Respawn hint at Peacekeeper returning as ground loot in Apex Legends Season 9

An Apex Legends dev has hinted that the Peacekeeper shotgun might return to ground loot sooner rather than later, as players miss the gun with it being stuck in care packages only. 

As Respawn Entertainment have released new seasons for Apex Legends, they’ve had the tough task of keeping the game balanced while also keeping the meta fresh and interesting.

This has included making changes to the maps, legends, and weapons. In the case of weapons, the changes go beyond just adding new ones and making buffs and nerfs.

The battle royale developers have constantly rotated the fully-kitted gold weapons, as well as those that can only be found in care packages (aka supply drops). The latter causes some issues, as some fan-favorite guns, mainly the Peackeeper, have been stuck in the drops for a little longer than normal.

Respawn Entertainment

The Peacekeeper has always been one of Apex’s strongest weapons.

Typically, weapons that aren’t the Kraber will spend a season inside a care package, but the Peacekeeper is now into its fourth season as a drop-only weapon, and players want it back as ground loot.

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Apex developer Eric Canavese responded to one of the calls for a change on the Apex Legends subreddit, diving into a bit of the science being picking the care package weapons. “We actually consider what the loot looks like with a ton of different combinations entering and exiting the care package,” he said.

“This season we decided to keep the care package contents the same to allow for the meta to settle in with the addition of the 30-30, a weapon that has a somewhat similar charging mechanic – but this isn’t a hard rule or anything. We know the Peacekeeper is a fan favorite and is one of the first weapons we consider coming out of the care packages each season so keep an eye out in the future!”

As the dev suggests, once the meta settles down and players figure out what works and what doesn’t, Respawn will be able to make changes based on that data.

Everyone from casual players to professionals have been hoping for a return to floor loot for the Peacekeeper, even if it means hitting it with a slight nerf to balance it out.

A mid-season change to the supply drop weapons is rather unlikely, so it will probably be a case of waiting for Season 9, set to start in early May.