Dave Aubrey
Apex Legends is one of the world’s most popular battle royale games, and it only takes a few tries to see why. A high level of polish, excellent movement, a great variety of guns, and a full cast of 20 fascinating characters with surprisingly deep backstories are all great reasons to play. But with so many characters to play it’s difficult to decide who is best.
This list runs down who we believe to be the very best and most powerful playable Legends in Apex Legends. All of these characters are great in the right situation, but some are great no matter when and where they are.
1.Wraith
A lot of things have changed since the launch of Apex Legends, but there have been two constants: the R-301, and Wraith. This weapon is always at the top of tier lists, and so is Wraith. Like her or loathe her, Wraith has been dominating the Apex meta since the start thanks to her small size and variety of abilities that allow her to escape situations and detect enemies that are watching you.
2. Pathfinder
Pathfinder certainly earned a top spot in the beginning, but after a few nerfs, Pathfinder isn’t so incredible anymore. Still, second place in this ranking. There may be some personal bias there, but swinging around the map as Pathfinder is thrilling, and allows you to overwhelm teams but hopping in and out of combat to heal and fight accordingly. Pathfinder can still destroy foes with his excellent mobility when paired with the Legendary Helmet.
3. Valkyrie
Valkyrie just works. Her thrusters allow her to stay in the air for a surprising amount of time. She can’t move too quickly while in the air, making her an easy target, but the mobility it gives her is amazing, as is the ability to spot enemies from a distance. Her ultimate ability can also easily escort your whole team somewhere safer in the middle of a battle, making her a great choice.
The latest Legend introduced in Apex Legends Season 13, Newcastle probably needs a nerf. That’s how good he is. He is easily able to jump into battle a protect his team in the middle of nowhere by erecting an impenetrable wall, putting Gibraltar to shame. On top of that, Lifeline’s healing capabilities have been nerfed a few times, and her capabilities have essentially been given to Newcastle. He can now revive allies while dragging them into cover, all while being under cover of his drone shield. This is the kind of Support Legend that can take you to the top of the board.
5. Octane
Octane’s set of abilities is simple and effective. He can run really fast, and he can bring a jump pad in to get air, move fast, and help the team go with him. As we said, simple and effective. This all works to your advantage, because that simple playstyle is easy to grasp, and still incredibly solid against pretty much all other Legends. You sacrifice a small amount of health for a burst of speed, and that slowly regenerates over time. Not a bad trade at all.
6. Ash
Ash’s tactical ability allows her to tie down a foe and deal double shield damage, tearing them to shreds – perfect for those pesky, swift Legends. She’s also fantastic for hunting down the enemy teams – she can use deathboxes to locate where the killer is, and the Phase Breach ultimate ability to quickly tear a one-way portal towards your foes.
7. Vantage
With a bat on her shoulder and a trusty sniper rifle in hand, the Legend for Season 14 is off to a good start. As shown in her character preview, she has plenty of tricks up her sleeve that make her deadly. With her bat, Echo, by her side, she can scout out nearby terrain and quickly move to an advantageous position. Her ultimate marks enemies, letting both Vantage and her teammates deal increased damage to the target, making for efficient executions.
8. Lifeline
Lifeline lives up to her namesake, and when she’s in your team you can feel that much more secure. Unfortunately, the powerful revive shield is no longer in Lifeline’s arsenal, but instead, she can throw down the DOC Drone to revive and heal her team while she works on fighting the enemy.
9.Fuse
Fuse is great at causing chaos. Sneak up on an unsuspecting team, and Fuse is amazing. He can corner and traps teams that are out in the open with his ultimate, opening up a ring of fire, or can shoot cluster grenades – followed by actual grenades – at high speeds and distances, ruining enemies that try to hide indoors.
10. Catalyst
Season 15’s new Legend is Catalyst, the game’s first trans woman and a unique “Techno Witch” archetype that manages to set her apart from the rest of the cast. The team at Respawn worked with LGBTQ charity GLAAD to design her character, and on top of all of that, she has some powerful abilities at her disposal, as we outline in our Catalyst interview.
11. Gibraltar
The defensive heavyweight, Gibraltar is great in a variety of situations. He may have found his true counter in Mad Maggie, but against every other Legend he’s very tough to penetrate. A powerful arm shield keeps Gibraltar healthy longer than any other Legend, and in a bad situation the Dome Shield can save the day. If it’s one on one, Gibraltar will win.
12. Horizon
You have to love Horizon. Her accent, her mannerisms – she’s lovely. She can also be very handy in a battle, too. The speed of her Grav Lift was nerfed early on, but she’s still incredibly effective at escaping from bad situations and gaining height fast. A nice alternative to Pathfinder, with a far more hostile ultimate ability.
13. Seer
The all-seeing, all-powerful Seer is more than happy to expose enemies, ripe for an ambush. His Focus of Attention tactical sends drones through walls to detect enemies, and his Heart Seeker passive literally adds a heartbeat monitor to his ADS display. That’s a powerful combination and might make Seer the most capable Recon Legend.
14. Rampart
Rampart is the Legend you use to help defend a point – unfortunately, that’s not super useful in the battle royale. Unless you’re playing one of Apex Legends‘ other game modes, Rampart isn’t too great, as her walls can be taken down easily with grenades. Luckily a wall paired with her machine gun is a great combo and can shred through enemies that don’t see you coming.
15. Crypto
The most recent patch has actually buffed Crypto slightly, so you might see him climb up the ranks very soon. Crypto is a great Recon Legend, able to use his drone to scout a great distance, easily finding enemies scattered across the map. The extra insight can be invaluable in battle, as you can also leave the drone to hover in place and highlight foes as you pick them off.
Loba is the shopkeeper. Her ultimate ability recharges often, and it can be used to hoover up all of the valuable items in the nearby area. You get two valuable items, and as much ammo as you want, making Loba an amazing partner for a trigger-happy team. Unfortunately, Loba’s Tactical Ability is currently broken, making her… bad.
Bangalore is a bit like Fuse, but less offensive. Not in a personal way, in terms of battle tactics. Bangalore’s smoke grenades can invoke the same confusion as Fuse’s cluster grenades, but can also complement a team with Seer, Crypto, or Bloodhound incredibly well. Plus her ultimate barrage is basically Mad Maggie’s Wrecking Ball but more effective.
Oh, look who it is. Mad Maggie is a new Assault Legend, and she has a decent set of tools. As mentioned, her Riot Drill is the natural counter to Gibraltar’s Dome Shield, as it will latch on to any surface and shoot thermite onto the other side. She’s also very handy with a shotgun. Though, unless you’re a serious shotgun fanatic, there are better Legends to choose than Mad Maggie.
Revenant’s Death Totem is great, his crouched move speed is cool, and his boosted climbing prowess is excellent. But those are not as helpful as you’d think. The Death Totem really can overwhelm an enemy team in the right situation, but outside of the right situation, it can become a burden.
20. Bloodhound
I’m sorry Bloodhound fans. His Scan is great, as is his ultimate ability activation – again, in the right scenario. Bloodhound can be a top-tier Legend in the right team composition, but if you have to depend on your own skills, he shouldn’t be your first choice.
21. Caustic
As time has gone on, Caustic has become less and less vicious. You certainly don’t want to encounter a hallway full of his traps when on the run from the ring, but unless that actually happens Caustic is more of an annoyance than a truly terrifying foe.
22. Mirage
Mirage is the master of distraction. A shame that those distractions can be quite predictable once you’ve seen enough of them. Mirage is a very cool Legend and you have to love his swagger, but when it comes to his combat skills… There are better Legends to roll with.
Sorry Wattson, we love you dearly, but this is how it is. Wattson is a unique Legend that is great for defending a point – to a point, that is. Her ultimate that heals friendly shields and blocks incoming projectiles is great, but it rarely has use in a fast-paced game like Apex Legends – unless you’re a competitive player in a final ring scenario, that is. Not even passive shield regen can save you now Wattson, sorry.
