Apex Legends R99 nerf leaked ahead of Season 17: Arsenal
Season 17 of Apex Legends arrives on May 9, and the community is gearing up for all the new content set to be added in the major update. Whether it's the World's Edge map overhaul, weapon mastery system, or a brand-new Legend called Ballistic, Respawn is looking to knock it out of the park with Arsenal.
Despite this, a lot of players are curious about the changes coming to the game's weapons, and one seems to have been leaked early. Based on early gameplay from Respawn itself, it appears the popular R99 is getting hit with a nerf.
R99 may be getting nerfed in Apex Legends Season 17
Back in Season 16, Respawn buffed the R99 to deal 12 damage per bullet from 11. Since then, the gun has been an immensely strong pick in the Outlands.
Well, as showcased by Apex Legends YouTuber Bobz, it appears the devs have decided to tweak the weapon's power slightly.
In the Ballistic gameplay that was released by Respawn, the R99 only has 19 bullets in its magazine compared to the usual 20. This brings the maximum damage per clip to the body from 240 to 228.
Will the R99 nerf push it out of the Apex Legends meta?
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Despite this nerf, the R99 will still have enough damage to one-clip an opponent with red armour. As a result, it's unlikely this minor change will affect the gun's position in the meta.
However, it's clear the devs feel as if the buffs back in Season 16 were a little too much and want to bring the gun's power down slightly.
Of course, this is just a leak, so it's possible that the gameplay footage will not represent the patch notes for Apex Legends Season 17, we'll just have to wait and see.
