Is Apex Legends ‘Loba’ OP?
Season 5 of Apex Legends not only brought with it major changes to the map, weapon pool, and QOL, but also to the Legends themselves. Huge buffs and devastating nerfs affected almost all of the cast of characters in Fortune's Favor, and we can’t forget that Loba, the High Society Thief, also joined the ranks.
Loba’s history with Revenant and her wide pool of abilities enable her to stand out from a crowd of Legends that some fans were beginning to find were stagnating, and provides a fresh new take on the Apex Games.
ICYMI, here are Loba’s abilities.
Passive ability:
Eye for Quality: Loba can see epic and legendary nearby loot through walls. It has the same range as Loba’s Black Market Boutique.
Tactical ability:
Burglar’s Best Friend: Teleport to hard-to-reach areas and escape trouble quickly by throwing Loba’s Jump Drive bracelet.
Ultimate ability:
Black Market Boutique: A portable device, which when placed, teleports nearby loot to your inventory. Teammates and enemies alike can take two items each for themselves.
As with any new Legend who joins the game, fans are quick to test them out and voice their opinions. Most new Legends inevitably face a cry of “they’re overpowered”, and it’s happening once again with Loba.
So, is Loba OP? Or is she just the balanced character Apex needed to shake up the matches?
Click to enlargeThe case for Loba being OP
As Loba’s abilities centre around being a thief, and land her in the Support class, it’s obvious that her opponents could find her irritatingly sneaky. Looting is a huge part of Apex Legends, dropping in and grabbing the best gear you can find can set you up for early engagements, and it’s crucial to find the best items on the battlefield. High powered loot = a better chance of success. Loba can not only see high-quality items through walls but also ping them, supporting her squadmates in a way we’ve only seen from the Recon class such as Crypto and Bloodhound.
Her Black Market Boutique ultimate ability is invaluable in the end game, to nab those gold care-package weapons from nearby corpses while still in cover, or load up on necessary meds and ammo.
Don’t just take our word for it, fans on Twitter have come out in defence of the argument that Loba is OP, in a big way.
It isn’t just the looting abilities that are causing a stir, as we can see from these clips, the Jump Drive Bracelet might be a little too much, too. Giving a Legend both manoeuvrability and pickpocketing powers seems like a lot. Some players have been finding the tactical useful for flanking moves.
Even YouTubers are taking a stand, including Australian Apex Legends player Zylbrad, who’s first trip out with Loba is even named “Loba is insanely OP”.
The case for Loba being balanced
While some players think Loba is godlike in comparison to her fellow Legends, others are happy with her current status and think her abilities are just right for the meta of the game as it stands.
As Loba slots into the Support class, it makes sense that none of her abilities are inherently aggressive. However, it could be argued that her Tactical could be used in a number of ways, from aggressively to defensively, or simply for movement.
Problems are emerging with the usage of the Burglar’s Best Friend ability already, as the Jump Drive Bracelet’s animation when arriving at the disc location (Loba returning her bracelet to the safety of her wrist) is quite long, and getting your weapon back out seems to take a lifetime. There are also complaints of the noise it makes alerting enemies to your location too well.
It appears it’s also all too easy to fling yourself off the edge of the map if you don’t recall the Jump Drive in time after placing it in a risky location.
Why not both?
YouTuber Kevduit used Loba throughout an entire video to show off her skills (and his own), and it not only highlights her strengths, but also her weaknesses. At one point he sarcastically mentions
“The best part about this ability [the jump drive bracelet] is you have absolutely no idea where you are going to land.”
While other Legends are healers, aggressors, or staunch defenders, Loba seems like the obvious choice for players who want a range of abilities (and who love finding superior loot).
Respawn Entertainment will no doubt address balance issues very soon, and probably change her abilities over time, so whether you love or loathe Loba’s powers, chances are they’ll develop faster than her Jump Drive can throw you off a cliff.
Images via Respawn Entertainment
