Why is my Apex update so big?

As an Apex Legends diehard boasting over 500 hours in-game, I‘ve asked myself this question angrily every time a 50GB+ update download pops up. And I know my fellow Legends are right there with me, shaking fists at the ceiling over our capped internet data plans crying mercy.

So why in the Outlands does each new patch push the game‘s total footprint closer to rivalling Call of Duty: Warzone as the biggest storage hog on consoles? Respawn giveth amazing content, but also taketh away our precious SSD space!

After extensive troubleshooting and analysis befitting my reputation as an expert Apex commentator, I have the answers…

It‘s the Engine, Fools!

Apex Legends is built using Valve‘s Source engine (of Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike fame). Source has many strengths, but efficient patch sizes ain‘t one. As Polygon explains, "even small changes to a piece of content requires redownloading entire packages."

So us Legends basically have to reinstall huge chunks of the game every update because of how granularly Source saves data. Infuriating!

This engine limitation impacts all Source games. But most other titles haven‘t ballooned to Apex‘s ususual 60GB+ install footprint filled with hi-res textures, complex maps and an ever-expanding roster of diverse Legends.

New Weapons, Maps & Legends Galore

With every new Season and mid-Season update, Respawn piles on slick new content including:

• Weapons like the C.A.R. SMG or Nemesis Burst AR
• Major map updates e.g. the Phase Runner arena in Storm Point
• Detailed new characters like defensive barrier master Catalyst
• And massive features like crafting or map changes

All this data gets bundled into each update. So the more new material Respawn cooks up to keep us engaged, the bigger our download sizes grow.

Some key examples:

Apex Season 11 (Nov 2021) added Storm Point, C.A.R SMG, Ash Legend, map updates ≈ 72GB Xbox patch size

Apex Season 15 (August 2022) added Vantage, Geyser map changes ≈ 55GB PlayStation patch size

We may curse overslow patching – but we have Respawn‘s rich content pipeline to thank for Apex‘s continued headline-stealing popularity!

Parsing the Patch Notes

Even an update with minimal shiny new toys can still balloon download sizes. Because while new stuff adds bulk, altering existing content also mandates full asset re-downloads.

Weapon stat changes. Legend ability balancing. Bug fixes. Optimizations. All tweak existing game data, forcing affected files to be swapped in afresh post-patch.

So Revelry ‘23 (S17) may not have brought map changes on par with Broken Moon‘s splicing – but its 4 Legend reworks and fresh loot pool still weighed in at a beefy 42GB for my PS5 brethren.

Player Reactions

Us players are increasingly voicing frustration as install footprints encroach unprecedented territory:

"11.6GB update that you have to have 66GB free space for is a bit silly tbh" said Reddit‘s BreakLegosaurus.

"I had 93 gigs free wth!!! (crying laughing emoji)" responded tommyleejonesthe2nd (clearly no storage issues now eh?)

Many also call for more transparency around the patch composition:

"Can we please at least get a rough breakdown of what‘s changing in the files versus actual content changes in the updates Respawn!" – Reddit‘s SnackeyG1

But it‘s not all rage in the community. As KiRiLVR explained:

"I have garbage internet and a regular PS4 with only 500GB…but Apex is by far my most played game. I‘ll suffer through the 7+ hour updates because the gameplay is worth it."

This player prioritization proves why – despite our bellyaching over massive download sizes – Apex Legends retains one of gaming‘s most loyal communities.

How Other Games Compare

Contextualizing Apex‘s whopping updates against competitors makes the sizes more understandable:

Battle royale leader Warzone is a texture-rich, data-bloated beast requiring double Apex‘s base install size. So Respawn ain‘t alone rocking updates measuring in double digit GBs!

Conversely Fortnite‘s lighthearted cartoony graphics help minimize patch bulk despite frequent content refreshes.

What‘s Being Done?

Fortunately Respawn directly addressed the community‘s update consternation in their Season 12 Defiance patch notes:

"We know patches are getting bigger, and we’ve been working on improvements to reduce their overall size…This patch is larger than normal so we can make optimizations that reduce the patch size of future updates."

They cited planned optimizations around:

• Data optimization
• Compression improvements
• Upgrading engine to Streamer/Optimizer

Will these infrastructure upgrades meaningfully slim future patches? I speculatively hope so! But with Apex likely to push past 1TB of data in a couple years, Respawn better stay diligent optimizing.

Some rumors indicate they are even exploring transitioning Apex to a newer, more efficient custom engine that helps smaller studios build battle royale games. I‘ll eat my winged Jetpack if that ever eventuates!

The Verdict?

So in summary, why are our Apex updates so sí grande? A blend of:

• Game engine limitations
• Ever-expanding content updates
• Mandatory re-downloading of altered data
• Platform differences in data packing

It‘s unlikely patch sizes will ever rival our first Season 0 update. But through ongoing optimization and communication with players, Respawn can avoid total community revolt!

Because while 50GB installs tax our patience and bandwidth – the joy of mastering a new Legend or shredding on a fresh map ultimately outweighs the pain.

I‘ll take substantial updates over stale content any day. Now back to the Arena, Legends!