Apex Legends devs have revealed the one legend that they expected to catch on in high-level games but hasn’t done so just yet, especially as they were “extremely concerned” about the power in testing.
Whenever a new season of Apex Legends comes around, players can pretty much always bank on a new legend also being added to the mix. Only one season – Season 18 – hasn’t added a new legend to the roster yet, and that was because they focused on a makeover for Revenant.
As soon as a new legend is released, they quickly jump to the top of the pick rate charts – staying there for at least a few weeks. Once the hype dies down, they settle into a position more fitting of their power.
The top three most-used legends have, pretty much always, been a combination of Octane, Wraith, and Pathfinder, but the devs expected Ash to be up there too. And they’re surprised the Incisive Instigator hasn’t made it into high-level play on a regular basis.
Apex Legends devs surprised Ash isn’t used in competitive more often
That’s right, Ash is the character that the devs are most surprised about not catching on with players, given that they were “extremely concerned” about her powering in testing.
“During development we were extremely concerned over the power of her tactical. Seems like a joke, right? But for a long time it was very potent and internal feedback on it’s power was loud. Even after reeling it back to what we eventually launched with, a well-coordinated team could snag an enemy and reign inescapable grenades on them securing a kill more consistently than a Horizon ult combo,” Respawn’s Devan McGuire said in the devs’ AMA on the competitive Apex subreddit.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The devs added that Ash “seemed poised for a strong foothold in the meta” but noted she has “cumbersome elements” with her abilities and that her “ult is still unreliable” at times.
“Something to look at for the future to help her find a place – but also still be mindful of. The wrong push and she could end up being as oppressive as super-stun Seer was,” they concluded.
Ash’s pick rate hasn’t completely bottomed out, given she’s got a 2.3% usage rate according to Apex Legends Status, but the average rank using her is Bronze 4.
Maybe a future buff would see her vault up a little bit and, possibly, get into the ALGS meta. We’ll just have to wait and see on that front.