Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Apex Legends’ lead game designer thinks Lifeline needs a ‘sidegrade,’ not a buff

By

Apex Legends‘ Lifeline is “in a complicated spot,” but according to the battle royale shooter’s lead game designer, Respawn Entertainment is working to fix the character with a “sidegrade.”

Recommended Videos

Lifeline, part of the original roster when Apex Legends was launched last year, is the only classified healer in the game. Her abilities include a drone that can heal teammates and herself, a shield wall for protection while reviving knocked down allies, and a drop pod that provides loot to the team.

layers believe that Lifeline has been overshadowed by the characters that have since been added to Apex Legends, as well as the changes that have been made to others. For example, Gibraltar’s Dome of Protection makes reviving teammates faster, while a reworked Mirage now goes invisible while reviving an ally, who also becomes cloaked. Loba, the new character of Season 5, is equipped with skills that allow her to see loot through walls and teleport nearby loot towards her.

Apex Legends‘ lead game designer, Carlos Pineda, discussed the issue on Twitter, where he claimed that Lifeline does not need a buff, as she is still a top-tier character.

So in that sense, she does not need a buff at all.

But I get it – everyone wants her to be unique and I agree she's lost some of her shine due to the other legend buffs. But we can't straight up add power to her – that would drive her even higher in those metrics.

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Pineda, however, proposed a different solution — a sidegrade that will make Lifeline unique again among Apex Legends‘ growing roster of characters.

So be patient! We're working on it, but it is a difficult problem. In the meantime, you can feel better about picking Lifeline, knowing you're still in good hands!

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Respawn is already working on that so-called sidegrade, but Pineda did not provide a timeline on when the planned changes will arrive for Lifeline.

Players have thrown out various ideas on what Respawn can do for Lifeline, including changing her ultimate skill to still focus on healing instead of providing loot, as it outgrows its usefulness as the match drags on. Pineda, however, defended Lifeline’s skill set.

That doesn't explain win rate or KDR though

Also- a Legend is more than just 1 ability. Yes Loba's Ult can get loot better than Lifeline, but she can't heal. Yes, Gibby can fast res, but it's on a cooldown and he can't create loot out of nowhere. A kit is everything combined.

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Apex Legends Season 5

We’ll be watching to see what changes are eventually applied to Lifeline, but in the meantime, players that are interested in her loot skill should try Loba in the fifth season of Apex Legends.

Season 5: Fortune’s Favor also rolls out a new Battle Pass and Series 4 of Ranked Mode. The new season also introduces Quests, starting with The Broken Ghost. Thoughout the season, players will need to find nine pieces of an artifact to unlock rewards, lore, and a secret.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
Apex Legends Mobile Perks guide: How do Perks work?
Wraith steps out of a portal in Apex Legends.

While it once was a novel concept, it's now become the standard for FPS games to come with at least a few RPG elements in them. Usually, they come in the form of XP progression systems that gradually unlock new items, cosmetics, and things of that nature. Apex Legends took those ideas and expanded them to incorporate unique heroes called Legends that have their own classes and set of abilities. While it is by no means a full-on RPG -- the better shooter will win the day almost every time -- this extra layer of complexity helped make the game have an even higher skill ceiling to explore.

Apex Legends Mobile, rather than dumb down the core experience, actually adds even more RPG elements. Perks are a new system that adds a new way to further tweak and customize your favorite Legends. This system is brand new to the mobile version, so even those who have been playing the console and PC versions will need to learn how this system works. To get you caught up fast, here's our guide on how Perks work in Apex Legends Mobile.

Read more
The best settings for Apex Legends Mobile
One legend kicks another in the face.

Apex Legends Mobile is a fully-fledged and featured version of the hit battle royale game built for playing on the go. Aside from the game being of great quality, the developers also wanted to make sure that this version was just as accessible and customizable as the console and PC versions.

Apex Legends Mobile offers a suite of settings that make most mobile games' settings menus look like a joke. You have way more options here than just adjusting volume settings, and in fact, you can do a ton to make this version of the game just as comfortable and fun to play as it would be on a console or PC. But unless you're comfortable tweaking these settings and you know what you're doing under the hood, it can also be a challenge to get the game running the best that it can. If you're a little lost but want to get the most out of Apex Legends Mobile, here are the best settings to change.

Read more
The best legends in Apex Legends Mobile
A party of Legends prepares for battle.

Taking elements from hero shooters, Apex Legends introduced a cast of unique characters that filled different roles, with their own set of skills to make your knowledge of the roster and team compositions just as much a factor as your ability to pop heads. Apex Legends Mobile starts off with a smaller starting roster of Legends than the main title, but it's just as complex a battle royale.

However, just like in any shooter where each character has their own suite of abilities and situational strengths and weaknesses, nothing can be perfectly balanced. Some Legends, intentionally or not, are just plain better than others. Looking at every Legend in Apex Legends Mobile so far, assuming you're playing in a squad, we've come up with what are the top-tier Legends in the game.

Read more