Apex Legends tier list - Best legends for Season 16

Apex Legends has a diverse roster of characters with a range of different abilities and personalities, making an Apex Legends tier list a no-brainer. For Season 16, we've ranked Catalyst and reevaluated the standings of others to compensate, which has resulted in a very different outlook for the months ahead.

Like previous seasons before it, Apex Legends Season 16 not only brought a new legend to the battle royale festival but a bunch of sweeping changes to existing characters to spice up strategies and instigate new tactics, so it's worth checking out the patch notes to understand how your main could have changed.

For more on Respawn's high-octane shooter, check out our other guide detailing the best Apex Legends guns to use in the latest season of the battle royale.

Apex Legends Season 16 tier list

You'll want to pick some of the better characters on this tier list if you're planning on climbing the Apex Legends ranked ladder - but nothing is stopping you from trying with your favourite, even if they're Rampart or Mad Maggie.

For a more detailed breakdown of each legend's pros and cons, read on. And just remember that your favourite maybe being in a lower tier shouldn't affect how you play unless you're looking for nothing but wins. If you enjoy one character more than another, play them. Just maybe rethink things if you're playing professionally.

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S Tier - The best legends in Apex Legends

Bloodhound

Abilities:

• Tracker - Finds clues left behind by foes to help track their movements.
• Eye of the Allfather - Briefly reveal enemies, traps, and clues throughout all structures in front of Bloodhound.
• Beast of the Hunt - Transform into the ultimate hunter. Enhances Bloodhound's senses, allowing them to see cold tracks and move faster.

Bloodhound has been a player favourite for a long time, not only are they one of the original legends but they also don't need to be unlocked. Their abilities to scan opponents and reveal enemy positions is simply too good to give up, and any team will benefit from their wallhacks.

Despite a slight nerf since their introduction, Bloodhound remains top of the pack. Their Ultimate Ability not only gives them a speed boost, but also means they can use their Eye of the Allfather Tactical scan more frequently, perfect for pushing multiple teams and informing teammates of potential flanks.

The ability to scan enemies so many times in such a small period is extremely strong.

Bloodhound's Passive isn't amazing, but their other abilities more than make up for it. There's also the added bonus as a Recon character, they can scan Survey Beacons to gain that sweet ring knowledge, too.

Valkyrie

Abilities:

• Missile Swarm - Fire a swarm of mini-rockets that damage and disorient the enemy.
• VTOL Jets - Press the jump key while in the air to engage jetpack You can switch between hold and toggle mode in the options menu.
• Skyward Dive - Press once to prepare for launch. Teammates can interact with Valkyrie to join the launch, Press again to launch into the air and skydive.

The Passive ability of Valkyrie is particularly useful when navigating the map however it's easy to run out of fuel which can prove problematic when attempting to evade any nearby opposition. The inability to fire a weapon when firing prevents Valkyrie from ascending into S Tier.

While the Legends isn't the best for 1v1 duels, Valkyrie is extremely useful for assisting with recon acquisition and dealing plenty of damage.

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Wraith

Abilities:

• Voices from the Void - You hear a voice when danger approaches. As far as you can tell, it's on your side.
• Into the Void - Reposition quickly through the safety of "void" space, avoiding all damage.
• Dimensional Rift - Link two locations with portals for 60 seconds.

Wraith sometimes gets a bad rep from other players, but for the many toxic Wraiths you'll run into, you'll also meet some incredibly skilled teammates. She's best used as a forward scout, due to her Tactical Ability, Into The Void, which allows her to disappear and reappear nearby.

Wraith gets a bad name, due to many Wraith mains being notorious for going off on their own and quitting out of the game rather than waiting to get respawned when they are inevitably downed. However, that doesn't stop her from being a useful member of a team - with the right player at the keyboard of course.

Her Dimensional Rift portals are also incredibly handy for swift repositions and unexpected flanks, or getting out of a sticky situation. Many Wraiths are brilliant at getting downed teammates to safety using her portal.

Even with Wraith's hitbox getting some tweaks to make her a bit easier to hit, Wraith is still a formidable opponent on the battlefield.

Octane

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Abilities:

• Swift Mend - While not taking damage, Octane restores health over time.
• Stim - Move 30% faster for 6 seconds. Costs 10 Health to use. Reduction to slows while active.
• Launch Pad - Deployable jump pad that catapults users through the air.

Since we're talking about movement, let's introduce the fastest character in the game.

Octane is an incredibly popular character at the moment, favoured by those who love rushing into fights and tackling opponents head-on. Unfortunately, this can also lead to Octane mains getting a bad name, being viewed more as solo players rather than in a team.

His Stim ability has received some nerfs but that only serves to make him an even more high-risk/high-reward character. He's very difficult to hit when running so fast, and his Passive Swift Mend does go some way to rejuvenating him after one too many stims.

His Launch Pad is also great for making rotations or exciting pushes. The pads are extremely useful when you combine them with a Revenant totem for incredibly tactical but awesome plays. Octane's ultimate is a great one to combine with any of the offensive characters.

Horizon

Abilities:

• Spacewalk - Reduces her fall impacts
• Gravity Lift - Lift players up vertically, and give them a boost when they exit upwards
• Black Hole - Draw nearby legends into one spot

Horizon's abilities have proven to be solid on the battlefield, making her a top choice among Apex Legends players. However, a serious nerf reduced her powerful Tactical ability to just a movement boost, rather than a portable sniper tower.

It's worth grabbing a bunch of grenades to throw after your Black Hole Ultimate ability, as opponents will struggle to avoid the blasts. Horizon was a staple character rivalling Wraith at her height, but nowadays is a niche pick with limited usefulness.

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A Tier - Good options

Vantage

Abilities:

• Echo Relocation - Position Echo then launch towards him for fast movement around the map.
• Spotter's Lens - Aim down sights to scout with your eyepiece and use a bullet drop indicator to see where your shots will land.
• Sniper's Mark - Use a custom sniper rifle to mark enemy targets which provide a damage bonus for you and your team.

For those that prefer the long-range game, Vantage is a surefire pick to achieve success.

When used correctly, her ultimate can provide huge damage buffs for the entire squad which is incredibly useful in team battles.

Additionally, her tactical make this particular Legend extremely mobile. This enables you to navigate the map quickly and makes it easy to avoid.

Pathfinder

Abilities:

• Insider Knowledge - Scan a survey beacon to reveal the ring's next location. Scanning a beacon also decreases his Ultimate ability cooldown.
• Grappling Hook - Grapple to get to out-of-reach places quickly.
• Zipline Gun - Create a zipline for everyone to use.

Originally, Pathfinder was a common pick in competitive Apex Legends play during the first few months, but subsequent nerfs have adversely impacted his usability. However, his movement is still really useful if you spend enough time learning how to make the most of his little tricks. In a game where movement matters more than a lot of other skills, Pathfinder can and does still perform quite well.

Also, his ultimate can be used to get a team out of a sticky situation or to ambush another team. You should never underestimate the power of having a zipline appear at the perfect time.

He's got an adorable backstory, a beautiful son, and a really weird hitbox. But most of all, we love his cheery voice lines and the encouragement he gives to the team. That's got to be worth something, right?

Lifeline

Abilities: 

• Combat Medic - Revive knocked down teammates faster using D.O.C. Healing items are used 25% faster.
• D.O.C. Heal Drone - The Drone of Compassion will automatically heal those near it over time.
• Care Package - Call in a drop pod full of high-quality defensive gear and medical supplies.

Lifeline had an interesting change in Season 9: she lost the shield that protects allies when they're being revived, but D.O.C. can resurrect automatically now. D.O.C. also aids her when she uses her Tactical ability, healing you over time. Beware, as opponents can also utilise D.O.C. to heal themselves, too.

Lifeline's Care Package got a rework this season, too, so it should provide items that are more useful to your squad based on what you're already carrying. However, she still can't call in care package weapons, so this has limited usability - and it alerts enemies to your precise position.

Using one of Lifeline's Care Packages is a great way to trap enemies, use your ultimate but don't loot it, now find a hiding spot and wait for the enemies!

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• Read More: Best Monitor For Apex Legends: Top Picks To Give You The Edge

Catalyst

Abilities:

• Piercing Spikes - Throw out a patch of ferrofluid which transforms into spikes when enemies are near. Catalyst remains immune to any enemy spikes.
• Barricade - Reinforces doors by strengthening and locking them to enemies. Spaces that used to feature doors can be reinforced too
• Dark Veil - Raises a permeable wall of ferrofluid that slows and partially blinds enemies that walk through it.

Catalyst is the latest Legend to arrive in the Apex Legends universe. Armed with some pretty handy offensive and defensive abilities, there are plenty of ways to utilise the Legend to your advantage during a match.

The Dark Veil Ultimate is great for blocking a sightline in addition to Piercing Spikes that guarantee an elimination if anyone decides to walk into the ferrofluid.

Ash

Abilities

• Marked for Death - Reveals location of recent deathboxes. Interact with a deathbox to mark any survivors.
• Arc Snare - Throw a snare damaging enemies and tethering them if the first opponent gets too close for comfort.
• Phase Breach - Creates a one-way portal to a new location.

Having received numerous changes in recent seasons, Ash remains in A Tier for Season 15 after escaping further adjustments from the developers. Armed with the ability to provide essential intel, secure targets, and the ability to navigate the map quickly, Ash is a hugely versatile Legend that would make a perfect fit in any squad.

Newcastle

Abilities:

Retrieve the Wounded - Drag allies as you revive and project them with your Revive Shield

Mobile Shield - Throw a controllable drone that creates a moving energy shield

Castle Wall - Leap to a target area of ally, slam down, and create a fortified stronghold

After arriving in Season 13, Newcastle has held his place in A Tier thanks to an excellent mix of offensive and defensive abilities.

Though he's billed as a defender with abilities similar to Gibraltar, Newcastle feels more like an alternative to a support/healer like Lifeline as it stands - or somewhere between the two. His shield capabilities and resurrect boons put him in an awkward middle ground. He won't heal the team like Lifeline, but he'll pick allies up like her. He can shield allies well, but he won't be able to offer a retreat like with Gibraltar's ultimate.

All in all, Newcastle leans into a very specific playstyle. He's a defensive option with more mobility and fewer damage options. He's good for holding out in longer battles and defending against attackers, but he's not a great initiator. And once his skills fall, he'll run out of ways to finish the fight.

B Tier - Fun Choices, But Situational

Gibraltar

Abilities:

• Gun Shield - Aiming down sights deploys a gun shield that blocks incoming fire.
• Dome of Protection - Throw down a dome shield that blocks (allies and enemies) attacks for 12 seconds. Healing items are used 25% faster within the dome.
• Defensive Bombardment - Call in a concentrated mortar strike on a position you mark with smoke

Although you might not see many pick this legend in public lobbies, Gibraltar is the most-picked Legend in the Apex Legends Global Series, for good reason. Despite his massive hitbox, and the fact that it feels like he runs through treacle when you move (even though he runs at the same speed as everyone else, bar Octane), his abilities are invaluable for a successful squad

Gibby mains can get a lot of slack initially but once they prove their worth they can be any absolute life saver with so many defensive abilities. His Gun Shield Passive ability adds a bit extra to his shields (on top of his damage-reducing Fortified boost), and his Dome of Protection Tactical ability is one of the best Tacticals in the game.

Want to make a risky rotation? Want to push an enemy squad but you don't have cover? Want to resurrect a teammate? Want to scan a Survey Beacon without getting sniped? Gibraltar's bubble is perfect for all those situations. Placing one down can lead to a bubble fight which entails players shuffling in and out of the area. Shotguns are best for these fights, so check out our Apex Legends best guns tier list to find the best choices.

And that's before we come to his Ultimate ability, which can put a stop to an opponent's push or force enemies into cover. Gibraltar really has great kit, but you might need to practice with him for a bit to get the hang of his hitbox and movement.

Fuse

Abilities:

• Grenadier - Stack an extra grenade per inventory slot. Fire grenades farther, faster, and more accurately.
• Knuckle Cluster - Launch a cluster bomb that sticks to targets and continuously expels airburst explosives on impact.
• The Motherlode - Launch a bombardment that encircles a target in a wall of flame.

Is Fuse... Good now? Unfortunately not. Season 10 gave old Fusey a major buff, adding an extra Knuckle Cluster to his stack and highlighting enemies caught in his ultimate ring of fire.

Fuse entered the Apex Games with a bang, but unfortunately his kit just wasn't up to standard. However, all that might have changed with the addition of some minor wallhacks to his ultimate. Yeeting grenades to oblivion is always fun but comes with its own drawbacks (mostly not being able to loop a grenade to explode on impact). Carrying two grenades per slot is nice, but hardly a huge buff.

His Knuckle Cluster still does very little damage, but it sticks to opponents (or, usually, annoying surfaces), and his Ultimate ability causes minor damage and stun. Combined with the new highlight, this can give you the edge in a fight.

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Loba

Abilities:

• Eye for Quality - Nearby Epic and Legendary loot can be seen through walls. The range is the same as Black Market Boutique.
• Burglar’s Best Friend - Teleport to hard-to-reach places or escape trouble quickly by throwing your jump drive bracelet.
• 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.

While seeing loot through walls and being able to set up the Black Market Boutique will help get the loadout you want, the latter can also aid clever enemies. Loba saw her first ever esports play during the Apex Legends Global Series Championship, proving incredibly useful for teams to grab shield swaps or pocket a bunch of grenades ahead of a big push.

Loba's most powerful is her Tactical Ability, which allows her to instantly teleport wherever she can throw her bracelet. Since being fixed in Season 9, it is a lot more accurate and fails less often, making it useful for a quick reposition or surprise flank.

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Seer

Abilities:

• Focus of Attention - Seer summons his micro-drones to emit a delayed blast that goes through walls interrupting and revealing enemies.
• Heart Seeker - Hear and visualize the heartbeats of nearby enemies when aiming down sights.
• Exhibit - Create a sphere of micro-drones that reveal the location of enemies moving quickly or firing their weapons within.

After spending plenty of time getting to know Seer, his abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and more, we can say that he is definitely in the top spot, if not, top three.

Despite a recent nerf, Seer is still incredibly strong, with his passive ability combining multiple Legends' tacticals into one - one that doesn't even need to recharge. His abilities offer recon in a similar manner to Bloodhound, but he can't detect players moving at a regular walking speed - only if they run.

We've seen many Bloodhound and Crypto mains make the switch to the newest legend and it isn't a surprise, he has some extremely powerful abilities and is actually a lot of fun to play. However, a swift balance patch brought Seer back down to a more manageable level rather than the overpowered Legend he was at launch.

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Mad Maggie

Abilities:

Warlord's Ire - She can sense and track down any enemies that she has hurt. She also moves faster while carrying Shotguns.

Riot Drill - A projectile that attaches to an obstacle and burns enemies on the other side.

Wrecking Ball - Unleash a bouncing ball (a gigantic grenade) that detonates near enemies and leaves speed boosts behind it.

Season 12 introduced Salvo's own Mad Maggie to Apex Legends. Sometimes, a brand new Legend isn't always one of the best in the game. However, with recent changes, Mad Maggie has fallen down the list.

Despite all of her abilities proving effective, there are many more viable options to use. There's nowhere to hide from her passive ability of Wardlord's Ire. If Maggie has already shot you and hurt you, she can track you down to finish you off. Also, she can move faster than anyone else while carrying Shotguns.

Her tactical ability Riot Drill also means that hiding is almost impossible (if she knows where you are). This drill can attach to any obstacle and burn any of the enemies on the other side. This includes Gibraltar's Dome Shield. As we said before, it's extremely hard to hide from Mad Maggie.

Finally, her Ultimate Ability may just be a gigantic grenade but it's a powerful gigantic grenade. Once it's unleashed, the Wrecking Ball will keep rolling and detonate near any enemies it finds. As it rolls, it leaves speed boosters behind it that anyone on Maggie's team can use. This means you can catch up to any enemies who try to run away from the explosive ball.

C Tier - Needs improvement

Bangalore

Abilities:

• Double Time - Taking fire while sprinting makes you move faster for a brief time.
• Smoke Launcher - Fire a high-velocity smoke canister that explodes into a smoke wall on impact.
• Rolling Thunder - Call in an artillery strike that slowly creeps across the landscape.

Although there are better options than Bangalore, her Smoke Launcher is excellent for escaping heavy pressure from enemies. On top of that, her Ultimate is useful if you can gather a bunch of enemies in a close space or if you want to leave some space between you and them to escape.

However, the Rolling Thunder does a fraction of the damage that Gibraltar's Defensive Bombardment does, and gives enemies plenty of time to clear the area - a decreased cooldown in Season 6 doesn't help it out a lot either, and the reduced fuse time in Season 7 was not enough for her, unfortunately.

Make sure you're kitted out with Digital Threats so you can see through your own smoke, or keep a Bloodhound on your team to scan opponents after you've smoked them.

Bangalore is a useful starting Legend, but once you've got the ropes, it's probably best to move on.

Caustic

Abilities:

• Nox Vision - You gain threat vision on enemies moving through your gas.
• Nox Gas Trap - Place up to 6 canisters that release deadly Nox gas when shot or triggered by enemies.
• Nox Gas Grenade - Blankets a large area in Nox gas.

Caustic thrives in close-quarter engagements, his multiple gas traps, and Ultimate Nox Gas Grenade deal good damage up close. Season 12 has brought in some changes for this Legend. His Nox Gas traps can now be destroyed after they have been detonated, which can reduce their effectiveness against enemy squads. Also, any detonated Nox Gas Traps will expire after 11 seconds which is significantly shorter than the previous 12.5 seconds.

Caustic took some severe hits to his abilities in Season 8 too, increasing charge times and decreasing the damage of his gas. Now, enemies can comfortably stand in - and see through - his gas without suffering too much damage. He still has some utility when defending a position, but the nerfs to his gas damage make Caustic much less useful than in the past.

Despite this, he can be incredibly powerful in close quarters and buildings. If he manages to place multiple traps surrounding an enemy in a tight space, chances are the only exit is through Caustic.

Rampart

Abilities:

• Modded Loader - Increased magazine capacity and faster reloads when using LMGs and the Minigun.
• Amped Cover - Build a crouch-cover wall, which deploys a full-cover amped wall that blocks incoming shots and amps outgoing shots.
• Emplaced Minigun "Sheila" - Place a mounted machine gun that anyone can use. High ammo capacity, long reload time.

Rampart got a huge buff in her Town Takeover event which allows her to carry Sheila around. This makes her a walking sentry turret, and she can beam whole squads with ease. The only drawback is that she can't reload Sheila when carrying it, making it a single-use weapon.

However, it's still a strong buff that has finally made Rampart useable.

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Wattson

Abilities:

• Spark of Genius - Ultimate Accelerants fully charge Wattson's abilities. Standing near Interception Pylons boosts Wattson's Tactical ability recharge rate.
• Perimeter Security - Create electrified fences by connecting nodes. Fences damage and slow enemies.
• Interception Pylon - Place an electrified pylon that destroys incoming ordnance and repairs damaged shields as long as it stands.

Wattson has felt like she has been on a decline as of late, with her pick rates dropping and her uses feeling few and far between.

Here fences do not feel as effective as they once did, and Wattson mains are hoping for a buff sometime soon. Respawn's Daniel Klein, however, feels that she is in a strong place and has a high win rate, even teasing that she might be in for a nerf in what we originally thought was Season 10 but now it looks like otherwise.

Unfortunately, Respawn did her dirty with a recent "buff" to one of her emotes, allowing her to place more Nessies on the battlefield. Which is great, but it hardly helps in battle.

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Revenant

Abilities:

• Stalker - You crouch-walk faster and climb (much) higher than other Legends.
• Silence - Throw a device that deals damage and disables enemy abilities for 10 seconds.
• Death Totem - Drop a totem that protects those who use it from death for a set amount of time. Instead of being downed or killed, users will return to the totem.

Revenant is undoubtedly the scariest-looking Legend in the game and his abilities finally live up to his terrifying aura. His Death Totem Ultimate ability can be incredibly useful when combined with Octane's Jump Pad, but beware of other teams camping at the totem to pounce when you're sent back in a weakened state.

His Silence can be useful for denying opponents' abilities, and it also has an unintended effect of obscuring vision like a flashbang. His Passive climbing received a huge buff in Season 9, however, allowing him to climb to heights never seen before.

Not only is this ability useful but it is unsettling for other players to watch, with Revenant scuttling up walls like some kind of nightmare spider. His climb is very loud, however, and will alert all nearby enemies to your presence, so don't expect a surprise attack.

Crypto

Abilities: 

• Neurolink - Squadmates can see what the Aerial Drone detects within a 30-meter radius.
• Surveillance Drone - Deploys a surveillance drone that can be used to detect enemies and hack objects.
• Weapon Drone EMP - Charge up an EMP blast from your drone that deals shield damage, slows enemies, and disables all traps.

Crypto was once one of our lower ranking Legends, but the buffs he has received in Season 12 have boosted him up to this spot. When Crypto first arrived on the scene, he was an extremely useful Legend. You simply couldn't hide from him or his drone. Now, it seems that this is the case once again.

You can now view the gamestate through the HUD of the drone. You can see important details such as where the Ring is, Pings, and your current team status. This has instantly reduced how vulnerable Crypto is while he is using his drone. Granted, enemies can still shoot you, but you'll definitely be more aware of your surroundings.

His neurolink also got a huge buff at the start of Season 12. The field of view of his passive ability has been increased from 160 degrees to a whopping 240 degrees. This benefits the whole team as well as Crypto. Teammates can see anything that the Neurolink picks up, so it's a great way to scope out enemies and plan attacks.

The only thing you should be wary of is that the health of Crypto's Drone has been reduced from 60 to 50.

D Tier - Probably Avoid

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Mirage

Abilities: 

• Now You See Me - In addition to cloaking when downed, Mirage also cloaks while using a respawn beacon and reviving a teammate (the teammate is also cloaked).
• Psyche Out - Pressing the character utility action button allows Mirage to gain control of his decoy. When controlling the decoy, it will mimic Mirage’s every move. Decoys now last for 60 seconds.
• Life of the Party - Mirage deploys a team of decoys that mimic his every move (think “Emergency Dance Party" from DUMMIEs Big Day). Cooldown 60 seconds.

Mirage had some reworks for Season 7, and combined with previous boosts, he is a pretty good character. Unfortunately, he gets bumped down to B-tier due to more solid characters placing in higher tiers.

His upgrades include better cloaking when downed, respawning, and reviving teammates. His decoys also last longer and look more convincing - they are able to mimic his movements - and his Ultimate is similar to the limited-time Emergency Dance Party ability.

To also help his decoys seem more real, they will now carry 45 HP each. This should help disguise the real Mirage more easily, though they won't shield him or teammates, bullets will pass through them.

If you're hoping to unlock any of the above legends then check out how to get your hands on some Legend Tokens! If you don't want to spend your hard-earned cash to unlock new Legends, then these tokens are your best bet - if you've collected enough. Once you're done there, check out our guide on the best landing spots.

Originally written by Rob "Devar-TTY" Kalajian with upkeep by Libbi Marie Pritchard, Jonno Nicholson and Jake Green, and a structural redesign by Josh Brown.