Apex Legends Season 16 makes substantial balance changes to seven characters: Seer, Bloodhound, Wraith, Pathfinder, Horizon, Mirage, and Lifeline. These updates are all aimed at further defining the niche each of these legends is meant to bring to their squad, as well as disrupt the more dominant strategies in Apex Legends, like the scan meta.
The scan meta has existed in Apex Legends since day one, favoring legends who have abilities that allow them to naturally wallhack the environment and see enemies through walls. In a game as fast-paced as Apex Legends, that’s a powerful skill to have. Respawn has already lessened the impact of the scan meta in Season 15 with Catalyst, as her Dark Veil ultimate ability allows her to block scanning abilities.
In Season 16, Respawn is taking a more direct swing at the scan meta, adjusting the abilities for the two most dominant scanners: Bloodhound and Seer. “At a high level, the changes we’ve done in [Season 16] are aimed at reducing the overall frequency of scans in the game without harming the identity of the characters,” lead legend designer Devan McGuire said during a preview event.