Crypto, in the right situation, can be the most useful legend in the entire game. Apex Legends has a fair few characters that feel overpowered and deadly in the right hands, but Crypto is a bit more unique. Admittedly there’s nothing much to get excited about initially, as while his drone is cool, it doesn’t exactly benefit you much in the firefight, with Crypto relegated to a supporting character.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. Yes, Crypto is definitely intended to act as more of a supporting role to your overall team, but he certainly doesn’t have to be relegated to taking a backseat in every engagement, especially if you follow the advice we’ve outlined here. Crypto has the potential to be a powerful ally and threatening foe, and here’s how to make the most of his abilities in Apex Legends.

Related: Apex Legends: Complete Revenant Guide

Crypto’s Abilities In Apex Legends

Crypto’s tactical ability, and by far his most useful ability, is his Surveillance Drone. This drone can be controlled by you and flown around the battlefield at leisure. Once close enough to enemy players it will highlight them in the overworld, allowing your allies to see exactly where the opponents are. The drone can be shot down, but with some skilful flying, that won’t be a problem. It can fly for 200m, and it can either be recalled to instantly return to Crypto, or can be left in place, where it will return once out of range. The drone is excellent to scout ahead, pick up respawn banners, open doors as a distraction, and much more, making this one of the more versatile, though less immediately useful tactical abilities.

Neurolink is Crypto’s passive ability, and this is what highlights enemies in the world when the drone is within 30m of them. This means the drone can be left hovering in place near a door or above a building, and Crypto and the team will be able to see where the enemy is, without actually having to control the drone. A minor, but incredibly useful ability.

The ultimate ability is the Drone EMP, which is exactly what it sounds like. Just like the Neurolink ability, this has a 30m radius, and that radius stretches through walls, making it excellent to use on enemies trapping themselves inside a building. The Drone EMP can shut down traps such as Caustic’s cans and Wattson’s fences, in addition to Wattson’s ultimate ability, meaning it can utterly devastate and highly defended point in a single swipe. In addition to all of that, enemies will be slowed and it deals 50 shield damage, minimum, to all enemy players within range. This can be used in a variety of ways and will almost always result in some hefty damage, and an excellent advantage.

In addition to all of that, Crypto is a Recon character, meaning he can use the Survey Beacons spread around the map to locate the next ring and get there in advance of the enemy teams. A nice ability to have, but incredibly minor in comparison to the drone.

Crypto’s Ideal Weapons In Apex Legends

As you may have guessed from Crypto’s selection of abilities, he is better off not being on the frontline with all of the enemies. Crypto should hang back and act as a strong support role, and that’s why mid-to-long range weapons are perfect for him.

For example, a G7-Scout with a purple scope (x3 is the best) is excellent, as it can cover a long distance, fire fast, and do a decent amount of damage, all while using plentiful light ammo which you can find everywhere and easily fill your bag with. Likewise, weapons like the Flatline and R-301 are capable at mid-range which is great. Crypto shouldn’t really get any closer than mid-range when doing battle, as his abilities are not suited for any close-range combat. The only time Crypto should move in is when trying to rescue teammates or finish off enemies after a Drone EMP blast.

Crypto
via Respawn
Crypto

Crypto Tips And Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know About In Apex Legends

Unfortunately, the days where you could strap Rampart’s minigun to Crypto’s drone are behind us - and it’s truly a shame, as it was one of the best “bugs” the game had ever seen. But even without that cheeky little ability, Crypto is still powerful and formidable in battle, especially with a solid team by his side ready to perform an assault.

For one thing, Crypto’s drone can actually inform you of how many enemies are within the drone’s range. Point the drone towards any of the large screens which litter all of Apex Legends’ maps - you know, the screens which show pictures of the kill leader and the champion - and while in drone-view you’ll be given a number of how many teams are within the range of your drone. Very handy for hunting down a final hiding team.

The Drone EMP ability can also be used to great effect. If a couple of teams are fighting you can place the drone above the location where they’re doing battle, leave the drone-view, and then move into a safe location where you can pick enemies off. Once in position, you can activate the Drone EMP without going back into drone-view, and immediately begin shooting at enemies.

On the other hand, if you’re about the get hit by an EMP you can quickly open your inventory and drop your shield, picking it up again once the EMP has finished. It only does damage to shields that are equipped, so this saves you the effort of having to pop a couple of shield cells after the damage has been done. This is a common tactic, though if your allies are aware of this, they should be ready to shoot as soon as the EMP begins and enemies may start dropping shields.

Next: Apex Legends: Complete Horizon Guide