Respawn to remove tap-strafing from ‘Apex Legends’

Respawn made the announcement via its Twitter account, saying the reasons are that “it’s inaccessible, lacks readability/counterplay, and is exacerbated by movement abilities”. More details on the removal will follow in the next patch notes for the game.

Tap-strafing is an in-game technique designed to give players sharper movements than regular side jumps. The idea is that the technique allows for fast movement changes that still have the same speed and momentum, with the forward input being bound to the mouse wheel, meaning rapid inputs allow players to quickly change direction in the air.

The move originated in Titanfall 2 as a speedrunning technique but was later adopted in Apex Legends. The below video from YouTuber Mokeysniper teaches players how to tap-strafe, and shows it in action.

The decision has divided the Apex Legends community, with some comparing tap-strafing to aim assist for controllers and others saying tap-strafing requires skill. Mokeysniper also responded to Respawn on Twitter and said tap-strafing should still be possible, but that the option to bind a key to the mouse wheel should be removed.

“This still lets you tap-strafe but requires even more skill and nerfs its potential,” they added.

They could have: We will remove the option to bind mousewheel to W. This still let’s you Tap-Strafe but requires even more skill and nerfs its potential. We also introduced Tap-Strafing to Console. We will monitor this change to see how it develops. They did: ????

— Mokey (@mokeysniper) August 31, 2021

In other news, the recent EA Motive stream on the Dead Space remake revealed plenty of extra details about the game. This included a revamped dismemberment system, Isaac Clarke having a voice unlike the original, and no microtransactions anywhere in the game.

Elsewhere, the online services in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be removed from the PS3 and Xbox 360 over the next year. Konami confirmed the shut down and stated it will come into full effect on May 31, 2022.