free D.O.C. revive is now the same speed as non-support Legends
That’s everything we know about the Newcastle and Lifeline changes. For more on Season 23, check out the best weapons to use.
