Apex Legends System Override Update Makes Wattson Less Of A "Must-Have," Says Respawn

Alongside the addition of Octane’s heirloom and the start of System Override (which sees the return of Kings Canyon), Respawn is implementing a new update into Apex Legends. The full patch notes for the update reveals several in-game changes, including one that aims to make Wattson less of a must-have for a squad’s success.

Currently, a full stack of two grenades takes up a single slot in a player’s inventory–allowing them to, for example, hold six grenades at the cost of only three slots. Once you have a big enough backpack, this makes it very easy to stockpile grenades, which your squad can then use to bombard an opponent from afar.

This tactic is devastating in the final circles of a match (especially if you throw in Bangalore’s Rolling Thunder, Cautic’s Nox Gas Grenade, or Gibraltar’s Defensive Bombardment), where it’s more difficult for an enemy squad to find space to retreat and reposition themselves. So, of course, more and more people have started using it.

The counter to this strategy is to have a Wattson in your squad. Her Interception Pylon will destroy all incoming ordinance, whether it’s a grenade or one of the aforementioned character abilities. Because of the growing popularity of grenade spamming in the final circles, it’s made Wattson an increasingly necessary component of any squad looking to win at a high ranked level.

In order to curb this problem, Respawn is changing how in-game inventory works–specifically when it comes to grenades. With Update 4.1, instead of a stack of two, each individual grenade will fill an entire inventory slot. “We’re trying to address the problem of grenade spamming,” Respawn lead game designer Carlos Pineda said during Apex Devstream #4. “Right now, people carry a lot of grenades and endgame they’re just chucking grenades–it almost makes Wattson a must-have because everyone is throwing grenades.”

Wattson isn’t the only character Respawn is addressing with Update 4.1. The new update adds a necessary buff to Gibraltar, a much-needed change to Crypto, and adjusts Bloodhound into the character they’ve always meant to be. The update goes live alongside System Override on March 3.