Season 16 ofApex Legendshas produced a massive shake-up in the game’s meta. Legends like Bloodhound and Seer who once dominated the “scan meta” have been nerfed, while Legends from the original roster like Lifeline, Mirage, and Wraith have received substantial buffs. The biggest buffs went to Pathfinder, which combined with nerfs to his competitors in theApexLegendsroster have launched him into the top tier. After several seasons of newer Legends outclassing him on the battlefield, Pathfinder has seemingly reclaimed the title of best mobility legend inApex Legends.
Since his power reduction in Season 5, Pathfinder has struggled to stay competitive inApex Legends. Many mobility-focused players stopped playing Pathfinder as more powerful Legends like Valkyrie and Horizon arrived in the Apex Games. Following several seasons with no adjustments to his kit, Pathfinder was relegatedto a middling rank in theApex Legendsroster, but Season 16 updated both his Passive and Ultimate abilities to create a much stronger kit.
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Pathfinder Nerfs Throughout Apex Legends' History
Thefriendly robot Pathfinder was an instant fan-favorite atApex Legends' launch, being one of the strongest characters in the game’s original roster. AsApex’s premier mobility Legend, he dominated up through Season 4 with powerful Tactical and Passive abilities. His Grapple ability allowed players to reposition mid-fight and gain the upper hand, and with a quick cooldown of only 13 seconds, Pathfinder was able to consistently maintain control of key positions.
His Passive ability, Insider Knowledge, allowed him to reveal the location of the next ring by scanning Survey Beacons across the map. As the only hero capable of providing this information, Pathfinder was a highly desirable teammate in competitive play. ButSeason 5 introduced his biggest nerfwith the core Grapple cooldown increased from 15 to 35 seconds. This proved to be a devastating change, as few engagements lasted long enough for him to use his Grapple more than once. This made players more hesitant to use it, hamstringing his ability to reliably reposition during fights.
Season 6 then stripped Pathfinder of his signature team contribution after the unique ability to scan Survey Beacons was given to Bloodhound and Crypto. To compensate for the loss, whenever Pathfinder scanned a Beacon his Ultimate ability was reset and its cooldown was reduced by 10 seconds. But to most players, this failed to qualify as a meaningful Passive.ManyApexfans began pitching new Passive ideasto improve his now-underwhelming kit given other Beacon-scanning Legends provided considerable advantages that Pathfinder couldn’t match.
Between Seasons 6 and 7 Pathfinder received a minor buff to his Grapple ability, adjusting the cooldown between 10 and 35 seconds depending on his velocity and distance traveled. But this didn’t do much to improve his kit, as most players exclusively used the grapple to reposition across long distances. Since then, his Grapple ability has rarely featured onlists rankingApex’s best Tactical skills.
Season 7 also saw an adjustment to Pathfinder’s hitbox that made him easier to shoot, though this was slightly adjusted between Seasons 8 and 9 when developersremoved the “Low Profile” condition from his hitbox. Legends with Low Profile took five-percent more damage from all sources, as it was designed to compensate for smaller hitboxes on certain Legends. But the increased size of Pathfinder’s hitbox had already made him much easier to take down in most engagements.
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With the addition of heroes like Horizon in Season 7 and Valkyrie in Season 9, Pathfinder was outclassed in terms of mobility. Horizon’s Gravity Lift could launch an entire squad above the fray, and Valkyrie’s VTOL Jets were consideredthe strongest Passive ability inApex Legends. Pathfinder’s Ultimate ability didn’t stack up to the competition either, as his Zipline Gun was not nearly as effective at repositioning as Valkyrie’s Skyward Dive or Octane’s Jump Pad. Season 8 marked the last time Pathfinder’s kit was adjusted.
Pathfinder Replaces Horizon and Valkyrie in Season 16
Season 16 marks a new era for Pathfinder withmajor buffs to his Passive and Ultimate abilities. First, his Passive ability is no longer tied to scanning Survey Beacons, as that ability has been transferred to Recon characters. Pathfinder has been moved to the new “Skirmisher” class, allowing him to receive Passive benefits (Ultimate cooldown reset and a 10-second reduction to Ultimate charge time) by scanning a Care Package.
This is a massive improvement over using Survey Beacons, which change their location between each match. Players have to physically interact with a Beacon to use it, making them easy pickings for surrounding squads. While Care Packages are similarly unpredictable, they’re much easier to spot from afar andskirmishers can scan Care Packagesfrom a distance. This allows Pathfinder to recharge his Ultimate and reduce its cooldown without putting himself in harm’s way.
His Zipline Gun Ultimate also received substantial buffs across the board. Pathfinder can now launch his Zipline about 60 percent further, allowing his team to travel between more distant locations. Players traveling on the Zipline also move 66-percent faster, reducing the likelihood that teammates will be punished for ziplining near an enemy squad. Considering that his improved Passive ability allows him to use his Zipline Gun more frequently, Pathfinder’s kit is looking stronger than ever.
The competition has also been watered down in recent seasons. Season 14 saw Valkyrie’s VTOL Jets Passive ability andSkyward Dive Ultimate ability both receive substantial nerfs. This brought her more in-line with the other mobility Legends, indirectly improving Pathfinder’s position. Horizon’s Gravity Lift has also received multiple nerfs in recent seasons, with the most substantial nerf arriving in Season 16. After years of traveling by Gravity Lifts and Jetpacks, players are finally returning to the trusty Zipline.
Apex Legendsis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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