Apex Legends: Why Pathfinder Is The Second Worst Legend, Explained

Apex Legends is still the hottest game of 2019. Millions of players have logged on everyday to see if their team can survive all the way to the end. And in order to win a game of Apex, you have to make sure that you choose the right legend to take you to the top.

However not all legends are created equally. Some have abilities that are incredibly useful, the kind that can save your bacon in very tight situations. Others have kits that just don’t seem to be too handy, except in very specific scenarios.

We’ve already told you who we think is the worst legend. So who comes in at number two on the list of the worst legends in Apex Legends?

Our choice for second worst legend is Pathfinder

Of the legends available, Pathfinder is possibly the most recognizable. This friendly robot guides you through the opening tutorial, teaching you the basics of getting through a game of Apex. He has a cheerful personality, funny quips, and his character design is pretty great even if it’s a tad Borderlands-esque. In fact, if you read his lines in a more annoying voice, he’d pretty much be Claptrap.

That’s why it’s so disappointing that his abilities are so lackluster. Pathfinder, as his name would suggest, is a character focused on traversal. His job is to get himself and his teammates around the map in the most efficient and quickest way possible. Although he accomplishes that goal adequately, his abilities are simply not much good in a firefight.

Let’s Talk About His Abilities

First there’s possibly his most useful ability, the Grappling Hook. This allows Pathfinder to get to places that aren’t easily accessible. He can also use it to get a better vantage point on his enemies, so if he has a sniper rifle or another gun with a scope, he can get the drop on enemies much further away. Plus it’s been discovered (perhaps most notably by Dr. Disrespect) that you can grapple other players in order to get a melee attack or maybe even a shotgun round in on them.

His passive ability, Insider Knowledge, allows him to hack survey beacons in order to determine where the ring is going. In theory this can be extremely helpful. Knowing where on the map to go next to avoid dying of ring related exposure can be the key to victory.

Finally, his ultimate is the Zipline Gun. Throughout the world of Apex there are ziplines that can be used to get around the map quicker, and also can get you to a higher vertical position more efficiently. Pathfinder’s ultimate fires off one of these ziplines so that he and his teammates can zoom to another location.

So overall you can tell that Pathfinder’s entire arsenal is focused on transporting his team around in the fastest and best way possible. However, while you can definitely get to where you want to go quicker, his abilities have almost no advantage to his squad when it comes to the biggest part of Apex: actually fighting.

The Problem With Pathfinder

His ultimate, the Zipline Gun. is great for moving your team around. Being able to get up to a vertical space could be useful if you and your team manage to find some amazing sniper gear or if you want to just go some sightseeing. If you also happen to in a bad spot when the ring is closing in, it could help you and your buddies zip across the map towards the safe zone.

However it offers nothing for firefights that get up close and personal. It takes a lot of coordination and planning to figure out the best place to shoot the zipline. Unless you or someone on your team turn out to be a master Apex strategist, there's a chance that you could just wind up firing ziplines to areas that don't offer any kind of advantage or even worse, right into the sights of a patient enemy squad.

It also can be used by anyone in the game too. So while you’re getting your team to a new location, some other sneaky squad could potentially use the same zipline to follow your path and get the drop on you.

Furthermore, his Insider Knowledge ability requires him to find the survey beacons, which are often located on the tops of buildings. This means you have to first find a way up to the top of a structure, then you have to hack the beacon itself.

This is a pretty weak passive ability as knowing where the ring is going to close is only going to be useful in very specific situations. If you make all the way to the end it could help you plan out the best place to set up camp, but it just doesn’t have a whole lot of use at the beginning of a match. It also leaves you as a sitting duck for snipers while you’re hacking.

The best thing about Pathfinder is undeniably his Grappling Hook. Let’s face it, grappling hooks are just inherently cool. Pathfinder’s hook works great and allows him to be able to jump around the map with incredible ease, and it can be handy in a fight to get to a new position. Some players have discovered some really cool ways to use the grappling hook that can make you a very deadly robot man.

But in order to do any of these tricks and use the Grappling Hook in effective ways, you’re going to need a lot of practice. Getting a hang of the hook is difficult and will take countless tries to use it the way you may have seen the pros use it. It also doesn’t have much practical use for your teammates either. Sure you can potentially use it to either get away from or fling yourself towards enemy squads, but doing so leaves your teammates high and dry.

Pathfinder Compared To Other Legends

In comparison to other champions, Pathfinder’s kit also looks rather paltry.

His passive ability is nothing compared to the other champions. For example, Bloodhound can track enemy footsteps which can help the team know who's been through the area. Gibraltar puts up a shield while he's firing off his gun, giving him some cover while he's in the middle of a tense gun battle with other players.

His Grappling Hook is great, but in terms of effectiveness for the team it just doesn't do much. Bangalore’s Smoke Launcher can give her team a chance to escape, or regroup, or change position which can turn the tide when the bullets are flying. Lifeline, the other support class character besides Pathfinder, does way more to actually support the team by healing them with her Heal Drone. Someone who can heal is always going to be more important to the team than someone with a grappling hook.

To cap it off, his Ultimate ability is just nothing compared to the other characters in the game. It’s not even the best for team traversal. That would go to Wraith’s Dimensional Rift, which opens up a portal for teammates to travel through. It's quicker, and although an enemy could also use it, it only lasts for a minute. Compared to the Zipline Gun, which not only leaves you vulnerable to attack while ziplining, but also creates a zipline for everyone good or bad to use for the rest of the match, it's no contest.

Adding this all up, there’s no denying that Pathfinder’s kit is one of the absolute weakest.

PREVIOUSLY: Every Weapon In Apex Legends, Ranked

Verdict:

Pathfinder isn’t a bad champion. He’s good for moving around the map and giving everyone an idea of where to go. His kit just isn’t as great as other champions, and using him well requires a lot of practice, as well as team coordination. If you’re not all on mic planning out the best route to the middle of the ring, chances are you’re not going to get much use out of Pathfinder. Hence why he’s undeniably the second worst legend of Apex Legends.

That Grappling Hook is still pretty cool though.