ImperialHal on nerfing damage legends, 'broken' Mozams & who needs a bit of TLC

Apex Legends has had a lot of different metas in its six years, but few have been as rigid and defensive as the current crop of viable characters right now - both in Casual/Ranked and on the competitive stage.

For the most part, Ranked and Casual playlists are littered with those legends that can pick up banners, giving teams another lifeline (literally), while the higher tiers of Ranked and Comp have become very one-dimensional.

We're used to picking up dual Mozambiques, going duf-duf-duf, and hiding behind legends that offer cover, either by smoke or by shields. It's a real stalemate of cat and mouse.

Popular Apex Legends superstar and professed 'CEO' of the scene Philip "ImperialHal" Dosen spoke to GGRecon during the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs about how to balance the game, ditching the damage legends and buffing movement characters and the deadly Mozams.

Legends never die, but some need wounding

Noting the difficulty the developers face between making fun legends for casual play, viable characters for Ranked, and forming competitive rosters, I asked Hal his opinions on the current meta. 

"I hate Crypto," he said with a serious chuckle. "He's just senseless, anybody can use it."

He pointed out how Crypto isn't the worst character in the world to come up against in a 3v3, but it's Apex's notorious third parties that cause the legend to be so annoying, getting stunned by multiple drones mid-engagement.

"Every fight is just a stun battle and sometimes you’re in a fight and you get stunned by Crypto and it's not even theirs, it's somebody else's Crypto across the map and you get EMP’d. That's my main gripe."

But Crypto isn't the only legend in his firing line, and despite having used infrequently in the recent ALGS Split 2 qualifiers and the Esports World Cup, Fuse joins the list of characters that he would like to see nerfed.

"I feel like characters that don't inflict damage with abilities are better for the game," continued Dosen. "Characters that enhance the gunplay are better for the game than having stuff like Crypto or Fuse, in my opinion, because it takes away from the gunplay and you're more reliant on abilities the entire time.

"That is why I loved Horizon - obviously, the Horizon Ult was broken at the time - but the biggest thing for me was the Horizon Q, it enhances the gameplay and the gunplay by, not only me being able to shoot on the ground, but by taking different angles in the air."

There is a sense of acceptance about these characters, though. We know that there does need to be some variation, and legends that deal damage need time in the limelight; it's just that they are not preferable, and the meta is worse when they are championed.

ImperialHal mused, "That's also why I loved the meta in the very beginning of the game. There were no abilities that did damage. You relied on your 3v3 skills and how good you are at aiming.

"It's very hard to stick to that one category, though, because you can only be so creative with that and if you don't have damage abilities, I feel like the game probably would have died a long time ago."

Together, we reflected back on these types of metas. Prime Pathfinder on Kings Canyon and Octane stims stuck in our mind as the most obvious non-damage meta legends.

However, when asked who needs a buff, Hal has one instant answer. "Wraith," he said. Plain, simple, abrupt, and serious. "Just insta Q. No delay, just make it an insta Q."

No-zambique

When it comes to the rest of the game, Hal voiced that Respawn had done a great job with Season 22, but there was one further flaw. The Mozambique.

Already, they have proved menacing since being added as an akimbo weapon, being run by every team player in the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs.

"I also think the Mozam’s are just absolutely broken. They need to nerf the hell out of that," he told me. Again, there was a laugh at the ridiculousness of them, but a nod to the devs for creativity.

"It's even worse than the old Havoc in my opinion. If you have Turbocharger Havoc versus regular Mozams, then you might win. But, if you have Hammerpoint Mozams, you're going to win every single time."

Although the Akimbo Mozambiques are powerful, Hal claimed that these types of quirks are good for the game, just not necessarily for those who play every day and to a high standard. 

It's another example of how different metas are balanced across different Apex Legends communities. "I've always said, though, that I do like having OP things because the only way things are used is if they are OP," he confessed.

"It does change the game. It makes it more fun because it's different for us. It's a double-edged sword. "We get to play different guns or different characters, but at the same time, the Mozams are not skilful. Anyone can use a shotgun. You just spam it and see who wins."

The Apex Legends meta will likely shift again soon, and keep an eye out for our interview with Game Designer John Larson, as we speculate which legends might alter the meta soon.