Community AdminDamage increase in itself - good
The crazy values - bad
15% for the first ring is too much. If the ring spawns far away from your starting area, you're instantly at a huge disadvantage, and if you end up in a fight too you may as well just hit esc and leave the match.
I also think 20% and 25% is too high. 15% is enough to prevent anyone from camping outside the ring. Anything more and you're just unnecessarily punishing anyone who ends up in the zone for a short moment. I say this as someone who's won matches by camping and healing until everything was orange and the last enemy team died wondering wtf happened, so I know what I'm talking about.
So this is what I would do:
First circle: 5 - 8% per tick
Second and beyond: 15%
@nooblet123 I wasn't really trying to argue for no damage increase at all, but even just doubling or quadrupling the basic damage would be a fairly worthwhile deterrent imo. Certainly 15 is way way too high for early rings and means that just getting caught out a tiny bit or running across another team at wrong moment is more or less and instant game over.
@Koochi-Q I agree camping is a total pain but it's not something I have personally seen more of outside than inside the ring... some people camp choke spots just inside the ring for players coming in, some people camp buildings well inside the ring, and sure, some people camp passage areas outside the ring waiting players who are further out to come through - in my experience some players are more likely to camp and will still do it regardless of the ring.
Also if you get into a fight with a team as the ring is coming in what are you supposed to do? And why is fighting outside the ring such a problem anyway... so long as you're fighting, not just sat still waiting to ambush people. Turning your back and trying to run is often one of the fastest ways to die in Apex, and you can guarantee that many players out there will keep shooting you in the back to try and get the kill even if it ultimately means they end up dying too from ring damage themselves... so you're damned either way. Run you die, fight you die.
@Vhalei Yeah, I think damage ramping is already a good solution, but I also think it could be combined with a distance from safe zone thing, so as long as you are running/moving towards the safe zone the damage will stop ramping.
I never really thought camping outside ring camping was such a problem that this needed to be changed, but at the same time I think some increases are fair enough if people are finding it a major problem. And things like respawning... in my personal opinion if your teammates die in a fight but you can respawn them outside the ring near to their death boxes so they can get their stuff back then that is fair enough and not unsportsmanlike play. It just seems like so many legit reasons to be outside the ring for a bit are being penalized in order to stop a few campers who will probably camp anyway, just now they will do it inside the ring.
Late game I thought the damage was fine as it was, it hurt like hell and forced you to move fast but still left possibility to get caught outside a little bit without it being an instant death sentence. All I can see is you will now get people using creeping barrage/defensive bombardment or just nade spam to prevent other teams from approaching the ring for a few seconds, and the resulting ring damage will get you the win.
For me winning when you did nothing more than wait for other players to get knocked down by the ring is the most unsatisfying way to end a game and always feels like a total anti-climax.
At least we all seem to agree that the current solution is way over the top... like I said to David, is like using napalm to get rid of a couple of weeds on your front lawn! Thnks for thoughtful replies all!
I don't get the issue.
You know what the ring does and know to avoid it. You should not want to get caught in it, and certainly shouldn't want to re-enter it.
How you are all getting caught out is a mystery to me.
This is speeding the game play up forcing people together, which is what people wanted. It was even suggested on here more than once that the ring should do more damage.
I like the heavy damage.
Community Manager
@Vhalei wrote:
@kartikins the whole point of the circle is to remove portions of the map from play. The problem has forever been that people can simply spend the first 10 mins or so of the game using the circle to avoid combat while they get free access to any unlooted areas, and people just generally lingering in places where they should be restricted from. If your deathboxes are in a restricted area and you can get your gear and run quick enough, fair play and good luck. If not? Bad luck. Find new gear.
Another solution I have seen that I think would work is a second, slower moving, circle. It follows behind the first circle, and instantly kills anyone who steps outside of it. They could add a significant delay and varied distances that it stops without completely aligning with the initial ring (maybe 100m of ring first after 2 mins, then later 10-15m of accessible ring after 30 seconds).
If you decide to drop further away from the circle there is now more urgency to loot faster and move closer to the action. Sure it's going to be a safer play, but you won't have that luxury of time looting up while other squads are eliminated. There's also a risk of the chance of an enemy squad looking down your way as you run from the ring, so you'll have to contend with both as you flee from it.
Do you feel the ring should be feared?
Community ManagerCommunity Manager
