If there’s one guarantee with an Apex Legends update it’s that game audio will likely be broken on release. Chaos Theory is no different. A combination of area-of-effect noises and in-game events has led to some audio chaos.
The loudest and most irritating noise is the wubwubwub of the new limited-time mode’s rings. These spawn regularly across the map, and they seem to make a massive noise when spawning even if you’re on the other side of the map.
Another culprit causing sound problems on King’s Canyon is the new Heat Shield item. Deployed inside the ring and there’s yet another buzzing sound that pretty much blocks out all surrounding audio. Purposeful design? Maybe. But if it covers footstep sounds it should be toned down.
It should be noted that the new Heat Shield item is almost impossible to fight in, especially if you’re in the ring. The red of the shield with the red of the ring causes a lot of visual clutter. This could become a big problem in competitive play if the heat shield is to stick around.
Fans have already taken to social media to complain about the footstep audio in the newest update, as all the ambient sound, the rings, and the new item paint a pretty cluttered audio picture for Apex Legends.
Aside from the audio problems, Chaos Theory hasn’t broken the game in ways other events have, and the servers seemed to have performed fairly well. There aren’t many complaints about server outages or game crashes, so that’s good.
There are also some positives. The Heat Shield item is something quite unique and will be fun if the audio and visual clutter can be cleaned up a bit. It will make for some interesting plays outside the ring.
Caustic’s Town Takeover is obviously pretty much unplayable at the start of an event, although the design of the area and loot distribution looks like it will make a good replacement for the missing Mirage Voyage and the vanished Water Treatment.
With every new patch comes a lot of new leaked details about what’s next for Apex Legends, and all signs point to a very big year for the game in terms of content drops and updates. There are supposedly four events this season with an upcoming Arena mode that may transform Apex entirely.
