Summary
- Respawn has rolled out a much-needed audio fix for Apex Legends' footstep issues.
- The changes are more of a fix than an overhaul, aiming to increase the reliability of footstep audio.
- Fans have suggested muting teammate footsteps to make enemy footsteps clearer, pushing for further improvements.
One of Apex Legends' most wanted fixes is arriving, finally providing an answer to years of requests. This entails a new set of changes to Apex Legends' audio, though some fans question how effective they are.
Footstep audio has long been a subject of complaint for Apex Legends fans. In one form or another, this issue has existed for years—and it always comes up when listing problems with the game. The exact conundrum is manifold; some players receive inconsistent, glitchy footstep audio while others get nothing at all. Given how much more pronounced these complaints are among Apex fans, when compared to players of games like Fortnite and Call of Duty, it appears to be an issue that extends beyond the audio problems typical of live services.
Apex Legends Map Tier List
Apex Legends' sports a great variety of maps for both Battle Royale and Mixtape, but some are still undeniably better than others.
How Apex Legends' Audio Changes Work
At long last, Respawn has rolled out an audio fix with the latest Apex update. With season 22's new ranked split, a mid-season update has tagged along—one that purports to have changed audio for the better. Respawn announced as much in an accompanying tweet, stating that the studio has 'increased the reliability' of footstep audio cues. Unfortunately, fans are more than a little skeptical—and it's clear that much more needs to be done.
Apex Legends' New Footstep Audio Is By No Means An Overhaul
The changes to footstep audio fall in the category of a fix rather than a major change. Rather than taking the more extreme measures many fans would have preferred, the tweaks to footstep audio didn't even qualify for Apex Legends' latest patch notes. Of course, searching for these changes in-game can lead to cases of confirmation bias, as well as a potential placebo from those expecting to hear audio better. Therefore, though some players have been experiencing a greater degree of footstep clarity, the above makes it unlikely for the update to have an impact on overall volume.
Rather, the reliability impact seems to account for consistency. Apex can be a glitchy game at the best of times, so the goal of these can be best summarized as a way to counter that offshoot inconsistency. A mix of lag, bugs, and the continued problem of hacking incidents contribute to a general instability, which makes the audio problems of Apex Legends all the worse. It's clear, then, that the new changes are having something of an impact, aiding players already assailed by lag, but they're still borderline unnoticeable.
How Apex Can Build On These Changes
In any place these changes are spoken about, complaints are abundant. Fans have been comparing these changes to Apex's underwhelming timeline on anti-hacking measures, though at least there things have been greatly improved by kill cam. The issue has been present since at least around 2021, if not since the game's inception. Fans instantly assume that underwhelming changes are more lip service than action, and they're not entirely wrong to do so—especially as the majority of players have not seen a notable improvement in quality-of-life.
However, Respawn (as well as other developers responding in Reddit threads on the subject) have been clear about the studio's openness to feedback. The big solution proposed by most fans is to mute teammate footsteps in Apex games entirely. This would immediately make enemy footsteps clearer, as they'd be the only footsteps that players would hear period. Moreover, teammate footsteps, especially from Mirage teammates with decoy entourages, are a distraction that don't need to be there, as they offer no additional information. With how vocal fans have been about this idea, Respawn may very well be receptive—especially after experiencing a massive controversy earlier this year.
Apex Legends
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 74%
- Released
- February 4, 2019
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Source on console/PC, Unreal Engine 4 on mobile
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, Switch & Xbox One
WHERE TO PLAY
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Hero shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.
Master an ever-growing roster of diverse legends, deep tactical squad play, and bold new innovations that go beyond the Battle Royale experience—all within a rugged world where anything goes. Welcome to the next evolution of Hero Shooter.
This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.
- Cross Save
- Cross Progression lets you share your game progress across PC, PlayStation®, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android, Switch
- Genre(s)
- Battle Royale, First-Person Shooter
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
