Say goodbye to Apex Legends’ best movement exploit

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A future Apex Legends patch will remove a popular motion exploit that has seen extensive use in recent months. Known as “tap-strafing,” the tactic allows players to quickly change their trajectory in mid-air while maintaining momentum. Basically, you become a fast mid-air bullet that’s very difficult to shoot.

Respawn announced on Twitter that the unintended movement technique will be removed in patch 10.1. by Apex Legends. “Our reasoning: it is inaccessible, lacks readability / counter-play and is exacerbated by the ability to move,” reads the tweet. The developer has promised to go into more detail when the official patch notes arrive, but it’s not yet clear when that will be.

It can be difficult to see exactly what’s going on in the tap-strafing clips. Usually, trying to change direction in mid-air will slow you down, but with a few simple inputs, tap-mitrafing allows you to increase the speed and then bounce in any direction you want. You might think of it as an extremely fast dodge roll that Respawn never designed for.

and_they_said_jumppad_tap_strafing_wasnt_useful from r / apexlegends

Apex Legends (and Titanfall before it) is no stranger to the movement techniques discovered by the community. For years, gamers have been using slide canceling and bunnyhopping versions to optimize speed. In some cases, Respawn stepped in to nerf these tactics. In 2019, Respawn removed the ability to heal while hopping on the ground, a change that made sense for the expected healing penalty (you have to stop running for a while).

Removing the tap-strafing looks like a similar case. Jumping into Apex Legends naturally makes you a more difficult target, but it’s balanced by forcing players to pick a direction and stick to it.

With tap-strafing, players bypass this penalty and become harder to hit than any other mechanic intended. If left intact, tap-strafing could become the best meta-defined technique for outsmarting players in Apex. For gamers who love tap-strafing as a tool, that might seem like a good thing, but Respawn clearly thinks Apex is better off without it.

After much consideration and debate, we have decided to remove the tap-strafing from @playapex in patch 10.1. Our reasoning: It is inaccessible, lacks readability / counterplay and is exacerbated by movement skills. The upcoming patch notes will include a more detailed note on this August 31, 2021

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Part of the reason, I suspect, is the power of tap-strafing against console gamers. While some report that tap-strafing is somehow possible on a controller, it is much easier to perform on a keyboard and mouse, increasing the skill gap between platforms in crossplay matchmaking. Once again I must apologize to our consoling brothers.

As Respawn points out in his tweet, tap-strafing can also be combined with some characters’ movement skills to pull off some really overwhelmed cheats, like throwing an instant reverse with Pathfinder’s grappling hook or Octane’s jumps.

But soon, players will have to go back to mid firefights the old fashioned way, so have fun while you can.

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