The only constant in a live service game like Apex Legends is change. New legends, new maps, new weapons — all this in addition to updates to existing content makes the game “Battle Royale of Heroes” fresh and relevant over time. So when something stays the same for too long, especially if it’s a legend like Gibraltar, players can expect changes sooner or later.
Ever since his buffs in season 3, Meltdown, Gibraltar has been one of the most popular legends in the highly rated Apex Legends game. His passive Gun Shield ability protects him from most frontal attacks. His Dome of Protection is an impregnable bubble that can give him and his squad a much—needed respite. And in case the enemies want to try their luck and get through Gibraltar’s defenses, its Defensive Bombardment will punish those who come too close. Gibraltar has been the bane of many aggressive Apex Legends players for so long that it was only a matter of time before Respawn Entertainment would strengthen one of the game’s offensive legends to deal with it. This legend is Mad Maggie.
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Strange Salvonian
Mad Maggie is a bit weird when it comes to her abilities. The passive skill “Fury of the Commander” allows her to run faster with shotguns and momentarily highlight the enemies she has damaged. Despite the fact that this affects her tactical ability Riot Drill (a skill that deals damage to enemies through surfaces), the hacks that Warlord’s Ire gives are very short-lived. In order to reach the enemies in time, players must use the ultimate ability of Mad Maggie Wrecking Ball — a giant ball that leaves a trail of high-speed pads that can be used to quickly reduce distances.
With the exception of her passive Warlord’s Ire ability, all of Mad Maggie’s abilities depend on the situation. Riot Drill is good for enclosed spaces and places with a lot of shelters, while Wrecking Ball used to be good only for open spaces (to make full use of high-speed platforms). Due to the fact that her abilities didn’t sync well with each other, Mad Maggie quickly dropped in terms of legend selection speed.
Enter the new season
Season 14, “The Hunt,” introduces several new buffs for Mad Maggie. Her Riot Drill moves further faster, and now it can be deployed almost in a straight line. Wrecking Ball also flies twice as far, using the same number of speed pillows on the ground. These buffs don’t do much for Mad Maggie in general, but her biggest change should be the added ability of Wrecking Ball to deal damage to enemy placed objects. These include items such as the Loba Black Market, the Castle Wall of Newcastle and, most importantly, the Protective Dome of Gibraltar.
While Mad Maggie’s rebellion was something of a counter to Gibraltar’s invincible bubble, it could easily be avoided by going to the other side of the Protective Dome. Giving Wrecking Ball Mad Maggie the ability to directly destroy placed objects can increase her selection speed. Whereas before Wrecking Ball could only be used as a way to run towards or away from enemies, now it can be used to move players around in a campsite. Detachments that have installed Caustic gas traps or the Protective Dome of Gibraltar should now be wary of the approaching destructive ball, since it can be used to clear the territory of traps before the enemy squad breaks in.
These new buffs may not make Mad Maggie a character worthy of a meta legend, but they will be a good step towards improving her abilities. Players who take full advantage of her abilities can feel more like Mad Maggie’s unstoppable warlord, instead of cringing because of her once substandard skills. With a little more love, Mad Maggie might prove to be a more viable choice in Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is already available on mobile devices, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
