Who are the Apex Legends characters? Our handy breakdown of each legend in Apex Legends and their abilities will be just the ticket. Whether you’re considering who to try first, or who you would like to mix things up by playing as next, each of Apex Legends’ heroes boasts a unique personality and playstyle to make every round feel fresh.
There’s an Apex Legends character for every play style: Wraith and Mirage’s stealthy and deceptive characteristics will appeal to the seasoned flanker who is out to deal serious damage to one key target, then there’s the medic, Lifeline, who plays a crucial role of maintaining the health of her squad. You’ll need to think carefully about how characters complement each other if you want to win games consistently in the free PC game. Here’s what you can expect from each of the Apex Legends heroes.
Here are all the Apex Legends characters and their abilities:
Ash
Before she became the simulacrum known as Ash, Dr. Ashleigh Reid was Horizon’s apprentice working on Project Iris. The pair worked together to prove the existence of a material called Branthium – a special material that can only be found in black holes. On a mission to secure Branthium, Ashleigh betrayed Horizon and left her to die inside a black hole.
In an attempt to keep the precious resource for herself, Ashleigh betrayed the rest of her group before being mortally wounded by Amelie Paquette, one of Pathfinder’s creators. As Ashleigh was about to die, she asked to become a simulacrum. Ash’s aggressive abilities make her one of the deadliest characters in the game, capable of hunting down enemies with surprising ease.
- Passive Ability: Marked for Death
Ash can scan death boxes to mark the locations of any surviving party members. This ability also allows Ash to see any recent death boxes on the map.
- Tactical Ability: Arc Snare
Throw a snare that tethers and damages an enemy who gets too close to the trap.
- Ultimate Ability: Phase Breach
Tear into the dimensional wall to create a one-way portal in the direction Ash is facing.
Ballistic
August Montgomery Brinkman was the superstar of the Apex Games before they were known as the Apex Games. A billionaire orphan, he decided to use his financial head start in life to dominate the battlefield. After a series of unfortunate events, August retired from the games, retreating into solitude.
Now, to save his son, Nathaniel, from the same fate that befell him, August has offered up his services to the Apex Games in place of Nathaniel. It’s time for Ballistic to get back to what he does best; killing and winning.
- Passive Ability: Sling
Store a third weapon in the sling. Access via inventory or Character Utility Action. The sling weapon cannot take attachments.
- Tactical Ability: Whistler
Shoots a projectile that heats up an enemy’s gun as they shoot. Overheating causes damage.
- Ultimate Ability: Tempest
When activated, nearby teammates get faster reloads, faster unarmed move speed, and infinite ammo. Ballistic’s sling weapon will be equipped and upgraded to gold.
Bangalore
Don’t be fooled, despite her rugged exterior and military precision, Anita Williams has a more noble cause for entering the Apex Games. Separated from her family during a military mission, she’s raising the funds to fight her way back.
Bangalore is one of two damage archetypes and is built to excel in taking out large groups of enemies.
- Passive Ability: Double Time
When taking fire from enemies, Bangalore will move at an increased pace for a brief amount of time. For a game that’s already fast-paced, this ability gives you a speedy edge.
- Tactical Ability: Smoke Launcher
This ability allows Bangalore to hurl a smoke grenade that explodes on impact at her enemies. Whether you’re escaping from a group of foes that have got the drop on you, or you’re looking to turn the tables, Bangalore’s smoke launcher will come in handy.
- Ultimate Ability: Rolling Thunder
Useful if you’re in a pinch or weathering a match’s latter moments, Bangalore’s ultimate ability sends an artillery strike across the landscape.
Bloodhound
The identity of Bloodhound is unknown. Rumors range from the crow-clad hunter being fabulously wealthy to living the life of a slave in a past life.
Regardless, Bloodhound is known as the technological tracker, stemming from their hunter playstyle. If you love the thrill of the hunt and are keen to take to the Outlands to eliminate your prey, then the Bloodhound may be for you.
- Passive Ability: Tracker
Bloodhound’s passive ability allows this hunter to see the footprints left behind by enemy players. Use it to get the drop on foes and land that all-important first shot.
- Tactical Ability: Eye of the Allfather
This ability will be familiar to anyone familiar with Overwatch’s Widowmaker: it will reveal hidden enemies, traps, and clues throughout the terrain. It also proves handy for lining up headshots that’ll leave any hero in a fit of rage.
- Ultimate Ability: Beast of Hunt
A good way to turn everything up to 11, Bloodhound’s ultimate lets you move faster and highlight your prey.
Catalyst
Tressa is a self-professed misfit who found solace in witchery, rituals, and moon readings. She is a defensive Legend who excels in holding ground and denying the advances of the enemy using her patented ferrofluid.
- Passive Ability: Barricade
Reinforce doors, strengthening them and locking them to enemies. Spaces, where doors have been destroyed, can also be reinforced.
- Tactical Ability: Piercing Spikes
Throw out a patch of ferrofluid which turns into spikes when enemies are near. Catalyst remains immune to enemy spikes.
- Ultimate Ability: Dark Veil
Raise a permeable wall of ferrofluid. Enemies who walk through it will be slowed and partially blinded for a brief time.
Caustic
Once a scientist named Alexander Nox, who worked for the Frontier’s leading pesticide gases manufacturer, would be changed irrevocably after deciding to test a stronger formula on himself. Each to their own. But, for that unfortunate reason, Caustic is a tank of an Apex Legends character, and his kit revolves around poison and gas attacks.
- Passive Ability: Nox Vision
Caustic’s passive ability allows him to see through his gas attacks. We only wish our partners could do the same. A subtle skill, but no doubt one that will give an edge against the foes you mean to disorientate.
- Tactical Ability: Nox gas trap
This gas-filled canister will only detonate when shot or triggered by enemies.
- Ultimate Ability: Nox Gas Grenade
Very much a larger-scale version of his tactical ability, Caustic’s Nox Gas Grenade sends a large puff of toxic smoke across a vast area.
Conduit
A true support, Conduit strives to support her family by fighting in the Apex tournaments after their country let them down. She helps her team in the games by providing shields, a speed boost towards allies in need, and an ultimate ability that can turn the tide of any fight.
- Passive ability: Savior’s Speed
Gain a burst of speed when running toward a teammate out of your tactical ability range.
- Tactical ability: Radiant Transfer
Send a surge of energy to a teammate, generating temporary shields for them and Conduit when in danger.
- Ultimate ability: Energy Barricade
Deploy an array of shield-jamming devices that damage and slow enemies.
Crypto
The hacker-come-fugitive Crypto joins Bloodhound in being Apex Legend’s other tracker Legend. He uses his aerial drones to scout out terrain and watch his back for foes in the Apex Arena.
- Passive Ability: Neurolink
While using your Surveillance Drone, enemies within 30 meters of the team are marked for everyone to see.
- Tactical Ability: Surveillance Drone
This ability allows you to take flight with a surveillance drone and scan the surrounding area for hostile teams. Do be warned, though, if it’s shut down you’ll have to wait another 40 seconds for the next one.
- Ultimate Ability: Drone EMP
Detonate your drone and emit an EMP blast that deals shield damage, staggers enemies, and disables traps – handy if you’re struggling with a pesky Wattson.
Fuse
Fuse is the bone cage champion of Salvo, a planet known for its expertise in ballistics and explosives. After spending the majority of his life on Salvo as a mercenary, Walter ‘Fuse’ Fitzroy decided to leave his planet behind to compete in the Apex Games.
As the only character in the game that can stack ordinance, Fuse will primarily be used as a damage dealer.
- Passive Ability: Grenadier
Grenades can be stacked in piles of two instead of the usual one. Fuse can launch grenades using his arm cannon, firing ordinance faster, further, and more accurately compared to the other Legends.
- Tactical Ability: Knuckle Cluster
Launch a cluster bomb that deals damage on impact before turning into several smaller explosives. This ability can inflict self-damage, so it’s important to avoid follow-up explosives.
- Ultimate Ability: The Motherlode
Launch a mortar in mid-air that encircles the target in a wall of flame. This explosive explodes in the air, taking a few seconds for the flames to land before dealing damage.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar likes to protect people as much as he likes to bring pain. He’s known as the wild, but gentle giant for good reason: his father lost an arm saving him and his boyfriend from a mudslide after the pair stole his bike and went joyriding.
This Apex Legends character is a tank whose sense of responsibility and protection to atone for his mistakes is unmistakable.
- Passive Ability: Gun Shield
When aiming down sights with Gibraltar, this ability grants you a gun shield that blocks incoming fire.
- Tactical Ability: Dome of Protection
Useful for blocking doorways or providing some quick protection, Gibraltar’s dome-shaped shield ensures the safety of your squad for 15 seconds.
- Ultimate Ability: Defensive Bombardment
Much like Bangalore’s Rolling Thunder, Gibraltar’s Ultimate Ability allows him to call for air support. Defensive Bombardment, however, is more of a concentrated mortar strike on a marked position.
Horizon
Horizon, otherwise known as Dr. Mary Somers, is an astrophysicist and gravitational expert originally from Olympus. Her abilities include manipulating gravity and putting her adorable little robot, NEWT, to work.
Horizon has returned to Olympus after spending 87 years stranded near a black hole and is hellbent on finding the son she left behind many years ago. You can find all of Horizon’s abilities below.
- Passive Ability: Spacewalk
Increase air control and reduce fall impacts with Horizon’s custom spacesuit.
- Tactical Ability: Gravity Lift
Reverses the flow of gravity, lifting players upwards and boosting them outwards when they exit.
- Ultimate Ability: Black Hole
Deploy NEWT to create a micro black hole that pulls players in towards it, and hits them with a gravitation blast at the end.
Lifeline
Ajay Che is a healer with a heavy conscience. Once part of a family of wealthy war profiteers, Che left once she truly realized the extent of her kin’s repugnant business.
Her loadout reflects that desire to heal and repair the damage done by her family: all of Che’s winnings from the Apex Games go towards good causes.
- Passive Ability: Combat Medic
Lifeline deploys her D.O.C. drone to revive downed party members. This ability used to have a shield attached to it to protect the player being revived, but this was removed in Season 9.
- Tactical Ability: D.O.C. Heal Drone
Lifeline’s tactical Ability summons a robot called the Drone of Compassion, which automatically heals nearby teammates over a brief period.
- Ultimate Ability: Care Package
Best used between fights or toward the end of a game, Lifeline’s Ultimate Ability will summon a drop pod packed with high-quality defensive gear.
Loba
Loba is the new Apex Legends character for Season 5, a master thief with teleportation and loot-stealing abilities.
- Passive Ability: Eye for Quality
Nearby epic and legendary loot can be seen through walls. The range is the same as Black Market Boutique.
- Tactical Ability: Burglar’s Best Friend
Teleport to hard-to-reach places or escape trouble quickly by throwing your Jump Drive Bracelet.
- Ultimate Ability: Black Market Boutique
Place a portable device that allows you to teleport nearby loot to your inventory. Each friendly or enemy Legend can take up to two items.
Mad Maggie
Growing up with fellow Apex Legend Fuse, Mad Maggie has found herself at the mercy of the Syndicate and forced to fight in the Apex Games. She is chaos incarnate, with destruction and explosions following her wherever she goes.
- Passive Ability: Warlord’s Ire
Temporarily highlight enemies you’ve damaged, and move faster with a shotgun.
- Tactical Ability: Riot Drill
Fire a drill that burns enemies through obstacles.
- Ultimate Ability: Wrecking Ball
Throw a ball that releases speed-boosting pads and detonates near enemies.
Mirage
Another member of the eclectic cast of Apex Legends heroes, Elliot Witt distinguishes himself by emphasizing stealth tactics over out-and-out physical prowess.
- Passive Ability: Now You See Me…
Whenever Mirage is struck down by an enemy, his passive ability automatically deploys a decoy while cloaking himself for five seconds. Mirage also cloaks when using Respawn Beacons and when he revives teammates, temporarily hiding him and his squad from nearby enemies.
- Tactical Ability: Psyche Out
Stuck in a tense face-off where no one is brave enough to make the first move? Then Psyche Out may prove handy for, well, psyching your opponent out as Mirage sends another one of his decoy’s running off in a chosen direction to confuse the opposition. You can control the direction of the decoy by pressing the utility action button.
- Ultimate Ability: Vanishing Act
What’s better than one decoy? If your answer is many, then you may get a kick out of Mirage’s Vanishing Act. This ultimate sends a team of decoys out to distract enemies and cloaks you.
Newcastle
Big brother to Bangalore, Jackson Williams has taken up the mantle of Newcastle to enter the Apex games and win to pay off his town’s debts and call off the threat of organized crime that haunts his home life. A walking battlement, he provides cover for his teammates and a shield to those who may get downed.
- Passive Ability: Retrieve the Wounded
Drag downed allies as you revive and protect them with the Revive Shield.
- Tactical Ability: Mobile Shield
Throw a controllable drone that creates a moving energy shield.
- Ultimate Ability: Castle Wall
Leap to an ally or target area and slam down, creating a fortified stronghold.
Octane
This zippy chap used to belong to a family of wealth and fortune before turning to a life of stunts to abate his boredom. That decision cost him his legs after he used a grenade to complete a speed run, which is a subtle nod to Titanfall 2 speedrunner Cash Mayo – who used the same tactic to run the gauntlet in 12 seconds.
Octane has a lot in common with Wraith in that he is a damage-dealing character who is built to flank rather than engage head-on.
- Passive Ability: Swift Mend
Octane will gradually recover his health over time, which is handy for the number of scraps he gets into.
- Tactical Ability: Stim
After injecting himself with a stimulant, Octane will move considerably faster at the cost of some of his health. It’s a good thing, then, that he can gradually recover that health over time unless someone is shooting at him.
- Ultimate Ability: Launch Pad
With the simple toss of a Launch Pad, Octane can propel himself, and anyone else on the map of that matter, off to great heights.
Pathfinder
Pathfinder is forward in his thinking as well as in what he says. Apparently, he booted up over a decade ago in an abandoned laboratory and has been on the lookout for his creator ever since.
Pathfinder is a medic, but his kit differs from Lifeline in the sense that it’s intended to help you explore and traverse terrain, rather than to heal.
- Passive Ability: Insider Knowledge
As any battle royale player can attest, the genre’s signature shrinking ring defines your next move. Helping this considerably is Pathfinder’s Insider Knowledge passive ability: it allows you to scan a survey beacon to reveal the circle’s next location.
- Tactical Ability: Grappling Hook
Is the pesky terrain getting in your way of escaping the ring? Pathfinder’s Grappling Hook lets you zip away and close large distances swiftly.
- Ultimate Ability: Zipline Gun
They say you should never leave a man behind. Don’t be selfish and use your Zipline Gun to create an escape route for the rest of your team.
Rampart
Rampart is an expert modder, ready to battle anyone in her way. With her trusty minigun, Sheila, at her side and the ability to create cover, she’s the best Legend for standing her ground. Her arrival heralded the era of the crafting system in Season 6: Boosted, which fits perfectly into Apex Rampart’s abilities. It’s all about improving your setup, and supporting your team – isn’t that nice?
- Tactical Ability: Amped Cover
Build a croup-cover wall, which deploys a full-cover amped wall that blocks incoming shots and amps outgoing shots.
- Passive Ability: Modded Loader
Increased magazine capacity and faster reloads when using LMGs and the Minigun.
- Ultimate Ability: Emplaced Minigun “Sheila”
Place a mounted machine gun that anyone can use. High ammo capacity, long reload time.
Revenant
Our red assassin may be synthetic but he’s certainly not sympathetic. Revenant introduced himself to the Apex faithful by taking out competitor-to-be Forge. As the story goes, Revenant used to be human before Hammond Robotics turned him into a machine. He’s not best pleased about that.
Revenant’s abilities received a rework in Season 18 to make him a more viable pick in both casual and competitive play.
- Passive Ability: Assassin’s Instinct
Enemies on low health will automatically show themselves during a fight. Revenant can also crouch-walk faster and his wall climbing ability has been improved.
- Tactical Ability: Shadow Pounce
Leap forward in a straight line, the longer you hold the tactical ability button down, the further you travel.
- Ultimate Ability: Forged Shadows.
Equip a 75HP Shadow Shroud around Revenant, acting as a source of armor on his upper torso. This armor lasts for 25 seconds, but the cooldown is reset if Revenant lands a kill.
Seer
Born under a bad omen, Obi Edolasim’s community branded him a cursed child the moment he opened his eyes. Despite being treated as an outcast by everyone around him, Obi’s parents loved him unconditionally as they watched him grow up to become a kind and compassionate person.
When Obi first joined the Arena, he felt creatively free for the first time, giving him the opportunity to express himself as he racked up numerous victories. Seer soon established himself as a representative of outcasts around the world, and that caused his fan base to grow exponentially. Though Seer’s recon abilities have received nerfs since he originally launched back in Season 9, he’s still a constant threat on the battlefield.
- Passive Ability: Heart Seeker
While aiming down sights, Seer can pinpoint the location of nearby enemy players within 75m;
- Tactical Ability: Focus of Attention
Send a cylindrical cone of micro-drones toward your enemies, temporarily interrupting the cooldowns and abilities of rival players. Micro-drones can also go through walls and reveal the locations of enemies.
- Ultimate Ability: Exhibit
Seer creates a dome using thousands of micro-drones, revealing the locations of any enemies within the sphere’s radius that sprint or fire their weapons.
Valkyrie
Kairi ‘Valkyrie’ Imahara is the daughter of Viper, one of Kuben Blisk’s Apex Predator pilots in Titanfall 2. Valkyrie wanted to kill Blisk for putting her father in danger which ultimately ended in his demise. After a brief meeting with the man himself, she was convinced to join the Apex Games. With the help of Rampart, Valkyrie used the remains of Viper’s Northstar Titan to create a jetpack that honors her father’s legacy.
Not only is Valkyrie the only character that can fly around the map, she’s also the first character to have two passive abilities. As a Recon character, she can hack survey beacons to reveal the next ring location. Valkyrie’s unique kit makes her a difficult character to pilot; fortunately, we have a character guide to make things a whole lot easier.
- Passive Ability: VTOL Jets
Hover in the air using VTOL jets by holding jump for a short period of time. The fuel reserves last around ten seconds when constantly moving through the air. Valkyrie can stay in the air for longer than ten seconds, but she has to remain stationary.
- Passive Ability: Jet-Fighter HUD
While skydiving, Valkyrie and her teammates can see any enemies within 250 meters. Unlike Bloodhound and Crypto’s scanning abilities, the Jet-Fighter HUD doesn’t reveal to enemies that they’re being tracked.
- Tactical Ability: Missile Swarm
Fire 12 mini-rockets in a rectangular grid to damage and stun nearby enemies. Hitting an enemy with multiple rockets won’t increase the amount of damage dealt by this ability.
- Ultimate Ability: Missile Swarm
Valkyrie can launch into the air with her teammates and skydive to a new location. This ability works similarly to a jump tower – Valkyrie can be attacked during the pre-launch animation and while ascending.
Vantage
Mara joined the Apex games to raise awareness of her mother’s false imprisonment, hoping that the exposure she receives for dominating her opponents will be enough to grant her mother freedom from prison. Using her gifts for survival and her pinpoint accuracy, she figures that winning the games will be a foregone conclusion.
- Passive Ability: Spotter’s Lens
Aim down sights to scout with your eyepiece (unarmed or with mid to long-range scopes) and use a bullet drop indicator to see where your shots will land.
- Tactical Ability: Echo Relocation
Position your winged companion Echo and then launch towards him. Must have a line of sight for Echo to launch.
- Ultimate Ability: Sniper’s Mark
Use your customer sniper rifle to mark enemy targets and apply a damage bonus for you and your team.
Wattson
Perky engineer, Natalie ‘Wattson’ Paquette is no stranger to the Apex Games, having helped build its Modified Containment Ring alongside her father, who was the Games’ lead electrical engineer.
Wattson is a defensive character who plays similarly to Caustic, in that her focus is on perimeter defense.
Her electrifying traps are not only great for protecting your team, but they can also slow and weaken your foes, allowing you to zap in for the kill.
- Passive Ability: Spark of Genius
Waiting for your ultimate to charge is no longer a concern when playing as Wattson, as her passive allows Ultimate Accelerants to fully charge her ultimate ability. Once you’ve called in the Interception Pylon, standing near it will boost your tactical ability recharge rate.
- Tactical Ability: Perimeter Security
Wattson’s tactical allows you to throw down connecting nodes to create electrified fences that can damage and slow enemies.
Much like Caustic’s gas traps, the fences are great for hunkering down and repelling an enemy onslaught, or getting some instant protection if you suspect an enemy is on your tail. Enemies passing through the electric field will be slowed, allowing you and your teammates to pick up some easy kills.
- Ultimate Ability: Interception Pylon
Once your ultimate is charged, you can call in the Interception Pylon, an electrified tool that destroys incoming ordnance and repairs damaged shields as long as it stands.
This is incredibly useful for surviving an enemy ultimate such as Gibraltar’s bombardment. It’s also a lifesaver if you run out of shield batteries during a firefight.
Wraith
We know little of the mysterious Wraith apart from the fact that she woke in a detention facility years ago with voices in her head. Once she started listening to them, she acquired powers that allowed her to jump between dimensions.
Much like Mirage, this interdimensional skirmisher is a DPS Apex Legends character, but she’s more about stealthy play than going in guns blazing.
- Passive Ability: Voices from the Void
If an enemy team is about to get the drop on you, the friendly voice in Wraith’s head will let you know. It can be tricky to distinguish between this and your team’s comms, however.
- Tactical Ability: Into the Void
Wraith’s tactical ability allows you to traverse the void without taking any damage, which means you can effectively turn invisible and not take any damage for a bit.
It’s a handy tool to close the gap on the other team if you’ve looted a good shotgun. Or, if you’re anything like me, you’ve found yourself in a tricky situation and need to hightail it out of there.
- Ultimate Ability: Dimensional Rift
Dimensional Rift allows Wraith to create a portal across the map, giving your party members (and enemy squads) a faster way to travel at once.
Now that you have a brief rundown of every Apex Legend character, it’s time to see how they fit into your squad. We have the Apex Legend tier list here, and the pick rates of each Legend so you know who’s overpowered right now, and who you should be avoiding. If you’re looking for other games you can pick up while still keeping your wallet happy, check out these other battle royale games, many of which you can play for free. Or, if Apex Legends has given you the taste for teamwork, conquer new worlds together in the best co-op games on PC.