Apex Legends’ Next Update Aims for August 25 With Three Legend Changes

Axle will receive several Ultimate nerfs, while Bloodhound and Seer are also getting adjustments in the planned balance pass.

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Apex Legends has another balance pass planned for early next week, with Tuesday morning, August 25, as the current target. Axle, Bloodhound, and Seer are all receiving adjustments, but the changes are not live yet.

Respawn outlined the changes in a Steam update notice. Axle is taking the largest hit, while Bloodhound’s cloak and scan behavior will change and Seer will lose a movement penalty tied to his Tactical.

Axle’s Tactical will send Nitro Gate out at 700 rather than 750. The Ultimate will have 150 HP instead of 200, its base cooldown will rise from 90 seconds to 120 seconds, the knockback arc will widen, and its maximum height will decrease. Stun duration will also fall from 1.5 seconds to 0.25 seconds.

The upgrade path adds an important tradeoff. Jump Gate will be replaced by Drone Deployer, a new upgrade that brings Axle’s Ultimate cooldown back down to 90 seconds.

Bloodhound’s cloak will be less visible while inside the dome, and ring damage will no longer break cloaks. The Tactical scan will last one second longer, with more frequent snapshots that fade over time.

Seer’s adjustment is more direct: players hit by the Tactical will no longer suffer turn slow. The update is still scheduled rather than complete, so these changes are currently planned for the August 25 rollout.

Apex Legends August 21, 2026 Planned Patch Notes

The planned pass cuts back Axle’s Ultimate health, control, and base uptime, changes Bloodhound’s scan and cloak behavior, and removes Seer’s turn slow. The official notes follow in their announced order.

Axle
- Tactical
  - Nitro Gate launch speed will be reduced from 750 to 700
- Ultimate
  - Ultimate HP will be reduced down to 150 from 200
  - Base Ultimate cooldown will increase from 90s to 120s
  - Ultimate knockback arc will be widened and max height will also be reduced
  - Ultimate stun duration will be reduced from 1.5s to 0.25s
- Upgrades
  - Jump Gate will be replaced with a new Drone Deployer upgrade that brings the ult cooldown back down to 90s
Bloodhound
- Will reduce cloak visibility while in dome
- Ring damage will no longer break cloaks
- Tactical scan will be increased by 1 second
- Scans will provide more frequent snapshots that fade over time
Seer
- Turn slow will be removed when hit by the Tactical

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Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play Hero shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.

Master an ever-growing roster of diverse Legends, deep tactical squad play and bold new innovations that go beyond the Battle Royale experience—all within a rugged world where anything goes. Welcome to the next evolution of Hero Shooter.

Genre Shooter, Tactical
Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Perspective First person
Modes Multiplayer, Co-operative, Battle Royale
Release February 4, 2019
Publisher Electronic Arts
Age Rating