Apex Legends’ Best Flatline Skins Just Got Nerfed

When it comes to weapon nerfs, most people think recoil or weapon spawn rates, not cosmetic items. But Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment announced via blog post that two cosmetic weapon skins for the Flatline assault rifle have been changed to negate the potentially unfair advantage the skins’ original designs allegedly gave users compared to other Flatline skins.

The skins in question are the reactive Heat Sink skin, a Legendary-tier reward for completing Season 4’s battle pass, and the Revelations skin from the recent Gaiden event. Both skins had cosmetic designs that made ADSing a bit easier on the eyes than the standard iron sights experience should.

“Competitive integrity is and will always be a core pillar for Apex Legends,” reads the developer’s blog post. “As part of that, our default iron sights are designed to push players to loot for better optics. We also believe that skins shouldn’t be a factor in the sights functionality as well. During Season 4, we released the Heat Sink reactive skin for the VK-47 Flatline rifle and we heard feedback from some players that the Aim Down Sights (ADS) felt superior to any other skin available.”

There’s no word yet on whether other weapon skins may suffer the same fate. For now, Respawn doesn’t seem to be planning on any immediate changes.

“As our good friend Kuben Blisk puts it: ‘You kill me, you’re better. I kill you, I’m better.'” reads the end of the blog post, quoting Titanfall 2’s main antagonist and the current commissioner of the Apex Games. “We hope players who own these skins will appreciate these improvements and support us as we work to keep Apex Legends fun and fair.”

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available for download on Android and iOS devices.