Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has confirmed that the planned tap strafing nerf is being postponed. The high-level movement technique was only able to be performed by PC players using mouse and keyboard, and the developer believed that this gave those players an unfair advantage. If you've ever reached the top levels of the Apex Legends ranked ladder, you might be inclined to agree.
It was a controversial decision to remove the technique, and many pro players believed that it was the wrong decision. While binding forward move to the scroll wheel can result in abrupt turns that seem unfair, at the highest level this resulted in impressive plays for those who could master it.
Respawn's director of communications Ryan Rigney explained at the time that tap strafing was inaccessible and lacked counterplay, especially when exacerbated by movement Legends like Octane and Pathfinder. While the former is due a nerf in the next Apex Legends patch notes, a stimmed-up, tap strafing, jump-padding Octane will remain a frightening sight in Apex games.
Apex Legends Postpones Tap Strafing Nerf: "Movement Is Sacred"
However, the develop has now confirmed that the nerf is being delayed due to "unexpected side effects" of the patch.
Respawn says in a tweet that, "movement is sacred in Apex. We weigh every change to these systems carefully and value feedback." Perhaps it was the pro players that were invited on board for testing who pointed out the issues with the planned changes?
Respawn still plans on going ahead with the nerf, but is being careful that no other movement is affected by the changes.
With only a few major patches occurring a season in Apex, we might have to wait for Season 11 before the mechanic is removed.
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