Apex Legends has been going strong as the battle royale of choice for thousands of players for two years now, and in that time it has added eight characters to the original roster, two maps, countless changes to those maps, balance revisions for each character’s abilities, and much more. The fact is, unless you’re a regular Apex Legends player it’s very easy to lose track of which characters are the best at any moment.
Well never fear dear reader, for today I, a person with approximately 800 hours logged in Apex Legends, am going to run you through all of the very best legends you can currently play as in the game as of Season 9. And no, those 800 hours are not a brag, they are a cry for help.
Below I have listed every legend in order of best to worst, with a combination of factors going into the list: how useful the abilities of each legend are, their hitboxes, how scary it is to face off against them, what situations they perform best in, etc. If you’re a brand new player then you might want to stick with the legends near the top of the list or those with the most friendly abilities. For everything you need to know about the best characters to play in Apex Legends, just read below. Oh, and if their name is hyperlinked, click through for a more detailed guide on how that legend plays.
This ranking has been updated with Apex Legends Season 9's latest patch notes in mind on May 10, 2021.
Wraith
Wraith has been the undisputed queen of competitive play for the longest time. She has a teeny-tiny hitbox, and her abilities make her more useful when being offensive and fighting against the opponents head-on. She has had multiple nerfs since launch, all aimed at making her a less powerful legend, but they haven’t done much to stop her onslaught. Her tactical ability has a bigger charge-up time, her hitboxes have been increased, her run animation has been changed to be easier to hit, and she’s still utterly devastating in the right hands. She might not be top of the list for long, but as of right now she’s incredibly powerful - and in the base roster for anyone to play with!
Season 9 Update
Wraith is still incredibly strong thanks to the removal of Low Profile, so she can stay exactly where she is.
Horizon
Horizon was introduced in Season 7, and she has a lot to brag about. Her Gravity Lift ability makes her one of the more manoeuvrable characters in the game, allowing her to lift herself out of the battle and get over walls and buildings with ease. Or, alternatively, she can sit at the top of the lift like a sniper’s nest, or just heal while she sits things out. In addition to that, her ultimate tears apart enemies when combined with grenades. A solid all-rounder, and a great addition to the cast.
Season 9 Update
Horizon isn't as strong anymore thanks to a slight Gravity Lift nerf, but if you're on console then you shouldn't find too many opponents that are able to track her as she ascends anyway.
Lifeline
Lifeline isn’t all that vicious by herself, but when controlled by a firm team-player, things change. Lifeline has a heal drone which can be used to heal up the team, yes, but most important is Lifeline’s ability to use the drone to heal up others without her input. It wasn’t always this way, but if you use Lifeline to revive a teammate, she’ll put the drone down, it will raise a shield, and you’ll still be able to move and shoot throughout the duration. Using this you can keep your team members alive even in the most intense of firefights.
Season 9 Update
Lifeline's drone shield is now gone, which is devastating, but she is still very strong as she can now revive two team members at once. With Low Profile being a thing of the past, she is more competent in a firefight by herself, and her Care Package Ultimate changes are definitely for the better.
Pathfinder
If you can use Pathfinder’s grapple properly, then Pathfinder is one of the best legends in the game, even if he has the same Low Profile debuff that Lifeline and Wraith has, which increases incoming damage by 5%. But the grapple allows Pathfinder to scale buildings effortlessly and escape combat quickly, and when combined with the Gold Helmet which reduces the grapple cooldown, Pathfinder is a menace in battle.
Season 9 Update
Low Profile is gone and the Grapple cooldown is not as harsh as it was several seasons ago, so Pathfinder has gone up in our estimations.
Valkyrie
Valkyrie is the brand new Legend as of Season 9, and she is incredible. She has VTOL Jets which allows her to fly above the battlefield, albeit while making herself a very obvious target. Her jets are loud, and she flies fairly slowly, so you'll have to watch out for that. But that flight does allow her to get a good view of the battlefield, and she can launch her Missile Swarm a great distance, pushing enemies taking cover into view. Her Ultimate ability is also cool, acting as a mobile Jump Tower, but it's only really useful in Battle Royale, with it being relegated to being an ineffective version of a Crypto drone or Bloodhound scan in the Arenas. She's very capable and powerful, but her best asset is being able to easily take the high ground and identify where the enemies are, making her a great addition to the team. If only her jets were a bit quieter...
Gibraltar
If it’s one-on-one, Gibraltar will win. Nice little One Piece reference for the weebs out there, but it’s true: Gibraltar has the edge in one-on-one encounters. Gibraltar has a gun shield which will tank 50 HP, and as a big boy, he also comes with the Fortified buff, which reduces all incoming damage by 15%. In practice, this is like giving Gibraltar 15% more HP than the rest of the cast, and he is also not slowed by bullet fire. Combine that with his dome shield and destructive ultimate ability, and Gibraltar is one of the most effective and hard to kill legends in the game, despite his huge hitboxes.
Season 9 Update
Not much has changed for Gibraltar in the lastest season - he's still a powerful character to choose, and his fast revive while in his dome shield is even better now that Lifeline's shield has been removed.
Fuse
Fuse is the new Season 8 legend, and has already cemented a solid place in the game. Fuse’s ultimate can block off enemy escape routes with a wall of fire that’ll damage like Thermite Grenades, he has cluster grenades for distraction and minor damage and can shoot grenades from his arm like a launcher. Very dependable and powerful, when given the right equipment.
Season 9 Update
Fuse was already decent, but he's now been given a slight buff, with two Knuckle Cluster bombs available at any one time. Plus his Ultimate ability can be used to great effect in the new Arenas mode.
Loba
Loba’s Black Market is very, very cool, allowing you to stock up with all of the ammo in the nearby area, in addition to any rare items from care packages, death boxes, or on the ground. This can help your team get equipped and ready for battle very quickly. But other than that? Loba’s teleportation bracelet is nice, but very slow to use, so has to be used pre-emptively, not reactively, and… that’s pretty much all Loba has. The only situation where Loba’s bracelet really works out for an offensive play is when thrown through a window, where Loba can surprise and shoot down enemies that have bunkered down in a building.
Season 9 Update
Loba's bracelet had a bunch of bugs which have been fixed, but most importantly, Loba can now run and move at full speed after throwing her bracelet, meaning you're much more likely to avoid enemy fire and relocate successfully. This is exactly the buff Loba needed, and complements how her Black Market Boutique works in Arenas. She had to be put higher.
Octane
Octane’s speed is the big deal here. Octane always gains health back, which is nice, but using his tactical ability requires you to sacrifice a tiny bit of it in exchange for a big speed boost. Octane’s speed makes him hard to hit and very tricky, and his ultimate jump pad also makes for either an excellent escape route or a nice way to baffle enemies that aren’t expecting you to drop in.
Season 9 Update
Octane's Season 9 nerf is harsh. His stim now takes 20% of his health away with each use, meaning you'll be low after just five stims. This is a big punishment, but as long as you use Octane's stims more carefully, this nerf shouldn't harm your overall gameplan when playing as the character.
Rampart
Rampart has some truly devastating abilities at her disposal, and the fact that you can no longer instantly destroy her walls as they build up make her better at being reactive, but she’s still a bit awkward. To play as Rampart you really need to decide on a location in advance and place down your walls, set up your base, put down your guns, but that is difficult unless you have a good location and know where the ring will fall. Though Rampart does have an extra-large magazine on LMGs like the Spitfire and Devotion, so she’s excellent at continuing to shoot bullets for a long amount of time.
Season 9 Update
Rampart's walls got a small health buff while being placed, meaning she can now be used more dynamically in battle, and so she's gone up the rankings a bit here.
Bangalore
Bangalore’s passive ability gives her a speed boost much the same as Octane’s when being shot at, in addition to an ultimate ability that can be used to push forward even in the open terrain, and a nice smoke grenade tactical ability which can cover you when reviving or healing. Combine her smoke grenades with a thermal scope for your weapon, and this can make Bangalore a seriously scary character to go against.
Season 9 Update
Bangalore is one of the more consistent Legends on the roster, and not much has changed for her.
Caustic
Caustic also has the Fortified buff as Gibraltar does, but instead goes for a more hostile approach to gameplay. Caustic uses huge gas cans to block off doorways and passages, and can be used to control the game, especially when the ring is small. Caustic doesn’t fare well when out in the open, but if you’re trying to break in somewhere Caustic has laid traps, he will have the advantage. His gas will slow and damage you, while he glides through shooting down everyone.
Season 9 Update
Caustic's gas went through a major nerf recently. Enemies are no longer slowed as much, and the damage does not increase over time, making the gas, overall, less threatening. A massive shame, and as such Caustic has been taken down the list a bit.
Bloodhound
Bloodhound is a classic legend, but also awkward to use. Their scan ability is great, instantly highlighting any enemies that are hiding away in a building you’re approaching so they can’t hide, but it also alerts them to your location. Popping their ultimate also lets everyone nearby know, making people wary. However, Bloodhound’s ability to track and trace enemies that have walked or shot in a location within the last minute is very nice indeed, and perfect for those wishing to seek out more kills on their account.
Season 9 Update
Bloodhound is incredibly useful in the Arenas, and if you looked at our Team Composition guide, then you'll know how good Bloodhound can potentially be when it comes to identifying and hunting down stray enemies in Arenas. This is why Bloodhound is rising up the ranks.
Revenant
Revenant’s ultimate ability, the Death Totem, is excellent. Truly excellent. The Death Totem gives anyone that touches it - friend or foe - a time limit and death protection. If they lose their health, they will teleport back to the totem, allowing them to instantly retreat and heal. In select situations, this makes Revenant’s abilities incredible. Revenant’s tactical Silence ability is also nice to deal a bit of damage and ensure enemies can’t use their abilities, but awkward to aim unless pointed at the entrance/exit of a building.
Season 9 Update
Revenant is very useful in the Arenas mode, and the fact that players are no longer at 1HP when respawning at a Death Totem is great. But the real reason Revenant has been raised up the rankings is that he works incredibly well in the Arenas, and his Silence ability is very useful to taking down Valkyrie.
Mirage
Mirage has always been a bit maligned, but these days he’s a ferocious competitor and holds the middle-ground of this tier list very well indeed. Depending on how experienced you are playing these legends, you can swap the mid section of this particular tier list around to your preference. Mirage’s holographic decoys are excellent distractions, but Mirage doesn’t have any particular abilities to make him impactful. His new ability to disappear while reviving team members is great, but not essential and the fact that his decoys now have a small amount of health and make footstep noises is nice but doesn’t change the core fact that Mirage is mid-tier, and probably always will be.
Season 9 Update
Mirage hasn't had any major updates, but performs consistently.
Crypto
Crypto’s drone is excellent. It flies a great distance, lets you know how many teams are within range, highlights enemies when close to them, and the ultimate ability can even damage their shields and any traps they’ve set up. It also leaves Crypto vulnerable, as he has to sit still while using the drone. You can place it above enemies to get a constant feed of where they are located, but it can be just as easily shot down. Crypto is a great support legend but requires a player that understands his drawbacks to use him to the fullest.
Season 9 Update
Crypto can still be a great character to use, and his drone is a great boon to have in Arenas, but it still feels like the drone is too much of a distraction when a fight could potentially break out at any moment.
Wattson
I hate to put Wattson, one of the most adorable legends, right at the bottom, but unfortunately, that’s how it has all shaken out. Wattson’s great, she excels at locking down areas, preventing grenades and other projectiles with her ultimate, and preventing enemies from easily descending on you by locking down doorways and other routes with her fences. But unless you’re locking down a location in the last few circles of the game, Wattson is not that useful. Out in the open she essentially has nothing to protect her, and her fences can be easily shot down from a bad angle. She’s only good in one part of the 20-minute long games of Apex Legends, and you’ll have to work overtime to get her to survive that long. A lovely legend, just not the most useful.
Season 9 Update
Wattson now passively regenerates shield health at all times - even when away from her Ultimate Pylon - which makes her far more effective and interesting to play. Plus, her Pylon takes on new uses when in Arenas mode, giving her a slight lift. Still, she's certainly not the first Legend anyone gravitates to, regardless of the mode.
And that is our full tier list of every playable character in Apex Legends - agree? Disagree? Let us know! It won’t change anything, but maybe typing out your furious rage will make you feel better!