Apex Legends' Broken Newcastle ability explained

by

Apex LegendsThe last update had some significant impacts on the meta. While this is to be expected with any seasonal patch, Apex Legends“The change in supporting characters has made Newcastle particularly strong.”




Apex LegendsThe final season received a mixed reception, largely due to the context. It's not just more fans who are worried Apex Legends' Monetization, but the season got off to a strange start. While the update garnered some social media teasers through sponsored artwork, the season's trailers weren't released until the start of the season itself. This reduction of Apex LegendsThe typical release cycle has left many fans wondering if Season 23 was rushed.

Apex Legends launches Royale copy

Related

Apex Legends' Launch Royale is a strong argument for another LTM

Apex Legends' launch royale LTM was a big leap from the past, and it makes a strong case for Respawn to take the concept even further.

How Apex Legends Season 23 Broke the Supporting Characters (Especially Newcastle)

On the bright side, this season has finally made amends Apex Legends“ Lifeline revamp – something many fans have been waiting for after over a year of leaks. In conjunction with this rework of the game's flagship support class, there have been a number of changes across the class. The old perk of being able to craft the banners of slain teammates has become universal, allowing the class itself to gain some new specific attributes. However, this change was something like the curvature of a monkey's paw, and many quickly realized how powerful these changes are:


  • Support Class Legends can now heal faster and benefit twice as much from small medicines (which previously required a rare gold EVO shield).
  • These Legends also now revive faster and cause allies to regenerate their health when revived (which benefits them even if they are revived themselves).
  • Support Legends can see if a Deathbox contains a Mobile Respawn Beacon before opening it.

Those are some big benefits Apex Legends'support class who weren't pushovers anyway. Compared to carrying extra ammo or an extra shield in the ring, Support Legends simply benefit the most from their class advantages. The impact on the meta was immediate, with new support-based team compositions immediately rising to the top. Newcastle in particular benefited hugely from these changes, as Respawn was forced to remove a specific item to keep it under control.


Newcastle's team composition potential led to Respawn removing a support item

Despite a low selection rate at launch, Newcastle have held a respectable meta position since then Apex Legends thanks to his solid skills. However, Season 23 gave him an absolute stranglehold on the battlefield. This is largely due to the new support class revival bonuses, although the other benefits are also extremely beneficial. Newcastle's passive allows him to move allies when he revives them, while also activating his knockdown shield to protect them. Faster revives greatly enhance this feature, as it can be difficult to thwart a Newcastle revive even at close range.

A solid team composition with other support legends has catapulted this into the stratosphere. Gibraltar and Lifeline also have unique revive passives, as well as ultimate abilities that create a shield barrier against enemies (which Newcastle also possesses). Since all three are support legends, combined they are a nightmare. Whenever one goes down, the other two can get him back up very quickly – not to mention the regeneration benefits when reviving.


This was further enhanced by the use of a Golden Knockdown Shield, which grants additional health to revived allies. This item, which has been in the game for a long time but only recently gained this functionality, was particularly useful in Newcastle's hands. This would allow those he revived to not only benefit from the strongest type of knockdown shield, but also grant those revived additional health in addition to the new support class health regeneration. The Golden Knockdown Shield has since been removed Apex Legends Season 23, but Newcastle and supporting characters like him are still a force to be reckoned with.

Leave a Comment