The inclusion of the feral Prowler creatures in Apex Legends ranked playlist has players debating what level of randomness should be allowed in the game’s competitive modes.
Storm Point debuted several new features in Season 11, including Gravity Cannons and AI-based wildlife nest encounters, but not all of these new additions are working for the playerbase.
One of the biggest problems so far has been wild Prowler encounters.
These Human vs. AI battles are triggered by venturing within the proximity of the four-legged creatures, spurring them to chase and attack you as you navigate through their territory.
While these creatures drop high-quality loot, the PvE aspect of the game is something that isn’t working for many players in the community.
The issue with Prowler battles is the randomization of combat and how it can affect an otherwise predictable game. From getting in the way and slowing down any Legend who is trying to escape a fight, to interrupting a team’s only chance to heal, the scaly beasts have proven to be quite the headache.
Third-party pressure is something that Respawn took aim at with this new map, but the hostile nature of the Prowlers has left some players feeling like things aren’t any different from previous seasons.
Twitter user Ashhhhh__7 said: “Take the prowlers out the ranked games dawg, no way should be fighting a team then get mollywhopped by some animal.”
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Take the prowlers out the ranked games dawg, no way should be fighting a team then get mollywhopped by some animal
— ash 🕳 (@Ashhhhh__7) November 10, 2021
Another player, ClaraAtWork, highlighted the difference between the Prowler zones and the Spider nests that are also spread around the map, the latter of which requires direct interference from players.
“Absolutely unnecessary for ranked unless they fix them to be like the spiders,” they said, “where they don’t come out unless you shoot at their little caves.”
Absolutely unnecessary for ranked unless they fix them to be like the spiders where they don’t come out unless you shoot at their little caves
— Clara (@ClaraATwork) November 11, 2021
While Respawn has teased some plans further changes to the Ranked playlist, there’s been no mention of an adjustment to the spawning of Prowlers or their in-game behavior as of yet.
Respawn’s Principal Level Designer Rodney Reece has said that the final circle should “never end on a wildlife location or building” though, which may be an indication that the team is tracking how much these random encounters are affecting games.
