Wattson was released at the start of Season 2 of Apex Legends to some fanfare. However, when she was first announced, streamers and competitive players weren’t sure how she was going to fit into the fast-paced meta of the game.
Her abilities promote a camping playstyle. The fences and her ultimate ability, the Pylon Interceptor, don’t promote fast gameplay. It takes a few minutes to set up traps. The ultimate accelerants do charge her Pylon to 100%, but her skill set is still too fiddly to pull off while on the move or while fighting.
Shroud, a top Apex Legends streamer, saw an early version of Wattson while she was still in development. All he said while she was being teased was that she wasn’t going to be “sick”. He stressed the importance of fast characters with mobility – Pathfinder, Octane and Wraith – and how Wattson lacked manoeuvrability.
However, with the introduction of Ranked Mode, the meta of the game has undergone significant changes. For the first few days, people played Ranked Mode as if they were pub-stomping, but as you reach the higher ranks (like Diamond) the cost of each game means you’ll likely never progress, unless you reach Top 3, secure 5 kills, or win the game.
Introducing the Wattson meta. It’s a strategy based on two concepts. First, the fences and ultimate are incredibly effective at holding down control of one of the many buildings across King’s Canyon.
Taking the power of Wattson’s defensive abilities, all you need to do is find a building that’s going to be in the final zone. Thankfully, Apex Legends has a set number of ending zones with some variations. Work out the formula, and you will always be able to tell where the final circle ends.
During the mid-game, this tactic is pretty dull. It’s difficult to push a full team set up with Wattson traps and an ultimate. Depending on how many meds the team holed up managed to collect, it’s unlikely they can take much peek damage. It’s a slow, long grind to the end game.
However, when you get to that final circle, the result of so many camping teams is total chaos. 15 people spread out over 7 teams in the smallest circle. Pushed by the zone one by one, everyone descends on each other at the same time. It’s an intense and refreshing addition to Apex Legends.
