It’s been a hot minute since the last external magazine-fed Rival blaster (the Finisher). So seeing them return, and on a pump-action blaster to boot, is a welcome sight. The Pathfinder places the magazine in a forward position, giving the blaster a unique look. Insertion and removal can be done at any point (primed or otherwise), as the magazine sits under the breech (not overlapping it as a dart blaster would).

Nerf Rival Pathfinder XXII-1200 Blaster, 12 Nerf Rival Accu Nerf Rival Pathfinder XXII-1200 Blaster, 12 Nerf Rival Accu

Meanwhile, professional bamboozler Mirage (who has often been regarded as underpowered by the Apex community) has finally been given a complete makeover, with new abilities and serious improvements to his existing skills. His tactical ability psyche out, which pops out a decoy, now allows Mirage to control it by having it mimic his movements, and he can now release another decoy which simultaneously removes the previous one. Oh, and the decoys now last for 60 seconds. Designer note: This is a first step in pushing more team utility for Octane. We have more updates planned but they didn’t make the cutoff for this patch. Mirage is insane at the moment. The cooldown for his abilities needs to be increased. There are just Mirage illisions everywhere on the map. Removed location based Weekly Challenges. These caused players to have mixed motivations from their squadmates, and didn’t work well with map rotation. I’m unsure if adding a stronger spring would end up being of any benefit. In any case, magazines are still the main concern. Final Thoughts

Performance

Over on r/pathfindermains, the entire subreddit is now filled with memes mourning the death of their favourite character, as many players have either lamented the the harshness of the nerf or stated how they’re giving up on the character entirely. It’s actually pretty funny if this virtual funeral wasn’t at least a little tragic. THE MOST ACCURATE NERF RIVAL SYSTEM: Nerf Rival blasters have an adjustable sight, optimized barrel, and Nerf Rival Accu-Rounds, making it the most accurate Nerf Rival system* for advanced precision

Rival Pathfinder internals + performance : r/Nerf - Reddit Rival Pathfinder internals + performance : r/Nerf - Reddit

CUSTOMIZE BLASTER FOR ANY MISSION WITH SCOPE AND BARREL: Nerf Elite 2.0 Eaglepoint RD-8 blaster includes a detachable scope and barrel to create different blaster styles for any mission This is an upgrade spring compatible with the Nerf Rival Pathfinder or Fate which improves the performance of the blaster bringing it up to the next level. Blaster not included. Designer note: Internal data shows that Gibraltar’s performance in individual fights is in a good place, but we want to bring down his power a bit in team fights. We’re excited to announce that at the start of Season 5 we will be adding Apex servers to the Middle East as we look to further support our fans in the region. Accuracy with the new rounds did seem slightly improved. However, at some point, I’ll need to set up an actual test for comparison. Until then, my evidence is strictly anecdotal. In addition, firing at targets at range will still be a challenge, especially outdoors with the wind. Rival balls float, and they’re pretty slow-moving by the time they get that far out. Internals

Pump Action, Magazine Fed

And, finally, to let players know when they've achieved a successful bamboozle, Mirage's "you got bamboozled" line will now occur when another player shoots a decoy. Now that's far more satisfying. Charge towers are new devices which give a full ultimate charge to nearby legends when activated. As both Skull Town and Thunderdome got destroyed when Loba blew up an underground bunker, there are several new points of interest on King's Canyon, such as Salvage and Offshore Rig. The Fate is a Difficult mod that we only suggest for an experienced modder. It requires the removal of the plunger head which is attached with a one-way detent that can easily be damaged. TO AVOID EYE INJURY: WARNING: Do not aim at eyes or face. Use of eyewear recommended for players and people within range. Use only official Rival rounds. Other rounds may not be safe. Do not modify rounds or blaster.