During a routine AMA on Reddit, Apex Legends developers revealed some high hopes for one legend who has ended up looked over in competitive mode.
Respawn recently took to Reddit to discuss the competitive meta with Apex Legends players. Fans of the game took advantage of the opportunity and asked a lot of in-depth questions about weapons, abilities, legends, and overall gameplay concerns and frustrations.
This revealed some interesting insight into Ash.
Developers took to Reddit to admit that they were once scared that Ash would be too OP in the battle royale, something that new “seems like a joke.” Her tactical was the main concern and developers initially took a lot of time attempting to scale it back.
Said developers: “Even after reeling it back to what we eventually launched with, a well coordinated team could snag an enemy and reign inescapable grenades on them securing a kill more consistently than a Horizon ult combo. With the power to follow-up and chase with her Ult, the offensive team potential, and the map knowledge from her passive — she seemed poised for a strong foothold in the meta for edge play.”
What they found out upon her release, however, was that her abilities “bogged her down” and she never fully excelled as intended. In fact, she is one of the least-picked legends at higher ranks. This became even more apparent when Valkyrie was released.
After noticing just how much Ash has underperformed and failed at fitting into the meta, developers stated that they will be “helping her find a place” in the future. They warned players that the “wrong push” could send her into oppressive territory, however.
For now, Ash has an easy-to-dodge tactical and her ultimate is seen as an inferior version of already existing legends’ ultimates.
Ash currently has a pick rate of 2.3% according to Apex Legends Status. She is found more often in low ranked gameplay. Meanwhile, top picks include Wraith, Octane, and Pathfinder, all known for their mobility options.
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