More Rampart Buffs Planned for Apex Legends
By Zach Snoddy
Rampart has inhabited the bottom tier of Apex Legends since her release in Season 6. To see an uptick in her viability and usage, Respawn awarded her with a pair of buffs in Season 8. With her stock already on the rise, a developer has revealed that Rampart will continue to receive buffs in the game's future.
More Rampart Buffs Planned for Apex Legends
In a comment left by a Respawn developer DanielZKlein on Reddit, he shares that the team is surprised with how well Rampart has been doing in Season 8. He does not believe she is in the "healthy" range of Legends yet, meaning that she is probably not yet suited for high-level play. He went on to say that Respawn is working on "more stuff to do with her," suggesting that she will continue to receive buffs going forward.
Rampart debuted in Season 6 of Apex Legends with a focus on stationery, defensive gameplay. Her primary ability is Amped Cover, where she builds barricade walls to protect herself and her teammates from enemy fire. She can also utilize a minigun known as "Sheila" as her ultimate, though these two abilities were initially believed to hurt Rampart more than help her.
Rampart's stationary playstyle contradicts the fast-paced and mobile gameplay of most Apex Legends matches. Her Amped Cover can be countered by simply circling around while her Minigun is loud and can not be fired while on the move. Because of her ineffective abilities and limited mobility, Rampart is considered by many to be the worst Legend in the game.
Rampart was given buffs to both her minigun and her barricade walls in Season 8. Her minigun now has a full range of motion, allowing her to make 180 degree turns to spot out enemies approaching from behind. Her barricades also have increased fortitude while she is building them.
These buffs have made Rampart's toolkit more useful, but she is still far below the other Legends in terms of viability. It is no surprise that Rampart is the least picked legend at just a 2.2% usage rate. Respawn intends on making her a bigger part of the game, and will look to improve upon her gameplay to find her a place in the meta.