Welcome to Gaming Respawn’s Apex Legends tier list! For the first time ever, we’ll be releasing rankings on every Legend in the game. As this game is continually seeing small patches and updates, we’ll only be releasing updated tiers lists during every major patch (like the Lost Treasures collection event).
How It Works
Our list will start from the best Legends and slowly make our way down to legends that still need more work. We’ll be using the traditional letter tiers, with S being the best and F being the worst.
Although their kit plays a big role in their rankings, we’ll also take into account how well each Legend does in a team. Although some Legends may have great kits, they may be knocked down a tier or two depending on how the kit compliments their teammates.
So, after a few weeks of messing around with each Legend and refamiliarizing myself with their kits, let’s get started!
S Tier
These are Legends that are essential to your squad. You’ll see them in almost every group you’ll face, and they dramatically increase your chances of winning fights and games. Whether you’re in Pubs with a full squad or solo-queuing in Ranked, you can’t go wrong with these Legends.
Wraith
The grass is green. The sky is blue. Wraith is the best overall Legend in Apex.
Unless something dramatically changes with her kit, you can expect Wraith to maintain her throne as “Queen of Apex Legends.”
She did receive a few minor nerfs as it takes 1.25 seconds to activate Phase Walk, and portal placement distance has been reduced by 25%. But, in my opinion, this was quickly counteracted with these four buffs:
- 30% speed boost in Phase Walk
- Ability to see other players in Phase Walk
- Phase Walk bumped to 4 seconds (from 3 seconds)
- Phase Walk cooldown is dropped to 25 seconds (from 35 seconds)
Players will need to change how they approach engagements and when they choose to escape as the increased activation time is pretty significant. But other than that, Wraith continues to be a top-class Legend that anyone should pick if they’re looking to boost their win rate.
A Tier
Still top-class characters, small issues keep these Legends from reaching S Tier. Win rates with these Legends are still significantly high, and competitive teams should look to have one of these Legends rostered.
Lifeline
Welp, we finally got our Lifeline buff and, man, is it great. Gone is Lifeline’s passive — Combat Medic — which boosted revive speeds by 25%. It’s been replaced by Combat Revive, which allows players to revive teammates using the DOC drone, leaving Lifeline free to fight or even revive a different teammate.
Here are the other changes Lifeline received:
- DOC Drone cooldown is dropped to 45 seconds (from 60 seconds)
- 3x more small healing items and 2x more attachments in the Care Package
In my opinion, this is a whole lot better and a more accurate representation of Lifeline’s role as the only Combat Medic on the roster. The change has led to some really intense engagements and has actually made Lifeline players a little more aggressive, especially if one of their teammates is down. And since she’s a smaller character to hit, the aggressiveness can really pay off, especially for players that have a strong mastery of Apex’s movement system.
With this said, I’m still not a big fan of the Care Package. Savvy Lifeline players (*coughs* like myself *coughs*) can use the package as a form of cover late game, but other than that, it quickly loses its utility once everyone has geared up. And with Loba now in the mix, it begs the question if the Care Package is useful at all. Loba’s ultimate is more discreet compared to the shining beam of light the package shows and provides possibilities for players to loot legendary weapons and supplies, like the Devotion or Gold Armour.
What would push Lifeline into S-Tier is if Respawn replaces her Care Package with the Mobile Respawn Beacons we currently see in “Armed and Dangerous: Evolved.” This would work well with her role within the roster and match her ultimate warm-up time of 360 seconds, currently the longest warm-up time in the game.
After a brief fall down the rankings, Lifeline has regained her spot as a top 3 Legend in the game.
Gibraltar
We all knew another Gibraltar nerf was coming, and we finally got it in the latest patch. As a result, Gibraltar narrowly falls behind Lifeline in the A Tier rankings.
Gibraltar still has Fast Heal within his Dome of Protection, but that has been reduced to 15% (from 25%). Although this is a very minor nerf, the “feel” during the revive process has altered the way Gibraltar players go about engagement and deploying the Dome Shield. It does feel a tad slower. Along with his previous nerf where the Dome Shield is out for only 12 seconds compared to 18 seconds, it has led players to be a little more…selective on when they decide to place it.
What drops him from the top spot of A-tier is Lifeline’s ability for hands-free revives. Sure, it may not be as fast, but being able to fight while your teammate is reviving is HUGE.
With all this said, Gibraltar is still one of the finest Legends in the game. He still has Fortified, which allows him to knock off the slow down players experience when getting hit by heavy ammo weapons, and Fast Revive (now the only Legend in the game). You can’t really go wrong with either Legend, and you’ll see a lot more wins if you have a good Gibraltar on your team.
Wattson
“The intent of these changes is to create openings where enemies can breach Wattson’s positions. It is still possible for Wattson players to hold a position with a trophy indefinitely, but that should come at the cost of using Ultimate Accelerants.”
Despite the logic behind the small changes to Wattson, I actually consider her changes to be a buff instead of a nerf. The big changes to Wattson’s kit are the Pylons as you can now place three instead of one (how it originally was designed). You’ll also have an opportunity to stack two Ultimate Accelerants in one slot instead of one (the only Legend that can do that). The trade-off? Each Pylon placed is now set at a 90-second timer instead of indefinitely.
Although I understand the desire to create “openings,” responsible Wattson players won’t have that opening available for long, if at all. And now that you’re able to place three Pylons down, you can triple the coverage that they give you. With that said, players will now have to manage their time a little better and take into consideration the Pylon timer, which is something that has caused players (like myself) to mistime their coverage. This also promotes more movement within the game as players can no longer hunker down in one location for the entire match (which is a welcome change).
Although this has made Wattson a little more difficult to utilize, these changes have firmly placed her into A-Tier, and we should expect more competitive squads using her moving forward.
Loba
Although Loba is currently seeing some controversy since the mid-season switch to World’s Edge, this shouldn’t disqualify just how good her kit is when everything is functioning. A few weeks after her initial release, Loba is still one of the finest Legends currently on the roster and has planted herself firmly into A-Tier
So, what exactly makes Loba so good?
Although she has a wonderful passive ability, it’s her tactical and ultimate — “Burglar’s Best Friend” and “Black Market Boutique” — that really makes Loba shine. Being able to immediately transport anywhere her bracelet lands is huge and the closest thing to a “get out of jail free” card. Sure, you will have to manage the slight delay when she takes her bracelet off and when it’s in the air, but it’s still a fantastic ability that will save your skin more often than not.
As for her ultimate, it can really turn the tide of a match if used properly. Smart Lobas find hotspots around the map to make looting easier. But along with that, you’ll find a lot of Loba’s using the staff late game, where the radius of the staff nearly matches the width of the circle. This can be HUGE in a fight, especially if you’re looking for additional ammo, heals, or a quick armor swap.
Despite her current issues (which should be fixed any day), Loba will be a top-class Legend for the foreseeable future.
B Tier
Whether it’s because of their build, nerfs, or small issues that have yet to be addressed, these Legends have one or two things that keep them out of the A Tier. With that said, these Legends are still a blast to play, and win rates continue to be relatively high if you use them.
Revenant
The star of Season 4 has been a bit lackluster since his introduction, and Respawn has been working hard to fix that.
Along with the previous buff where the base health after returning to the Death Totem was bumped up to 50 HP from 1 HP (a much-needed change), the range has been removed from Revenant’s Death Totem. What does that mean? You can go as far as you want in Shadow Mode. Along with that, his tactical can now:
- Cancel Pathfinder’s Grapple
- Cancel Wraith’s Phase Walk (before she enters the void)
- Prevent Mirage’s cloaked revives and Decoy Activation
- Prevent Lifeline’s Combat Revive
This is a massive change, and this alters how teams engage a team with a Revenant. Teams can aggressively push enemies without penalty or worry that Shadow Mode will be disabled because they were out of range.
Because of these changes, Revenant flies up to the top of B-tier and (after much work) is one of the finest Legends in the game.
Caustic
Our favorite gassy thick boy finds himself close to the top of B-tier, and for some people, this ranking may be considered too low.
Caustic received a minor “nerf” as enemies are now able to cancel his Gas Trap if they shoot it before it fully inflates. Although some more aggressive Caustic players will be a little more frustrated, this change does little to affect the overall effectiveness of Caustic. And now that teammates are no longer affected by his gas, there’s a strong argument that he should be in A Tier.
So, why isn’t he?
Two things drag Caustic into B Tier: his size and his ability to cover areas.
Let’s face it, Caustic is a thiiiicc boy. This makes him an easy target for players, and although he’s equipped with the “Fortified” perk, it doesn’t take away from that fact. Along with that, his gas traps aren’t necessarily the best when covering an area. Yes, you will still have gas traps set that can alert you when people are in the area, but that’s it. You don’t have something to help protect you from artillery or throwables, like Wattson or Gibraltar.
If you’re looking to play a more defensive-oriented game and neither of those two are available, Caustic is a great third option.
Mirage
When you see my “Winners and Losers of Season 5,” post, please expect to see Mirage firmly at the top of that list. Arguably the worst Legend on the roster for the last four seasons, Mirage has seen the renaissance that he so desperately deserves.
We all know about the buffs and rework he got at the beginning of the season, and Respawn has given a few more adjustments to Mirage’s kit. Here’s what to expect:
- Tactical
- You can now hold the tactical button and release to auto-control decoys
- Decoys will now say lines when shot
- Passive
- When cloaked, Mirage’s holo emitters will be visible to players that are less than 5 meters away
- Skydive
- Will now create decoys for the entire squad when skydiving with your squad.
The biggest adjustment is the nerf to his passive, allowing players to see an enemy Mirage reviving from 5 meters away. If you’ve been on Reddit, it’s clear that players have been able to pull off some insane revives using Mirage’s passive ability. I personally disagree with this nerf and think it’s a little unnecessary, especially this early on in the season. Having this passive made Mirage a legit contender for A Tier status, and to see this nerf is a bit disheartening.
But even with that nerf, it doesn’t take away just how much better Mirage is. His ultimate and tactical are much better representations of his character and provide more options for players to be super creative with their playstyle.
If Respawn can take away the passive nerf, we might be close to seeing the peak version of Mirage. A version that may not need changes for a long while.
Bloodhound
Well, we didn’t see any changes to Bloodhound this go around, but I don’t think changes were needed. Our favorite Felagi Fighter continues to be a fun, exciting, and now useful Legend to play as.
Ever since the tactical’s range has been increased, Bloodhound has been a legitimate option for competitive teams. The range is insane, and it’s become a super useful tool for locating enemies. When combined with Crypto, you have the perfect 1-2 punch for scouting. Paired with the ultimate — Beast of the Hunt — which gives you extra speed and additional time for every knock you get, Bloodhound is great for players with a more aggressive mindset.
But with all this said, I think we’ve seen peak Bloodhound. I don’t see how Respawn could add any more utility to the kit without making Bloodhound overpowered. Sure, the tactical is super useful, but it also gives away your location (or at least your general direction). If you’re far enough away and get detected, you can easily reposition before Bloodhound is able to redeploy the tactical.
Pathfinder
Remember when I mentioned how Mirage was the de facto winner of Season 5? Well, if you were wondering who the loser was, Pathfinder would be that guy.
After a dominant first four seasons, Pathy has seen a big fall from the rankings and is now all the way down to the bottom of B-tier.
Why?
Well, although there wasn’t a direct nerf to his kit, a nerf was still applied in the form of the latest zipline update:
- A cooldown will be applied to re-grabbing Ziplines without touching the ground
- The cooldown will increase with each time a player disconnects and re-grabs the zipline
- The cooldown will reset when the player touches the ground
This is tough to see, especially to a Legend that had nearly (if not already) reached S-Tier status. Not being able to juggle on the zipline reduces Pathy’s mobility even more, which is a staple in his kit. You’ll still be able to move quickly but not nearly as quickly compared to Wraith or Loba.
But with that said, there’s a reason Pathy only fell to B-Tier. He’s still the most mobile Legend in the game, and his zipline can quickly help teammates reposition. As for his grapple, it’s still the “get out of jail free” card that we know and love, even if you can’t use it as often.
Octane
Lifeline wasn’t the only Legend to get a buff in the latest patch as Octane has also seen a buff to his kit. Octane’s Tactical got a 10% speed boost and the ability to shake off impairing effects while in use. Alongside that, his ultimate — the Launch Pad — now allows players to double jump in mid-air. Players will even be able to change directions mid-air, which provides loads of possibilities.
But even with all the changes, Octane still isn’t a great competitive Legend. The Launch Pad offers a lot more utility, but it’s still relatively easy to shoot enemies that are in mid-air after taking it. As for the rest of his kit, it’s built only for Octane, not other Legends. He’s not like Bloodhound, where he can be aggressive and point out the general location of other Legends. And he’s not like Pathfinder, who can help teammates travel longer distances quicker.
Despite this criticism, Octane is still a lot of fun to play as, and that’s really the purpose behind his design. Octane is built for fun, and although there is some strategy behind the kit, there isn’t as much flexibility. For players that thrive on movement to win fights, he’s still a wonderful character to pick.
C Tier
Whether it’s an inherent flaw in their kit design or they’re long overdue for an update, these Legends are in need of work. With that said, players will still be able to get a lot of utility out of these Legends’ kits if they’re well-versed with the character.
Bangalore
Well, I knew the cries for a Bangalore buff were coming. Now that Bloodhound and Mirage have seen buffs, it might be time to see our long-winded soldier get one too.
No changes to Bangalore in this latest update, and that comes as no surprise as other Legends definitely deserved the extra attention. With that said, her abilities have become a little dated. Yes, her Smoke Launcher allows her to quickly get out of danger, but it’s still not enough. I’ve seen numerous Bangalores get lost in their own smoke after deploying the launcher, and that’s led to some unexpected encounters with the team they were trying to avoid. It would be great if, like Caustic, Bangalore players were able to see through the smoke a little better.
But with that said, her ultimate — Rolling Thunder — is still a great repositioning tool, and her passive — Double Time — is wonderful for getting out of sticky situations. If used properly, smart Bangalores can even use the smoke to their advantage and blind enemy teams they’re trying to push.
I’ll be honest, unless Bangalore gets a rework, I don’t see how she can climb higher on the rankings. In my eyes, the only thing that needs work is her Smoke Launcher. Everything else in her kit is great. Any changes may push her up to B-Tier, but we may be seeing the peak potential of Bangalore.
Crypto
And rounding out the list is Crypto, the star of Season 3 and potentially the most hyped up Legend we’ve seen so far.
Crypto is hard to use, and most people in the Apex community agree with that statement. Having to manage his drone while leaving yourself defenseless is a difficult task that not many people can do. Add the fact that the drone needs to be repositioned every time you’re leaving an area and that he doesn’t have a quick way to escape a fight, and you have a Legend that’s hard to manage. It’s why he’s so low on the list.
He did get a minor buff, reducing the amount of time it takes to deploy his drone, and now he has the ability to destroy Wattson Pylons with his EMP. But even these small changes are not enough, and it’ll take some work to get him close to B Tier.
I do want to mention this though: A good Crypto player can alter the tide of a fight massively. I’ve seen players utilize the drone to distract enemies while the teammates push. I’ve seen Cryptos time an EMP perfectly, allowing retreating teams to return to a fight and finish off a now disabled squad.
Don’t let my criticism fool you, Crypto is a fantastic Legend, he’s just So. Damn. Hard to use, and I believe it’s the steep learning curve that leaves him in C Tier.
Crypto has massive potential to be an A Tier Legend if he’s made easier to use. But if not, I’m sure Crypto mains will be happy with him being in C Tier as that means fewer people will be picking him.
D Tier
Reserved for Legends with a poorly formed kit. Any Legend here is in need of serious work but still has the potential to be a quality pick. Skilled players can make some use out of their kit.
F Tier
The former home of Mirage, F Tier is reserved for the truly useless Legends. If you want to picture what an F Tier Legend looks like, just think back to Mirage’s first four seasons. That’ll give you a good idea of what these types of Legends are.
What do you think about this tier list? Are there Legends ranked too low? Too high? Or just right? Leave your thoughts down below! We’d love to hear them.
