Apex Legends Season 9 balance changes: Bocek Bow and Spitfire nerfs analyzed with gameplay impact
Weapon Balance Changes
Respawn Entertainment has implemented crucial weapon adjustments in response to community feedback during Season 9’s first week. The development team targeted two particularly dominant weapons that were outperforming others in both Battle Royale and Arenas modes.
The Bocek Bow and Spitfire LMG have undergone significant modifications to bring them in line with other weapons in Apex Legends’ arsenal.
The Spitfire, which received minor adjustments in the Legacy update, proved still too powerful with its high damage output and manageable recoil. The new changes more substantially address its dominance in mid-range engagements.
Bocek Bow Adjustments
This silent but deadly weapon arrived in Season 9 with overwhelming power. The bow’s combination of high damage, quiet shots, and ammo efficiency made it a must-pick for competitive play. Key changes include:
- Max charge body shot damage decreased from 70 to 60
- Charge time increased from 0.54 to 0.56 seconds
- Deadeye’s Tempo charge time increased from 0.36 to 0.38 seconds
- Ammo stack size reduced from 16 to 14 arrows
- Inventory capacity decreased from 48 to 28 arrows
Pro Tip: With reduced ammo capacity, bow users should prioritize retrieving arrows after fights and consider carrying a secondary weapon for close-quarters combat.
Spitfire Modifications
The LMG’s sustained fire capability made it exceptionally strong in prolonged engagements. The latest changes include:
- Damage per bullet decreased from 19 to 18
- Purple/Gold magazine capacity reduced from 55 to 50 rounds
Common Mistake: Many players continue to treat the Spitfire as a run-and-gun weapon. Post-nerf, it’s more effective when used defensively from cover due to its reduced damage output.
Arenas Flash Event
Alongside the balance changes, Respawn has launched the first Arenas Flash Event, offering players new challenges and rewards in the 3v3 game mode.
Participants can earn valuable in-game resources including crafting metals, Battle Pass stars, and Apex packs by completing specific objectives.
Weekly challenges include: pic.twitter.com/ryj1XTMYXS
— Apex Legends News (@alphaINTEL) May 11, 2021
Event Strategy: Focus on completing daily challenges first, as they typically offer the fastest path to earning event rewards. Team coordination becomes even more crucial in Arenas during these limited-time events.
Quality of Life Improvements
The 1.67 update addresses numerous technical issues affecting gameplay experience:
- Resolved login errors including “Array index 1 is out of range”
- Arenas matches now properly end when enemy team is eliminated
- Improved consistency of “time survived” tracking in Arenas
- Fixed texture issues during screen transitions
- Enhanced lobby player model detail
- Adjusted Valkyrie’s passive to not highlight dead/spectating players
- Temporarily disabled Bloodhound’s ability to track Valkyrie mid-flight for stability
- Fixed stats page errors when switching between game modes
- Corrected Valkyrie bundle store navigation
- Various stability improvements
Late Afternoon PT playlist update:
- Fixed collision detection on Phaserunner map (eliminating ghost rock exploits)
Optimization Tip: After major updates, always check the training range to test any changes to weapon feel or character abilities before jumping into competitive matches.
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