That didn’t take long. A day after an update which functionally nerfed tap strafing, one of the most popular advanced movement techniques in Apex Legends, Respawn walked the change back, citing “community feedback.”
That feedback was more like an uproar from several high-profile pros, streamers, and many other players who enjoy Apex‘s slippery movement mechanic. Tap strafing, which began its life as a movement bug and quickly became a fundamental mechanic in the game similar to mouse and keyboard players’ ability to move while looting death boxes, allows players to instantly change directions in mid-air, maintaining their momentum. Respawn originally said the change was a “buffer” added to the mechanic in order to “combat automated movement tech,” but the change just ended up making many tap strafes feel sluggish and not nearly as effective.