Apex Legends pro Albralelie joins calls to remove Gold Knockdowns amid backlash

Calls to remove Gold Knockdown Shields from Apex Legends are once again taking shape as pros like TSM ‘Albralelie,’ Alliance ‘Hakis’ and more rejoin the push to convince Respawn.

Gold Shields have been at the center of debate for a long time. They’re a highly-valued item sought for its excellent self-rezing passive that can save a game for a squad or stall out a death long enough to outlast an opponent who might not have one.

This can result in a messy endgame situation where sometimes a team might feel as if the difference between a win or a loss was having the item in their inventory like Hakis alluded to.

“Gold Knockdown ruins so many good games,” he said. “Late game is just cringe with the item in the game, please remove for split 2 it’s so depressing losing out placements because of it.”

Even Albralelie is making concessions by making sure he always has Thermite Grenades to finish off downed foes just in case they’re packing a Gold Knockdown.

But even by adjusting to the meta, the TSM star still wants Respawn Entertainment to make some changes to the loot pool.

“Gold [Knockdown Shield] is dogs**t and should be removed,” he said on Twitter.

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The knockdown shield has gone under the microscope at Respawn a few times, and the devs have shown a willingness to concede its prowess in a competitive setting.

Back in Season 2 of the ALGS, Respawn outright removed the item due to players citing concerns over competitive integrity.

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Since then, Respawn devs have been receptive to community feedback on how to change the item should it need to be nerfed. But it’s clear that vocal Apex players would rather see it out of the game for the time being.