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Respawn Entertainment hosted a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session to talk about the state of Apex Legends and address any player queries or concerns. One of the things brought up in the discussion was if Respawn has a character cap in mind. Currently, we receive multiple new legends a year and it has led to a large pool of abilities that can change the outcome of a gunfight. Developer Devan McGuire said that Respawn will continue to add new legends as long as it is “healthy.”
How many legends will Apex Legends get before the meta becomes unhealthy?
Respawn does not have a fixed number in mind when it comes to the size of the roster. McGuire said, “We want to release Legends that have ownable playspaces and bring value to the squad.” But he mentioned that as the roster of legends grows, the task gets harder.
Respawn will have to balance legends in a way such that new options are still fun to use while also ensuring older characters stay viable. With the release of legends like Seer and Valkyrie, the value of older legends like Bloodhound and Pathfinder has gone down accordingly.
Guns have also run into the same problem with the CAR SMG being the last weapon released. Respawn does plan to release more weapons but the developers do not want to release new weapons constantly to preserve a healthy meta.
There are 28 weapons available right now that are spread across six ammo types (including arrows, but they are out of rotation at the moment), and Respawn does not want to “shove content in the game to checkbox a seasonal delivery list, our goal is to make the game the best it can possibly be.”
During Season 0, Respawn had talked about how gunplay will be the main focus of the game but there is no denying that ultimates like Horizon’s Black Hole and Valkyrie’s Skyward Dive have shifted how the game is played. Seer is one of the characters who has the ability to track enemies using just his passive while Bloodhound cannot do so to the same extent. But Bloodhound still has a place in the meta thanks to his ultimate ability which is one of the best in the game.
Respawn wants to restrict power creep while also making new legends fun to play. If we reach a point where that is no longer possible, Apex Legends might stop getting new characters in the future.
