Ratting has been one of the biggest issues in Ranked mode in Season 17. Fortunately, Respawn clarifies to fix it in the upcoming season.
If you’ve played Apex Legends for a while, you likely already know what ratting means. The term “ratting” is usually used when you’re the last man alive on your team and trying to get as high of placement as possible by hiding in plain sight or the stupidest corner no one expects you to be.
This is a common tactic to gain LP (previously known as RP) in Apex Legends ranked. Even in the highest level of the pro scene, rats can be seen to earn points when cornered into a solo survival situation.
Typically, ratting was not an issue before the season 17 ranked changes. However, since the new system was set in motion, ratting became the common enemy of every ranked mode enthusiast in Season 17.
Read More: Albralelie Officially Joined FURIA to Compete in the LCQ, Replacing HisWattson’s Spot
Respawn Promises to Solve “Ratting” Issues
Listening to ranked-related complaints throughout the season, Respawn finally addressed them and shared its plans to overcome them. The recent blog post and AMA discussion in the Apex Legends subreddit mostly covered this topic.
After being asked by a Redditor about the “ratting” concerns in the AMA session, the Lead Game Designer of Progression said, “What we DO NOT want to happen is exploitive play. Hiding in positions and just refusing to engage to win is not good and healthy for the game. We want all players to run the race and not wait for as many teams as possible to crash out.”
Although Respawn never intended to make ratting a powerful means to gain points, there’s no doubt that it became an annoying tactic nonetheless. Thus, Respawn has come up with some solutions to the ratting problems moving forward.
“Hiding and avoiding firefights isn’t a rewarding way to play Apex Legends. Season 18 has some updates to target this, and more are coming in future seasons to address the core gameplay issues around inactivity and avoidant playstyles.” Respawn mentioned in the blog post.
How will Respawn Eliminate Ratting?
Removing the ratting spots is the first and most obvious step to solving the ratting problem Respawn mentioned. The developers have already removed a number of ratting locations from the maps in the most recent update. There will also be other fixes in the future.
The next tactic to stop ratting will largely emphasize Ring damage tweaking and timings. This will result in more mid-game encounters and force the rats to resurface early to get a stronger position on the map.
Hopefully, Respawn’s attempt to improve the ranking system will also free the game from ratting problems. If all goes as planned, players will once again be able to enjoy the ranked mode. But only time will be able to predict how things will pan out.
Read More: Mande Decides to Return to Apex Legends Comp Scene if he Gets “Serious Offers”
