Lifeline needs a nerf, but not in the way the Devs are proposing
I can confidently say I’m a Lifeline main, since season 2; she is quite literally the only legend I use. I understand the frustration with the res shield being infinite, but what is being proposed completely nullifies the progress made from previous seasons.
Consider her specs:
-she takes 15% more damage due to low profile.
-she suffers greatly from “flinch” with both heavy and light ammo weapons.
-her res shield can be walked through, knocked out by grenades and Revenant’s ability, and not to mention, it’s not full coverage.
-her ultimate really only serves me as extra cover in the final rings or as a possibility for a purple shield for my teammates. Otherwise, it’s just a beacon alerting nearby teams to our location.
-her health drone has a limited amount of health and is slow, on top of having a long cool down of 45 seconds. Oh, and it can’t be used in the storm without a heat shield (unless they didn’t fix the glitch from early in Season 8).
Anyone who regularly uses Lifeline knows the many issues when facing enemies like Gibraltar or Caustic. They also know how they are often pushed when res-ing a teammate, by grenades (Fuse), Rev ults, or missile strikes (Gibraltar and Bangalore). Lifeline lacks mobility and attack capabilities, but that is to be expected for a support character.
The time and energy that is being put into completely removing Lifeline’s shield needs to be redirected. Give the shield a nerf, by all means. Don’t make it unlimited, make it slower, truly I don’t care, but the minute you take it away, you’ve doomed the character to the continued onslaught of the girth (Caustic and Gibraltar).
Gibraltar is an unfair legend, with a complete bubble shield equipped with faster healing and faster revives. Added with 15% less damage, a gun shield (that did receive a nerf), and an ultimate that obliterates an enemy squad better than that of its alternate option with Bangalore. May I also call attention to the fact that Gibby has been apart of the ALGS meta since the beginning (as far as I know), but how often do you find a Lifeline in the tournaments?
One person claimed Lifeline had a high pick rate, which suggests that she is far more useful than many claim. However, they fail to realize the psychology behind it— she was the tutorial character. Of course those who are new to the game are more likely to choose the character they were first introduced to. Even if the data has been adjusted to incorporate this, she is still one of the easiest characters to use for new players.
More attention should be brought to her ultimate. With the higher spawn rates of higher tier loot on the map, it’s not very often one finds themselves without at least decent armor— plus the Evo aspect makes it far easier than in previous seasons. As I said, this is one of the only benefits to a care package, but it’s dwarfed by the obvious negatives. I would say get rid of the ultimate altogether, but I am not sure what could replace it. Maybe make her passive the ultimate with a reasonable cool down, like Loba.
There are so many other legends that require attention in order for them to really make an impact on the Apex field:
-Loba needs her bracelet adjusted.
-Gibraltar needs a compromise with his abilities and damage.
-Bangalore just needs love because she really hasn’t been touched (but that may mean she is just so well balanced).
-I don’t even know why Revenant is being buffed when no regs are a problem on his “profile” (side).
-Wraith, for some reason, is controversial when it comes nerfs/buffs.
I am sure others can come up with a few more issues that need reworking as well. My main focus is Lifeline.
Devs, please compromise with Lifeline users. Don’t just take the words of people who haven’t realized the knack of taking out a Lifeline.
Might I also suggest the idea that if someone takes out the Lifeline while she is res-ing, then the res gets knocked out as well? It encourages people to be strategic enough to push the healer (more than they already do).
Edit: I take back the statement of Gibraltar being “unfair.” Wrong word, for sure. I meant that he has many positive characteristic that make him a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
