Seer nerf arriving in upcoming Apex Season 17 patch

Tom Bull

Tom Bull

Respawn have revealed a significant Seer Nerf as part of the upcoming Collection Event patch. Seer will no longer cancel heals or revives. Instead, he now has a new Silence ability.

Respawn unveiled a much requested Seer nerf ahead of the Dressed to Kill mid season event.

The patch release on June 20th, and brings with it a new heirloom, new skins and several balance changes.

By far the most notable of the balance changes comes to Seer, with drastic changes to the controversial legend.

Seer nerf sees major changes to his abilities

Seer is a controversial legend, and has been since his release. This isn't the first time we have had a major Seer nerf. He released incredibly strong, and annoying, resulting in Respawn pushing a hotfix just days after his debut.

Seer has received a major Nerf
Seer has received a major Nerf

Now, we have another major set of changes to Seer which seeks to re-introduce him as a new type of legend. Instead of a scan machine, wall hacking, heal cancelling swiss army knife of annoyance, Seer will now be an aggressive silencer.

There are also questions over what will happen to Seer in ALGS, having been one of the most picked legends in the recent ALGS Pro League.

The Seer nerf in full:

  • Passive: Heartbeat Sensor
    • Range Reduced to 50m ( was 75m )
    • Initial Heartbeat delay significantly reduced
  • Tactical: Focus of Attention
    • Range Reduced to 60m ( was 75m )
    • Firing Speed Increased ( ~30% faster )
    • Removed Heal Cancel and Revive Cancel
    • Removed Respawn Beacon Interaction Interrupt
    • Scan Time Reduced to 2.5s ( was 8s )
      • Scan once again includes a full body highlight
    • Enemies hit by Focus of Attention are now Slowed for 2.5s
    • Silence Time Increased to 10s ( was 1.75 )
      • Enemies who are silenced by Seer are now also highlighted with a threat outline to Seer and his teammates but only when they have line of sight
  • Ultimate: Exhibit
    • Throw Range Reduced to ~15m ( was ~50m )
    • Removed Diamond Scan Markers on Enemy Movement
      • Exhibit will now only show the footsteps of players moving in the zone
      • Diamond Markers will now ONLY appear with enemy gunfire for 1.25s

'Exhibit' most impacted by changes

By far the hardest nerfed of Seers kit is his Ultimate Ability. It was an exceptionally powerful tool, with constant diamond markers tracking enemies in range. It could also be thrown 50 meters, allowing you to throw the Exhibit towards a situation and then decide if to follow up or not based on the information it provides to you.

Now, the diamond markers are only for enemies who are shooting their weapon. This adds a new counterplay, beyond just sitting still. Instead, Seer's Ultimate will now show footsteps of players. This is still useful information, but a big Seer nerf all the same.

New 'Focus' for Seers tactical

It's arguable how much of a nerf the changes to Seers tactical are. The length of scan has been drastically reduced, and enemy heals and revives will no longer be cancelled. However, new abilities have been introduced.

The Seer Nerf has reworked his tactical
The Seer Nerf has reworked his tactical

After June 20th Seer will instead Silence enemies who are hit by his tactical for ten seconds. Additionally, they will be slowed for 2.5 seconds. Furthermore, the speed at which this ability fires has been reduced by about 30%. Silenced enemies will also be outlined in Red when you have line of sight to them.

This ability will possibly be harder to execute though, thanks to changes to Seers passive. The heartbeat distance reduced will impact players who use this to line up their scan quickly at long distances. It does have a reduced initiation delay though, which will help you quickly line up on targets who are in range.

Seer could still be a useful legend, but he will require relearning. Your chance to explore the new Seer abilities comes on June 20th, when the Apex Legends Dressed to Kill Collection event releases.

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