Horizon has always been one of the most contentious legends since her introduction, as the low audio volume of her character’s ability kit has caused frustration among the community for years, before finally receiving its first ever fix in 2024.
The mid-season patch for season 19 of Apex Legends drops on Jan. 9, with multiple legend balance updates and quality of life changes. Horizon in particular received the largest changes, with a focus on improving her audio for effective counter play and to match the rest of the game’s playable characters.
Horizon’s Passive ability, Spacewalk, increases her air control speed and reduces fall impacts from her custom spacesuit, giving her no landing lag and allowing her to immediately act after falling on the ground. However, this ability would have different audio effects depending on how far Horizon fell down, ranging from a softer landing sound, to a completely silent fall.
Soft landings from one floor of elevation would only make noise for the player using Horizon, and make no sounds at all to enemy squads. Paired with Spacewalk’s increased turning speed while in the air, Horizon players could easily flank enemy squads with unmatched speed, all while not giving away her position. The silent landing paired with Horizon’s soft footsteps made her one of the quietest legends in Apex, and caused widespread community outcry for audio improvements since her release.
Hard landings from Gravity Cannons or falls from Jump Towers also triggered Spacewalk, providing Horizon extra speed and momentum, while also making reduced sounds compared to other legends, once again allowing Horizon to sneak up on unsuspecting squads who failed to hear her landing. The mid-season patch now balances Horizon’s hard landing audio to match the rest of the cast.
Additionally, Horizon’s Tactical, Gravity Lift, now has its exit audio range increased, making it easier to distinguish from farther range when legends exit the Lift. It’s another quality of life change when fighting against a squad running Horizon, as teams will more accurately know how many players get on and off the Gravity Lift.
The only major community complaint left of Horizon’s audio issues is her footstep audio, but with Respawn’s acknowledgement and fixes to her kit’s biggest problems, players can be assured that it will only be a matter of time until all of Horizon’s bugs are resolved.
The mid-season patch for Apex Legends launches on Jan. 9 alongside the Final Fantasy collaboration event and the new Buster Sword R5 universal Heirloom. Players can find the full patch notes of all legend changes on the official Apex Legends website.
