Gold knockdown gets removed from Apex Legends, here’s why

Apex Legends has one of the most distinct revive mechanics in the entire battle royale genre with various secondary shields like the Gold knockdown shield. Unfortunately, this shield was recently removed from the game and the community noticed its absence after the item was absent in the Firing Range. The developer might have taken this drastic route to create a balanced playing field due to the dominant Support meta.

The Gold knockdown shield in Apex Legends is an important piece of equipment that is generally provided to the Support legend in the squad. It is crucial during team fights as it has a special effect when reviving knocked-down allies. The removal of this item can affect the game’s meta heavily as most Season 23 team compositions depend on it for a quick reset.

This article will outline the possible reason for the removal of Gold knockdown shields in Apex Legends.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinion.

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Why was Gold knockdown shield removed from Apex Legends?

There has been no official confirmation about the reason for the removal of the Gold knockdown shield from the game at the time of writing this article. However, a few theories are floating around in the community that can possibly explain the abrupt removal of one of the core game items.

Gold knockdown shields are not present in the Firing Range. (Image via EA)

Gold knockdown shields are crucial in Season 23’s Support meta as it has a special property that allows one to revive knocked-down teammates with half shield and health restored. This is a game-changer during fights.

Although this special item in itself is not game-breaking, it can become quite oppressive when used with the latest Lifeline, Newcastle, and Gibraltar team composition.

The recent Lifeline rework and Newcastle buffs make it almost impossible to initiate a fight even when one of the members gets knocked. The amount of indestructible shields and healing perks these legends have allows the team to reset immediately after most fights.

The developer might have taken note of this dominant meta and decided to remove the Gold knockdown shields from EA's battle royale. By taking out a core item, the rest time for all teams would inevitably go up and provide other team compositions to participate in a balanced battlefield.

However, the removed knockdowns are likely to return to the game after the dev releases a new balance change update for the game. This patch might be released alongside the mid-seasonal update for Split 2.

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