Each character in Apex Legends has their own unique hitbox, and some even have matching passive buffs or nerfs to boot. Here’s everything you need to know about these passive abilities, like Low Profile and Fortified, and how they can affect the outcome of your firefights.
Much of Respawn Entertainment’s design philosophy in Apex Legends revolves around the game’s diverse cast of characters. With the number of Legends doubling since release, the developers have their hands full with balancing each aspect of the game’s 16 different competitors.
While each Legend’s set of abilities is the focal point of their balancing, one subtle — but extremely important — factor is their hitbox. Each character in Apex has their own unique hitbox, which makes sense when you consider how different each of these characters are from one another.
Alongside these hitboxes are two passive perks Respawn has applied to some characters in order to level the playing field: Low Profile and Fortified. Here’s everything you need to know about how these hitbox-based passives work, and which Legends are affected by them.
What is Low Profile & which Legends have it?
The first of the game’s two passive hitbox-related perks is Low Profile. Characters with this perk have been identified by Respawn as harder for enemies to hit due to the size of their hitbox, and therefore suffer a penalty of 5% increased damage from incoming sources.
There are three characters in Apex Legends currently affected by Low Profile: Wraith, Lifeline, and Wattson. If you jump into the arena as one of these Legends, you might be harder to hit, but you’ll also suffer from that 5% increase to the damage you take from your enemies.
Many veteran players are already familiar with the debate around Wraith’s hitbox. Pathfinder was previously given the Low Profile designation but the perk was then removed from the friendly robot, and Respawn confirmed they are looking into removing the perk from the game entirely.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
What is Fortified & which Legends have it?
On the other end of the spectrum, Apex Legends’ larger contenders have their own unique passive: Fortified. Legends with the Fortified perk have all incoming damage reduced by 15% and are not slowed when hit by bullets — something other characters in the game must contend with.
The only two Legends who benefit from Fortified are Gibraltar and Caustic, which should come as no surprise considering the size of their hitboxes compared to smaller characters like Wraith, and even more average-sized Legends like Mirage, Octane, or Fuse.
Revenant is also on the larger side of the hitbox curve, but Respawn have decided not to give him the benefits of Fortified (for now). While the developers have said they are looking into removing Low Profile from the battle royale, it remains to be seen whether tweaks to Fortified are coming as well.
Future Apex Legends hitbox updates
Hitboxes in Apex remain an important balancing tool for Respawn, but they have also been a major pain point for the developer. In fact, Respawn previously revealed that, looking back on their design decision, unique hitboxes have been a “curse” on the game.
The majority of Apex Legends’ characters can be balanced without the use of Low Profile or Fortified (with only five of the game’s 16 characters being given one of those perks). Individual character hitboxes can also be updated to buff or nerf the strength of specific Legends.
With Respawn already confirming their plans to remove Low Profile from the game at some point, it certainly seems like the developer has a good idea of how they’d like to keep the game’s characters, and their hitboxes, in check with future tweaks and updates.