Apex Legends pro Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen has delivered a harsh assessment of the current state of Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale, claiming the game has lost sight of what originally made Apex feel like Apex.
The outspoken Team Falcons star responded directly to the official Apex Legends account on X, writing: “Your game sucks and has lost its entire identity in a span of the last year of what it means to be Apex Legends.”
In brief:
- ImperialHal says Apex Legends has lost its identity over the past year
- His criticism comes shortly after the launch of Season 30: Marked
- Apex has undergone major changes to Legends, weapons, loot, and core gameplay systems
- Respawn says its goal is to keep Apex competitive while continuing to evolve the game
ImperialHal did not elaborate on exactly which changes prompted his criticism, so it would be speculation to attribute his statement to any single mechanic.
However, Apex Legends has changed considerably over the past year. Respawn introduced Wildcard in 2025 alongside experimental systems such as Legend Amps and Elite Weapons, while continuing to make substantial adjustments to existing Legends, maps and the overall meta.
Season 30: Marked has pushed those changes even further. The August 4 update reworked Bloodhound, overhauled World’s Edge, introduced Corrupted Attachments and dramatically changed how Energy Weapons function. Energy ammo no longer appears as traditional ground loot, with Energy Weapons instead receiving their own regenerating ammunition stockpiles.
These systems represent a significant departure from some of the inventory management and weapon mechanics Apex players became accustomed to over its earlier years.
Respawn Wants Apex to Keep Evolving
Respawn has made it clear that many of these changes are intentional. In its 2026 roadmap, the studio said it wants Apex Legends to remain a highly competitive battle royale while continuing to evolve through Legend reworks, loot changes, map updates and frequent balancing adjustments.
The Marked patch notes similarly describe Season 30’s sweeping changes as part of an effort to make Apex the “best, most competitive Battle Royale out there.”
ImperialHal’s comments highlight the difficult balance Respawn faces. Keeping a seven-year-old live-service game fresh requires experimentation, but changing too much risks alienating players who fell in love with Apex Legends for its original gameplay formula.
