Apex Legends Developer Hints at Changes to Controversial Gun

Apex Legends' Mastiff shotgun has become a controversial weapon of sorts in the battle royale game. It's always been strong whether it was tucked away in a Care Package or found in the floor loot pool, but recently, it's been elevated to the status of a meta-defining weapon that you're pretty much guaranteed to see in any match that runs for a reasonable amount of time. It should be unsurprising then to see some of the Apex Legends developers hinting that the weapon may soon be adjusted in the game's next update.

Ryan Rigney, the Director of Community and Communications on Apex Legends, tweeted about the patch notes for the game's next update this week. Those patch notes aren't out yet, but based on their projected wordcount, there'll be some considerable changes to look over. Apex Legends streamer Rivalxfactor responded to say he hoped the patch notes included some sort of Mastiff change and received a response to that (via Dexerto) from Apex Legends producer Josh Medina. Medina didn't confirm that changes were coming, but the coy eye emoji suggested that it's definitely something that Respawn Entertainment is aware of.

👀

— Josh Medina (@lowkeydbjosh) February 25, 2021

The Mastiff's dominance in Apex Legends has led to many streamers and normal players alike using the phrase above, "Mastiff Legends," to describe the current meta. The shotgun is commonly encountered at pretty much any skill level within Apex Legends which isn't unusual for a weapon itself, but it's easy to use at any skill level as well so long as the enemies are in range to make the most of the Mastiff. Along with the R-99, it's many players' go-to choice for close-range combat given that it's able to "two-pump" enemies, another phrase players are currently fond of which means it'll shatter a shield and down an opponent with just two well-placed shots.

Those patch notes for the 8.1 update aren't out yet, however, and there isn't any indication right now of when they'll be released, so we'll have to wait and see then what's coming for the Mastiff. A nerf is the minimum expectation, though some Apex Legends hopefuls have suggested that it be moved back to the Care Packages and the Peacekeeper brought back out. That seems unlikely given how the Precision Choke Hop-Up has been removed from the loot pool. Having it on by default like a Triple Take would make the Peacekeeper just as dominant as before while removing it would take away a core part of the Peacekeeper's identity, so it's unlikely we'll see any Care Package shifts in the update.