Apex Legends is thought for its numerous solid of characters, with the sport introducing a plausible, fully-fleshed out legend to the sport each season. Season 15: Eclipse isn’t any completely different, introducing us to Apex’s first-ever transgender legend, Catalyst. A training witch, Catalyst typically turns to tarot playing cards, crystals, and numerous different types of divination for steerage, and as we noticed in Tales From The Outlands: Final Hope, she seems to have a religious connection to her homeworld’s moon, Cleo.
The apply of each Paganism and Wicca is closely linked to the moon, and previous to becoming a member of the Apex Video games, Catalyst truly spent years working to maintain the broken moon from falling out of the sky. However regardless of her religious practices and supernatural aura, Catalyst’s in-game talents rely completely on know-how. Now, utilizing some “borrowed” tools from her former employers, Catalyst is able to put her ferrofluid-flinging expertise to the check within the Apex Video games and eventually tackle Seer. Hold studying for a full breakdown of all of the information we now have on Catalyst, from her backstory to her talents.
The Fundamentals
Callsign: Catalyst
Full Title: Tressa Crystal Smith
Age: 29
Homeworld: Boreas
Described on her official bio web page as somebody who “likes crystals greater than she likes most individuals,” Tressa Smith handled social nervousness and troublesome adolescence, however finally discovered kinship with some fellow outcasts–a trio of women who rebelled once more Boreas’ strict social conformity and most well-liked to stay life with their heads within the clouds (okay, technically on the moon). With the help of her buddies, Tressa totally embraced her transgender identification, and for the primary time in years, her future appeared brilliant. Sadly, that will quickly change.
Lore
Along with their shared love of tarot card readings and different types of divination, Tressa and her buddies additionally shared a deep sense of concern for Boreas’ broken moon, Cleo. One in all her buddies, a redhead named Margo, appeared significantly frightened concerning the state of the moon, which was destroyed by a meteor bathe on the night time of Seer’s start. Margo hatched a plan for the 2 of them to sneak into the power Hammond Robotics was utilizing to mine Cleo’s pure sources (underneath the guise of rebuilding it). Margo made it apparent that sabotage was the target, however did not inform Tressa precisely what her plans had been.
These plans grew to become clear as soon as the 2 younger girls gained entry to the power, the place Tressa found Margo planting a bomb–something they’d by no means mentioned. Horrified, Tressa admonished Margo and refused to take issues any additional, nevertheless it was too late. A Hammond-owned Spectre had found them. After a quick chase, Tressa managed to entice the homicidal robotic in a chamber of ferrofluid she’d found a couple of moments earlier.
After narrowly escaping the Spectre, Tressa seemed as much as uncover that Margo was being dragged away by two human guards, neither of whom appeared to understand {that a} bomb had been planted–or that Margo nonetheless had the detonator in her arms. Regardless of Tressa’s protest, Margo detonated the bomb, killing herself alongside together with her Hammond-employed captors–and giving Tressa an opportunity to flee.
After fleeing the scene, a heartbroken Tressa moved to Cleo itself, and started working for an organization that, not like Hammond, was truly repairing the moon. It was there that she discovered to regulate the ferrofluid she’d first encountered on the night time of Margo’s dying. Although she was nonetheless heartbroken over the lack of her finest good friend, Tressa’s fulfilling job gave the impression to be therapeutic a few of her emotional wounds. She even obtained again in contact with a few of her outdated buddies from Boreas.
Then Silva Prescribed drugs entered the image, and the life Tressa had constructed on Cleo was destroyed within the blink of an eye fixed.
Tressa was pressured to go away her job and her residence as soon as the Apex Video games selected Cleo as the placement for his or her subsequent fight enviornment. After witnessing Seer having covert discussions with Octane’s grandfather–AKA Silva Prescribed drugs CEO and Mercenary Syndicate boss Torres Silva–Catalyst grew suspicious of Seer (who has at all times had a fairly difficult relationship together with his and Catalyst’s shared homeworld). As soon as information unfold that the video games had been coming to Cleo, Tressa’s fears had been confirmed, and suspicion turned to fury.
Hammond Robotics as soon as once more taking away the life she’d labored so exhausting to rebuild was the ultimate straw for Tressa, who determined to make the most of her expertise for flinging round ferrofluid by becoming a member of the Apex Video games. Armed with the ferrofluid tools from her outdated job on Cleo, the once-timid Tressa has reworked herself, rising because the assured, confident Catalyst. Becoming a member of the Video games has afforded Tressa the chance to contribute her Apex winnings in direction of Cleo’s reconstruction, together with an opportunity to lastly confront the person she blames for Cleo’s destiny: Seer.
Talents
Lead Catalyst legend designer OT Harrison gave gamers a greater thought of what to anticipate from the brand new legend in an interview that befell throughout pre-season previews earlier this month. When requested about Catalyst’s position on the sphere, Harrison mentioned, “Catalyst is all about controlling the battlefield together with her talents, just like our different defensive legends, however the versatility of her ferrofluid provides her talents sort of a novel taste.”
“She’s an important choice for gamers that desire to interact in mid- to long-range fights by protecting enemies at bay, or to facilitate safer rotations or therapeutic alternatives as properly,” he added.
Catalyst possesses the next in-game talents:
Passive: Barricade
As seen within the Eclipse gameplay trailer, Catalyst can use ferrofluid to strengthen doorways, strengthening them and locking out enemies. Moreover, she will be able to additionally reinforce empty areas the place a door has been damaged.
Tactical: Piercing Spikes
Catalyst’s tactical capacity permits her to fling a patch of ferrofluid onto the bottom that can erupt into sharp spikes when enemies are close to, slowing them down. Very like Caustic is resistant to all Nox Fuel–even from gasoline traps that had been positioned by enemies–Catalyst is resistant to all Piercing Spikes, even these positioned by enemy Catalysts.
Final: Darkish Veil
Catalyst raises a large (however permeable) wall of ferrofluid from the bottom, blocking her squad from view and briefly slowing motion velocity of any enemies who go by way of it. Passing by way of the Darkish Veil additionally causes enemies to be blinded for a couple of seconds after rising on the opposite facet. Whereas individuals (and, presumably, objects like grenades and bullets) can go by way of Catalyst’s ferrofluid wall, there’s one factor that may by no means pierce the Darkish Veil: scanning talents. This implies Bloodhound and Seer can not see your squad by way of the Darkish Veil, even when they make use of their scanning expertise.
Ideas
Catalyst has an extremely highly effective capacity set that is additionally fairly distinctive. Listed here are a couple of ideas that will help you take advantage of her talents.
Barricade
Catalyst’s passive Barricade capacity can solely be used on two doorways (or doorways) at a time. Like Caustic’s gasoline barrels and Wattson’s electrical fence pylons, when you try to put greater than two barricades, the primary barricade you positioned will disappear. Hold this in thoughts when securing buildings–accidentally unsealing a door is the very last thing you need to occur when your squad is surrounded by enemies, so ensure that to speak together with your teammates concerning which factors of entry you have barricaded and which of them are nonetheless susceptible.
As apparent as it could sound, remember to utilize the Barricade capacity. Should you’ve been enjoying Apex Legends for whereas, your mind is probably going used to crouching in entrance of doorways to maintain them shut just a little longer, or avoiding buildings with damaged door frames altogether. When enjoying as Catalyst, begin taking a look at each door as a chance, and do not mechanically write off potential cowl simply because the constructing’s doorways are damaged.
Talking of damaged doorways, remember the fact that doorways sealed by Catalyst’s Barricade are usually not completely immune–they can nonetheless be meleed open, nevertheless it takes twice as lengthy to destroy a barricaded door through melee because it does to destroy one which is not barricaded, providing you with a couple of additional valuable seconds to complete popping a defend cell or reloading your weapon.
The Barricade does have some vulnerabilities, although: grenades, gunfire, and legend talents. Although the Darkish Veil is resistant to scanning talents, the Barricade shouldn’t be, so sealing your self right into a constructing will not cease Bloodhound from scanning the constructing and revealing your squad’s location. Moreover, the Barricade’s elevated resistance solely applies to melee harm. Which means that grenades can destroy barricaded doorways simply as simply as non-barricaded doorways, and Rampart’s beloved Sheila can nonetheless blast open the doorways to any constructing within the blink of an eye fixed.
However keep in mind, even when this occurs, hope is not lost–you can reseal the empty doorway if the doorways are destroyed, giving your squad a couple of additional seconds to plan and regroup.
Piercing Spikes
In the case of Catalyst’s tactical Piercing Spikes capacity, you may need to remember the fact that not solely does it decelerate enemies who step in it–the ferrofluid additionally causes harm. If you end up in a good spot with no ammo or ordnance, one hit from Catalyst’s Piercing Spikes could trigger simply sufficient harm to down an enemy. On the very least, it would sluggish them down.
When requested about Catalyst’s tactical, Harrison additionally described how enemy groups can go about destroying it. Spoiler alert: Getting Catalyst’s tactical to self-destruct shouldn’t be so simple as taking pictures it.”Form of a novel property of this capacity is that to wreck the core of it, enemies should be close to it to set off the core to reveal itself,” Harrison defined. “So you will not have the ability to simply snipe this away, you need to rise up shut and private with it to take care of it. The flexibility itself will also be thrown fairly far, so it makes initiator in addition to an honest defensive useful resource.”
Darkish Veil
One other factor that can sluggish enemies down is, in fact, Catalyst’s final capacity, the Darkish Veil. Proof against scanning talents, the Darkish Veil is a large wall of ferrofluid that blocks Catalyst and her workforce from view whereas additionally briefly blinding and slowing down the motion velocity of any legends who could also be courageous sufficient to go by way of it.
However though the legends themselves undergo damaging results from passing by way of the Darkish Veil, different objects do not. Each bullets and throwable ordnance can go by way of the huge wall of inky black fluid, so do not let the Darkish Veil’s presence lull you right into a false sense of security–it would not block bullets or ordnance–all it does is obscure you from view and negatively have an effect on enemies who go by way of it.
That is the opposite issue–legends have multiple choice in terms of tackling the Darkish Veil. They will, in fact, undergo it, which is able to lead to them struggling the damaging results of the Darkish Veil and doubtless getting downed shortly thereafter. They will additionally go round it. However we all know of at the very least one legend who can go over the Darkish Veil.
Throughout latest pre-season previews, Harrison confirmed that Horizon’s Gravity Lifts permit her and her squadmates to easily jump over the ferrofluid wall, and Valkyries VTOL Jets let her glide over it. Octane might be able to do the identical together with his Soar Pads, however that hasn’t been confirmed. It is also doable that Wrath and Ash could merely have the ability to part by way of the Darkish Veil, although that is additionally unconfirmed.
One factor all gamers want to concentrate on is the colour of Catalyst’s powers. If Catalyst is in your squad, her ferrofluid talents will all have a bluish aura, whereas enemy Catalysts will go away Piercing Spikes and Darkish Veils that emanate a reddish-orange hue as a substitute.
We’re positive to search out out extra concerning the new legend as Season 15’s November 1 launch date approaches, so you’ll want to regulate this web page for any updates on Apex Legends Season 15: Eclipse.
Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A cellular model of the sport, Apex Legends Cell, is out there for obtain on Android and iOS units.
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