EA_QueenBee
Community Manager
3 years agoRe: Apex Support Rolls: What is support?
I absolutely agree that Apex could use more support characters. Although I personally main mirage (and argue that he's already a support legend despite not actually being there), support is always my go-to in any game I play. I'm also, just in case, going to preface everything else by saying that all of this is my opinion:
I feel like the big issue is that big buff vs debuff divide. Personally, I think that they can't really release a debuff hero without major backlash from the community (Probably myself included 😉 ). Making an ally more powerful is fine; you both live the fantasy of being the one who sets up big plays, and the one that proceeds to 1 (really 2) v 3 an entire enemy squad. The problem with debuffing I feel is that the negative experience that the debuffee has is greater than the positive experience the debuffer gets. Bangalore and Caustic throwing smoke/gas that blocks line of sight is one thing, but I feel like a character that actually blinds you would cause some uninstalls. Same for an ability that causes misfires/disarms an enemy. Reaper is less upsetting to me because while he does stop you from using your abilities, ultimately it's still a shooter and left clicking doesn't become less effective. The last thing we want is to feel completely powerless.
That said, I love the buffer role ideas you shared! (Especially if we can stick all of them onto Mirage) Here's hoping that we get plenty of fun new supports down the line!
Here's a wild question, not to derail the conversation, but with "increasing ally ability to perceive the enemy", could you argue that Recon heroes are also support heroes in a funny hat? Because I would.
I feel like the big issue is that big buff vs debuff divide. Personally, I think that they can't really release a debuff hero without major backlash from the community (Probably myself included 😉 ). Making an ally more powerful is fine; you both live the fantasy of being the one who sets up big plays, and the one that proceeds to 1 (really 2) v 3 an entire enemy squad. The problem with debuffing I feel is that the negative experience that the debuffee has is greater than the positive experience the debuffer gets. Bangalore and Caustic throwing smoke/gas that blocks line of sight is one thing, but I feel like a character that actually blinds you would cause some uninstalls. Same for an ability that causes misfires/disarms an enemy. Reaper is less upsetting to me because while he does stop you from using your abilities, ultimately it's still a shooter and left clicking doesn't become less effective. The last thing we want is to feel completely powerless.
That said, I love the buffer role ideas you shared! (Especially if we can stick all of them onto Mirage) Here's hoping that we get plenty of fun new supports down the line!
Here's a wild question, not to derail the conversation, but with "increasing ally ability to perceive the enemy", could you argue that Recon heroes are also support heroes in a funny hat? Because I would.