It’s official, the cross-play beta for Apex Legends is here! In addition to the implementation of the cross-play beta, Respawn’s new Aftermarket update included a few balance adjustments to Legends like Wraith.
If you’ve struggled to hit Wraith players, the good news is that you’ll have an easier time to catch them as they run away thanks to a change in Wraith’s running animation.
The change was in effort to make things more balanced, and we definitely understand where the devs were coming from there.
However, if you’re a Wraith player that finds her “Naruto run” spring endearing, you’ll likely be disappointed to hear that it’s gone for good. Wraith now runs “normally” instead of hunched over, arms stretched out behind her.
Respawn Gives Wraith a New Running Style in Apex Legends
We knew the Aftermarket update for Apex Legends was coming, and we’ve been looking forward to giving cross-play a try. However, we weren’t expecting some of the things included in the update such as the running animation change made to Wraith. It came as something of a surprise.
Other Legends were given balance adjustments as well including Rampart, Bloodhound, Pathfinder, Crypto, and Loba, but the change made to Wraith really stands out. Prior to the running animation change, Wraith used to sprint like, well, Naruto.
As fun as this is to see from a visual standpoint, it gives Wraith a unique advantage over other Legends. It may not seem this way at first, it’s just Wraith running like Naruto, but as Respawn explained in the patch notes for the Aftermarket update the running style made Wraith harder to hit.
“…her sprinting animations are unique in how much they artificially shorten her (by hunching over), thus shrinking her shootable area from the perspective of the enemy. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but taken together with her already small hitbox, it’s a lot of power.”
Respawn went on to acknowledge that Wraith’s run is iconic and they too are sad to see it go. However, changing Wraith’s running animation allows them to try and balance her without having to target her abilities which they’ve done in the past and found to be ineffective.
“Now we know her old sprint was iconic and we hate to see it go as well, but we believe this is the best way by far of bringing her in line without having to hit her abilities again. Depending on what we see after these animations go live, we may even be able to put some power back into her abilities (no promises though).”
Not even going to lie… little bit sad about this change 😢 pic.twitter.com/NS3NyzW6FS
— Apex Legends News (@TitanfallBlog) October 5, 2020
We realize that in contrast to everything else in the Aftermarket update, the change to Wraith’s running animation may seem small and the amount of impact it has on you largely depends on whether or not you’re a Wraith main.
That said, it is interesting to see a balance adjustment like the one made to Wraith. Normally, and as hinted at by Respawn, balance adjustments focus on skills and abilities rather than the way characters run around.
It makes us wonder if we’ll see other Legends get similar balance adjustments in the future depending on whether Wraith’s running nerf is or isn’t effective.
While we wait to see the full outcome of the Wraith nerf in action in Apex Legends, we recommend reading through the full patch notes for the Aftermarket update provided by Respawn.
Are you sad to see Wraith’s run changed? Are you happy that Wraith will be easier to hit in an upright running position? Reach out and share your thoughts with us on social media, we’d love to hear your take on the running animation change!
