In a game as complex and non-linear as Apex Legends, unintended bugs and glitches are almost inevitable.
In just over a year since the battle royale’s release, players have discovered several such oddities, some potentially game-breaking, others wholly humorous and harmless. Reddit user Bentrolei’s latest discovery somewhat straddles the invisible line between both, though definitely with an emphasis on the latter. Going about their usual business in World’s Edge as Pathfinder, Bentrolei decides to use one of the affable robot’s signature abilities in an attempt to get a leg-up on the competition.
Shortly after inserting the character’s hand into a beacon device – an act which allows Pathfinder to discern future locations of the ever-encroaching ring – the laws of physics, seemingly playing truant, are broken, leading to what can only be described as an unconventional means of travel. You can check out the bizarre occurrence for yourselves via Reddit.
As for the cause of Pathfinder’s impromptu trip into the atmosphere, the most likely explanation is a few lines of wonky collision detection code on Respawn’s end. During the video, Bentrolei appears to purposefully interact with the beacon from an unintended position. According to several replies on the Reddit thread, doing so results in a physics glitch where the game attempts to put Pathfinder in his previous position which, in this case, would be behind the railing. This triggers a ‘collision’ between the two objects, ultimately leading to the end result seen in the clip.
Whether Respawn will deem the quirk serious enough to warrant issuing an emergency fix remains to be seen, though given its unpredictable nature, it’s unlikely that cheaters will find any meaningful method of exploiting Pathfinder’s newfound ability to fly.
Apex Legends‘ fifth season, rumored to be called Fortune’s Favor, is scheduled to begin May 12th. See here for everything we know so far.