Apex Legends dev responds to C.A.R. being overpowered
An Apex Legends dev has provided the community with an insight into how Respawn deals with new weapons coming into the game, as well as hinting at a potential nerf for the C.A.R. SMG.
Apex Legends saw a variety of changes to the weapon and Legend meta when Season 13 launched. As well as bringing in a strong new Legend to shake up the most popular picks, Respawn also made some weapon changes.
Having said that, Season 13 did not bring a new weapon to the game. The latest weapon to be added to Apex Legends is the C.A.R. SMG, which is arguably the most dominant close-range weapon at the moment.
In response to the community’s concerns regarding the gun’s strength, one of the devs gave fans an insight into how they manage new weapons being added into the game, as well as a potential nerf for the C.A.R.
Respawn EntertainmentThe C.A.R. was introduced in Season 11, and at the time of writing this article, it stands as one of the best close-range options in the game. This is mainly because of its high fire rate and great hip-fire accuracy, allowing players to stay on target.
It’s clear that the weapon is strong, and as its power was brought up on Reddit this week, Respawn’s Live Balance Designer Jay Biebs decided to respond and explain.
During a Weapon Wednesday discussion on the Apex Legends subreddit, users discussed the current state of the C.A.R. One user said, “Power creep’d SMG that’s for sure. They could’ve balanced it by giving it a worse total damage in a single mag or a lengthy reload time, but NOPE! Respawn definitely not playing their own game…”
In response, Jay Biebs gave a lengthy explanation about how they implement new weapons into the game, stating that “it makes sense to lean towards the strong side.”
Jay Biebs explains that this is because they feel “new legends/items have to be sexy and strong to disrupt the meta,” and making it strong means that more players will use it, giving the dev team more data to work with when it comes to tweaks and changes.
The dev team was surprised when “its usage rate was lower than [they] expected.” However, after time, players began to realize its strength and now it’s regarded as a “power creep’d SMG.”
The devs are aware of its strength, with Jay Biebs even agreeing “that the CAR overshadows [the R-99] in a few ways,” but he also sees the power creep issue as “never-ending.”
He does mention ways they could address the issue, which includes nerfing the C.A.R., but he doesn’t confirm anything:
“Buff R99? Nerf CAR? I’d say SMGs in general in Apex have been hit hardest by loot/TTK creep… do we revisit that? Do we revisit the class wholesale? Are we seen as pandering to controller players if we do so?”
We’ll have to wait and see what happens to the close-range meta in Apex Legends, as the mid-season update is on its way so perhaps we’ll see some changes.
Image Credits: Respawn Entertainment