Apex Legends Update Nerfs Axle Mobility and Trims Apex KO Fighter Power

An update pushed on 1 October 2026 by RSPN_Matty addresses several distinct balance concerns across standard Apex Legends and the Apex KO mode.

What changed

Alter

• Fixed unreliable tactical and ultimate usage near large moving structures.

Axle — Passive & Tactical

• Sliding lateral control nerfed by 50% on the passive, reducing the ability to maintain slide momentum through tight corners.
• Sliding lateral control nerfed by 25% specifically for Nitro Gate users.
• Aim assist disabled for players under the effect of the Nitro Gate.
• Nitro Gate initial push speed reduced to 650 from 700.

Axle — Ultimate (Kickstart Drone)

• If the drone locks on immediately after deployment, the resulting knock-up is significantly decreased.
• Max knock-up magnitude reduced to 650 from 700.
• Max drone chase time reduced to 8 seconds from 10 seconds.

Apex KO — Wildcard Tuning

• Fighter's Defense damage reduction lowered from 55% to 50%, giving gun users more effective damage in 1v1 encounters.
• Maximum stored Ultimate charges for Ryu, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim reduced from 3 to 2, targeting situations where consecutive ultimates eliminated teams before a meaningful response was possible.
• Passive Fight Gauge regeneration enabled when not in Fighter Form and below 1 pip, intended to counteract mid-match token droughts caused by K.O. Truck destruction.

Taken together, the patch narrows Axle's high-mobility ceiling, shortens the threat window of the Kickstart drone, and chips away at the raw staying power that made fighters difficult to punish through conventional gunplay.