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Apex Legends’ lead game designer thinks Lifeline needs a ‘sidegrade,’ not a buff

Aaron Mamiit
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Apex Legends‘ Lifeline is “in a complicated spot,” but according to the battle royale shooter’s lead game designer, Respawn Entertainment is working to fix the character with a “sidegrade.”

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Lifeline, part of the original roster when Apex Legends was launched last year, is the only classified healer in the game. Her abilities include a drone that can heal teammates and herself, a shield wall for protection while reviving knocked down allies, and a drop pod that provides loot to the team.

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layers believe that Lifeline has been overshadowed by the characters that have since been added to Apex Legends, as well as the changes that have been made to others. For example, Gibraltar’s Dome of Protection makes reviving teammates faster, while a reworked Mirage now goes invisible while reviving an ally, who also becomes cloaked. Loba, the new character of Season 5, is equipped with skills that allow her to see loot through walls and teleport nearby loot towards her.

Apex Legends‘ lead game designer, Carlos Pineda, discussed the issue on Twitter, where he claimed that Lifeline does not need a buff, as she is still a top-tier character.

So in that sense, she does not need a buff at all.

But I get it – everyone wants her to be unique and I agree she's lost some of her shine due to the other legend buffs. But we can't straight up add power to her – that would drive her even higher in those metrics.

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Pineda, however, proposed a different solution — a sidegrade that will make Lifeline unique again among Apex Legends‘ growing roster of characters.

So be patient! We're working on it, but it is a difficult problem. In the meantime, you can feel better about picking Lifeline, knowing you're still in good hands!

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Respawn is already working on that so-called sidegrade, but Pineda did not provide a timeline on when the planned changes will arrive for Lifeline.

Players have thrown out various ideas on what Respawn can do for Lifeline, including changing her ultimate skill to still focus on healing instead of providing loot, as it outgrows its usefulness as the match drags on. Pineda, however, defended Lifeline’s skill set.

That doesn't explain win rate or KDR though

Also- a Legend is more than just 1 ability. Yes Loba's Ult can get loot better than Lifeline, but she can't heal. Yes, Gibby can fast res, but it's on a cooldown and he can't create loot out of nowhere. A kit is everything combined.

— Carlos Pineda (@pinedsman) May 15, 2020

Apex Legends Season 5

We’ll be watching to see what changes are eventually applied to Lifeline, but in the meantime, players that are interested in her loot skill should try Loba in the fifth season of Apex Legends.

Season 5: Fortune’s Favor also rolls out a new Battle Pass and Series 4 of Ranked Mode. The new season also introduces Quests, starting with The Broken Ghost. Thoughout the season, players will need to find nine pieces of an artifact to unlock rewards, lore, and a secret.

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Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
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