Respawn is taking an unusual approach to its next round of Apex Legends balance changes, announcing several adjustments ahead of their planned release early next week. The developers are currently targeting Tuesday morning for the update, with Axle receiving another substantial set of nerfs while Bloodhound and Seer get targeted improvements.
The changes arrive during Apex Legends: Marked, which launched on August 4 and already introduced major adjustments to Bloodhound, Axle, Seer, and several other Legends. Respawn previously said it would continue monitoring Axle following earlier nerfs, particularly player sentiment around Nitro Gate and Kickstart usage.
In brief:
- Axle is getting major nerfs to her Tactical and Ultimate.
- Axle’s Ultimate cooldown will increase from 90 to 120 seconds, while its health drops from 200 to 150.
- Bloodhound’s cloak and Tactical scan are being improved, including better protection against ring damage.
- Seer’s Tactical will no longer apply turn slow when it hits an enemy.
Apex Legends Axle Nerfs Target Her Ultimate and Nitro Gate
Axle is once again at the center of Apex Legends’ balancing efforts. Respawn previously acknowledged that Axle’s pick rate surged following her release in Season 29 before falling after multiple nerfs. The developer has continued watching how players use Nitro Gate and her Ultimate, and this next update goes even further.
Here are the upcoming Axle changes:
Tactical
- Nitro Gate launch speed reduced from 750 to 700
Ultimate
- Ultimate HP reduced from 200 to 150
- Base Ultimate cooldown increased from 90 seconds to 120 seconds
- Ultimate knockback arc widened
- Maximum knockback height reduced
- Stun duration reduced from 1.5 seconds to 0.25 seconds
The stun reduction is particularly significant. Dropping the duration from 1.5 seconds to only 0.25 seconds should make getting caught by Axle’s Ultimate considerably less punishing.
Respawn is also making the ability easier to destroy while forcing Axle players to wait longer between uses.
Axle’s Jump Gate Upgrade Is Being Replaced
Axle is also losing the Jump Gate upgrade.
It will instead be replaced by a new Drone Deployer upgrade, which reduces her Ultimate cooldown back to its previous 90-second value.
That creates a clearer upgrade choice for players who still want to build around frequent Ultimate usage. Axle’s default Ultimate will become substantially less accessible, but players will be able to spend an upgrade to restore the shorter cooldown.
Bloodhound Is Getting More Cloak and Scan Buffs
Bloodhound received one of the biggest reworks in Apex Legends: Marked, with Respawn attempting to make the tracker a stronger competitive pick.
More changes are now on the way:
- Cloak visibility while inside the dome will be reduced
- Ring damage will no longer break Bloodhound’s cloak
- Tactical scan duration will increase by one second
- Scans will provide more frequent snapshots that gradually fade over time
The changes should make Bloodhound’s stealth mechanics more reliable, particularly around the ring, while providing squads with more consistent information after a Tactical scan.
Seer Tactical Turn Slow Is Being Removed
Seer is getting a smaller but still meaningful adjustment. Enemies hit by Seer’s Tactical will no longer have their turning speed slowed.
Respawn has previously described Seer as particularly difficult to balance because relatively small changes can move him rapidly between the bottom and top of the Legend meta.
Removing the turn slow should reduce some of the frustration associated with being hit by his Tactical without completely undoing the improvements that brought Seer back into competitive relevance.
Apex Legends Balance Update Is Planned for Early Next Week
Respawn says these changes are currently planned to go live early next week, with the team aiming for Tuesday morning.
The biggest story is clearly Axle. After several previous attempts to bring her power level under control, Respawn is hitting nearly every major aspect of her kit again. The dramatically shorter Ultimate stun, higher cooldown, reduced Ultimate health, and slower Nitro Gate launch speed could have a noticeable impact on her place in the Apex Legends meta.
Meanwhile, Bloodhound continues moving in the opposite direction as Respawn tries to strengthen the Legend’s redesigned tracking and stealth-focused playstyle.
