Apex Legends Dev Confirms Wattson Isn’t Getting Any More Buffs
The introduction of Olympus has created a lot of speculation around which legends will be next to receive buffs. The new map, whilst arguably the most enjoyable creations in Apex Legends, has come under some criticism surrounding defensive legends, with so much open space rendering them "useless".
The likes of Caustic, Wattson, and even Gibraltar have felt the wrath of Olympus, as their abilities are best used in close-quarters areas such as cities. With fields and plains spanning vast over Olympus, their effectiveness has plummeted, and many have called for them to be buffed.
One Reddit thread has surfaced with over 15,000 upvotes calling for the quirky electro-genius Wattson to be buffed, with her abilities being ridiculed. With the scathing attack on Wattson, an Apex Legends developer has now responded, denying any chance of her being buffed any time soon.
Click to enlargeDaniel Klein, Senior Game Designer at Respawn Entertainment, has started the defence of Wattson by arguing that whilst she is not a "fun" character for public lobbies, she is a crucial part of the competitive scene, and her low pick-rate is cancelled out by her incredibly high win rate.
He stated "I just finished watching the VODs from yesterday's ALGS Grand Finals and... Wattson was all over the place? True, she was no longer on every single team, but still easily on 550-60% of teams", before adding "there was a Wattson on 4 of the 6 last squads" in the NA regional finals.
"You're confusing two things: pick rate and effectiveness. Yes, she's lowest pick rate, but her win rate is very good across all skill bands. She is top 4 across most power metrics".
So, with such an effective win rate, why do players not opt to choose Wattson? Klein responded to his own prose by stating "Because humans aren't robots that are optimized for winning. We play because it's fun, and clearly, there's something in her play pattern that isn't super fun for most people.
Klein continued by saying, "It's not that people pick her, fail to be effective on her, and then stop playing her. Clearly the people who do run her have more success on her than on most other characters. There's something about the FEELING of playing her that isn't attractive enough", before adding that buffing Wattson will not benefit her as she will still be the same defensive-minded legend that's playstyle is not attractive.
The developer did conclude by suggesting that his thoughts could be swayed, but until her effectiveness begins to plummet, a buff seems unlikely. However, a rework may be her best shot, adding an exciting change to her passive or ultimate.
So for Wattson mains, it appears that unless you're paired with the likes of Wraith, you're doomed to spend a lot of time inside the buildings of Olympus.
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Image via Respawn Entertainment