Popular defensive character Wattson received a slight buff going into Season 7 of Apex Legends, but Respawn says it will not buff the Legend any further. Some players are outraged, taking their frustrations out in the popular Reddit thread "Buff Wattson please."
Despite community upset, Respawn is sticking to its guns, and the reason is simple: Wattson is successful in pro play. As senior game designer Daniel Klein explained, "Wattson was all over the place" in the Apex Legends Global Series, and her win rate is very high. Nonetheless, the Reddit thread creator, BaguettePaquette, argues Wattson needs a rework to appeal to all players because "pro players make up 0.01% of the community."
The heated Wattson debate has been going on almost since the Static Defender's debut in mid-2019. Although her Perimeter Fences received a slight damage increase in the Season 7 Ascension Patch, some players argue it wasn't enough. Klein believes player dissatisfaction isn't necessarily due to her abilities but her playstyle, which isn't "superfun for most people."
With the introduction of the newest character Horizon, Apex Legends has 15 Legends. The battle royale is all about balance. Respawn fears just buffing Wattson to increase her pick rate will throw off synergy and not entirely solve the problem. Currently, Wattson serves a purpose in pro play. According to Klein, she is all about "creating an absence of action." Her defensive abilities are ideal for holding chokepoints, preventing enemies from pushing doorways and deflecting projectiles. When a Wattson is on a team, the idea is enemies will have a more challenging time advancing.
Although devs admit they'd like Wattson to have a little more popularity, they don't think she should be near a 100 percent pick rate. Klein goes on to joke about Wraith, who has remained one of Apex Legends' most picked characters among both pros and casual players since Season 1. With that in mind, Wattson fans may be waiting a long time for another significant buff. Klein said he isn't ruling a rework out entirely, but just "throwing a bone to Wattson mains" isn't going to solve her low pick rate problem in public games.
This new may be sad for some players, but Klein wants the community to remember that Wattson is far from useless. As a defender, she has a particular playstyle. It may not appeal to everyone, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place for the French Static Defender on any Apex Legends team.