The Apex Legends characters are a diverse group of heroes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses that make them suitable for different playstyles. When you first play the game, you have access to six characters, though you can unlock plenty more as you level up and earn in-game currency. Like many shooters these days, there's a bit of lore behind these characters, so we're going to dive into the Apex Legends character names and classes to give you some extra insight before you lock in your main.
We also have an Apex Legends Switch review if you want to learn more about the game or discover how it runs on the platform, though we're also happy to tell you about more of the best FPS games and best Switch multiplayer games.
We'll help you choose from these Apex Legends characters, whether it's holographic trickster Mirage, technological tracker Bloodhound, or high society thief Loba.
How many Apex Legends characters are there?
Currently, there are 27 Apex Legends characters in total - but new characters are released periodically, so there's bound to be some new heroes storming into battle in the future. Be sure to check back, as we will add new characters as they release. Of course, reliable leakers like Thordan Smash generally tend to post spoilers on upcoming content - but like with any rumor, no leak is official info. You can find a breakdown for each released character starting from the most recent in the list below.
Apex Legends characters list
Here's the full rundown of Apex Legends characters, in chronological order of when they arrived:
Sparrow
Real name: Enea Davide Guarino
Class: Recon
Sparrow is a pretty cool lad, using arrows to shock and slow down enemies. Plus, he can double jump, which is unbelievably helpful when you're in a jam.
- Tactical Ability: Tracker Dart - Sparrow uses a dart to reveal enemies who walk in its line of sight
- Passive Ability: Double Jump - Sparrow can use a double jump and launch himself up walls
- Ultimate Ability: Stinger Bolt - fires off a large arrow, after it lands and charges, it shocks anyone in its range, causing damage and slowing them down
Alter
Real name: YingLing Lui (雷盈灵)
Class: Skirmisher
Alter is the newest in the Apex Legends line-up, who shook up the games in Season 21, aptly called Upheaval. She's a dimension-hopping void breacher with a lot of skeletons in her closet and a destructive, evil-coded personality. You can check out her gameplay trailer in the video above.
- Tactical ability: Void Passage. Create a portal on either side of any surface that's under 25m thick.
- Passive ability: Gift from the Rift. See death boxes through walls and take an item from them.
- Ultimate ability: Void Nexus. Spawn a device that your squad can go back to through a portal.
Conduit
Real name: Rowenna Valentina Coffey Divina
Class: Support
Conduit came hopping into the arena in Season 19, having salvaged an old Titan battery and fashioned it into an impressive exosuit. This earned her an invite to the Apex Games and a spot on the legendary line-up as a support character.
- Tactical ability: Radiant Transfer - send a surge of energy to a teammate and yourself, temporarily regenerating shields when in danger.
- Passive ability: Savior's Speed - sprint faster towards allies that are out of range of your tactical.
- Ultimate ability: Energy Barricade - deploy an array of shield jamming devices that damage and slow enemies.
Ballistic
Real name: August Montgomery Brinkman
Class: Assault
A veteran of the old-school Thunderdome Games, Ballistic has been around the block and knows a thing or two about duking it out in the arena. Ballistic is back once again and fighting for his family, proving that when it comes to taking out enemies in the height of battle, age is just a number.
- Tactical ability: Whistler - shoots a projectile that heats up an enemy's gun as they shoot. Overheating causes damage. Hold the tactical to lock-on.
- Passive ability: Sling - store a third weapon in the sling. Access either via inventory or Character Utility Action. The sling weapon cannot take attachments.
- Ultimate ability: Tempest - when activated, nearby teammates get faster reloads, faster armed move speed, and infinite ammo. Ballistic's sling weapon will be equipped and upgraded to gold.
Catalyst
Real name: Tressa Crystal Smith
Class: Controller
Catalyst is a strategic fighter, having learned early on in her life to manage resources efficiently on her home planet of Boreas. This tech-savvy trans icon is an absolute menace in battle, with her incredibly versatile defensive kit that can help push her team forward as well as provide cover. She's been used a lot in the Apex Legends Global Series e-sports tournament, and it's no wonder the pros love her so much. She's cool and useful, there's nothing to hate.
- Tactical ability: Piercing Spikes - throw out a patch of ferrofluid which turns in to spikes when enemies are near. Catalyst remains immune to enemy spikes.
- Passive ability: Barricade - reinforce doors, strengthening them and locking them to enemies. Spaces where doors have been destroyed can also be reinforced.
- Ultimate ability: Dark Veil - raise a permeable wall of ferrofluid. Enemies who walk through it will be slowed and partially blinded for a brief time.
Vantage
Real name: Xiomara "Mara" Contreras
Class: Recon
Vantage is one of the youngest legends to join the games, and at only 19 years old she's on a quest to clear the name of her wrongfully-imprisoned mother. She was raised in the cold wastes of Págos, and she seeks to win the games to free others who have also been unlawfully taken and incarcerated.
- Tactical ability: Echo Relocation - position your winged companion Echo, and then launch toward him. Must have line of sight for Echo to launch.
- Passive ability: Spotter's Lens - aim down sights to scout with your eyepiece (unarmed or with mid- to long-range scopes) and use a bullet drop indicator to see where your shots will land.
- Ultimate ability: Sniper's Mark - use your custom sniper rifle to mark enemy targets, which applies a damage bonus for you and your team.
Newcastle
Real name: Jackson Williams
Class: Support
This family man is an IMC vet and brother to original Apex Legends character, Bangalore. Jackson Williams is a highly skilled fighter, with his specialty lying in his defensive prowess. He's kept his skills sharp by protecting the people of Harris Valley, but now he's after the game's prize money to support his family. Although his sister has something to say about that.
- Tactical ability: Mobile Shield - throw a drone that acts as a movable energy shield for the character
- Passive ability: Retrieve the Wounded - Drag allies to safety while protecting them with a revive shield
- Ultimate ability: Castle Wall - Jump across the map to a teammate and land to create a fortified area around you both
Ash
Real name: Dr. Ashleigh Reid
Class: Assault
Ash is known as the Incisive Instigator, and is a unique blend of human and simulacrum. She's a speedy assassin with a unique kit that allows her to hunt down enemies silently, avenging her fallen teammates. She's got major beef with everyone's favorite Scottish mom, Horizon, and possesses an inhuman ability to wreak havoc without a second thought.
- Tactical ability: Arc Snare - throw a spinning snare that damages and tethers the first enemy that gets too close
- Passive ability: Marked for Death - Ashe's map shows the location of recent deathboxes. Press on a deathbox to mark surviving attackers (once per box)
- Ultimate ability: Phase Breach - tear open a one-way portal to a targeted location
Mad Maggie
Real name: Margaret Kōhere
Class: Assault
Mad Maggie brought a bombastic flair to the games when she arrived in season 12. Rebel warlord and member of the infamous Cracked Talon group of mercs, she's jumped into her fair share of battles across Salvo with a maniacal, righteous glee, and her freedom-fighting chops are more than ready for a go at her old buddy, Fuse.
- Tactical Ability: Riot Drill - release a drill that latches onto enemies, dealing burn damage
- Passive Ability: Warlord's Ire - Highlights damaged enemies, and boosts movement speed with the shotgun
- Ultimate Ability: Wrecking Ball - Launch a ball that detonates in range of enemies
Bloodhound
Real name: Unknown
Class: Recon
Bloodhound is known as the technological tracker and uses their abilities to hunt down enemies across the map. If you're looking for a Norse-inspired reconnaissance master, then Bloodhound is the character for you.
- Tactical Ability: Eye of the Allfather - briefly reveal hidden enemies, traps, and clues throughout structures in front of you
- Passive Ability: Tracker - see tracks left behind by your foes
- Ultimate Ability: Beast of the Hunt - enhances your senses, allowing you to move faster and highlighting your prey
Gibraltar
Real name: Makoa Gibraltar
Class: Support
Gibby is a bulky boy and fulfils your classic tank role in a team. He has strong defensive abilities, and the combination of his Gun Shield and Fortified boost (which slightly decreases damage taken due to his large hitbox) makes him hard to take down.
- Tactical Ability: Dome of Protection - throw down a dome shield that blocks attacks
- Passive Ability: Gun Shield - aiming down sights deploys a gun shield that blocks incoming fire
- Ultimate Ability: Defensive Bombardment - call in a concentrated mortar strike on a marked position
Lifeline
Real name: Ajay Che
Class: Support
A healer in every definition of the word, Lifeline enables your team to stay healthy and fully kitted out. Though she can still pack quite a punch, and can be used on the defense and the offense.
- Tactical Ability: D.O.C. Heal Drone - call your Drone of Compassion to automatically heal nearby teammates over time
- Passive Ability: Combat Medic - deploy D.O.C. to revive teammates, leaving you free to move and defend
- Ultimate Ability: Care Package - call in a drop pod full of high-quality defensive gear
Pathfinder
Real name: MRVN
Class: Skirmisher
Everyone's favourite jolly robot, Pathfinder is all about positioning and repositioning. Armed with grappling hooks and zipline guns, your whole team can take the higher ground and be on the front foot in any firefight.
- Tactical Ability: Grappling Hook - grapple to get to out-of-reach places quickly
- Passive Ability: Insider Knowledge - scan a survey beacon to reveal the ring's next location
- Ultimate Ability: Zipline Gun - Create a zipline for everyone to use
Wraith
Real name: Renee Blasey
Class: Skirmisher
Wraith has been a fan-favorite character since Apex Legends first launched, mostly due to her teleportation abilities and tiny hitbox. Her hitbox has been enlarged since, but she teleporting across the map is still incredibly useful.
- Tactical Ability: Into the Void - reposition quickly through the safety of void space, avoiding all damage
- Passive Ability: Voices from the Void - a voice warns you when danger approaches
- Ultimate Ability: Dimensional Rift - link two locations with portals for 60 seconds, allowing your entire team to use them
Bangalore
Real name: Anita Williams
Class: Assault
An experienced IMC soldier, Bangalore's abilities lend themselves to taking as many fights as possible - and winning them.
- Tactical Ability: Smoke Launcher - fire a high-velocity smoke canister that explodes into a smoke wall on impact. Can now break doors.
- Passive Ability: Double Time - taking fire while sprinting makes you move faster for a brief time
- Ultimate Ability: Rolling Thunder - call in an artillery strike that slowly creeps across the landscape
Caustic
Real name: Alexander Nox
Class: Controller
The first of Apex Legends' unlockable characters, Caustic uses noxious gas to inflict passive damage on your foes. He's a great option for bunkering down and securing a prime position, and he fits quite snugly into a tank position.
- Tactical Ability: Nox Gas Trap - drop canisters that release deadly Nox gas when shot or triggered by enemies. In season 26, Caustic received a buff to his Tactical Ability, with increased damage and aim punch.
- Passive Ability: Nox Vision - allows you to see enemies through your gas
- Ultimate Ability: Nox Gas Grenade - blankets a large area in Nox gas
Mirage
Real name: Elliott Witt
Class: Support
Mirage is the joker of the pack. He loves nothing more than admiring himself and sending out holographic decoys to bamboozle enemy teams, but don't let his cockiness fool you. He can be devastatingly confusing to go up against, and devilishly fun to play.
- Tactical Ability: Psyche Out - send out a holographic decoy to confuse the enemy
- Passive Ability: Now You See Me… - automatically cloak when using Respawn Beacons and reviving teammates
- Ultimate Ability: Life of the Party - deploy a team of Decoys to distract enemies
Octane
Real name: Octavio Silva
Class: Skirmisher
If you've got a need for speed or just want to be the first to hoover up loot, Octane could be your best choice. His mechanical legs will ensure you're always ahead of the pack and heading feet first into the nearest fight.
- Tactical Ability: Stim - move 30% faster for six seconds. Costs health to use
- Passive Ability: Swift Mend - automatically restores health over time
- Ultimate Ability: Launch Pad - deploy a jump pad that catapults teammates through the air
Wattson
Real name: Natalie Paquette
Class: Controller
Another good option for securing a position, Wattson is a genius inventor who uses electricity to her advantage. The continental creator is only 22 years old, but won't let that stop her from clutching wins in the Apex Games.
- Tactical Ability: Perimeter Security - connect nodes to create electrified fences that damage and slow enemies
- Passive Ability: Spark of Genius - Ultimate Accelerants fully charge your Ultimate Ability
- Ultimate Ability: Interception Pylon - place an electrified pylon that destroys incoming ordnance and repairs damaged shields
Crypto
Real name: Tae Joon Park
Class: Recon
Crypto is a hacker who uses his trusty surveillance drone to gain intel on enemy positions and ring locations. Knowledge is power, and Crypto is the very embodiment of knowledge. He's a formidable foe and shouldn't ever be underestimated.
- Tactical Ability: Surveillance Drone - deploy an aerial drone that allows you to view the surrounding area from above
- Passive Ability: Neurolink - enemies detected by the Surveillance Drone within 30 meters of your position are marked for you and your teammates to see
- Ultimate Ability: Drone EMP - your Surveillance Drone sets off an EMP blast that deals shield damage, slows enemies, and disables traps
Revenant
Real name: Unknown
Class: Skirmisher
Like Pathfinder's evil twin, Revenant is a robot hell-bent on killing and destruction. A former assassin (and former human), Revenant has been cursed with a painful, eternal life. After his rework, he became even more terrifying.
- Tactical Ability: Shadow Pounce - Revenant can lunge forward or leap further when Shadow Pounce is charged, similar to the abilities in the Shadow Royale LTM.
- Passive Ability: Assassin's Instinct - Wall climb and crouch movement is faster, and also highlights enemies that are low on health or have been recently injured. There's no maximum to this sight, but there is a limitation to how far it reaches.
- Ultimate Ability: Forged Shadows - Revenant creates a shield of shadows around himself to block incoming damage. The shadow shield ultimate and his tactical ability can be recharged when he gets knockdowns.
Loba
Real name: Loba Andrade
Class: Support
Loba is a thief with a taste for the finer things in life. In the Apex Games, that means she can grab all the best loot before anyone else and ensure your team is kitted out with quality gear before your opponents.
- Tactical Ability: Burglar's Best Friend - teleport to hard-to-reach places or escape trouble quickly by throwing your Jump Drive bracelet
- Passive Ability: Eye for Quality - nearby epic and legendary loot can be seen through walls
- Ultimate Ability: 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
Rampart
Real name: Ramya Parekh
Class: Controller
If you like your weapons bigger and better, then Rampart is the gal for you. She mods LMGs to carry more rounds and can deploy an actual Minigun to beam unsuspecting opponents.
- Tactical Ability: Amped Cover - build a crouch-cover wall, which deploys a full-cover amped wall that blocks incoming shots and amps outgoing shots
- Passive Ability: Modded Loader - increased magazine capacity and faster reloads when using LMGs and the Minigun
- Ultimate Ability: Emplaced Minigun 'Sheila' - place a mounted machine gun that anyone can use. High ammo capacity, long reload time
Horizon
Real name: Dr. Mary Somers
Class: Skirmisher
Horizon is who we all wanted to be when we grew up, an astronaut. After getting stuck in a black hole for 87 years, however, Horizon has mastered the art of manipulating gravity - a convenient advantage in Apex Legends matches.
- Tactical Ability: Gravity Lift - reverses the flow of gravity, lifting players upwards and boosting them outwards when they exit
- Passive Ability: Spacewalk - increase air control and reduce fall impacts with Horizon's custom spacesuit
- Ultimate Ability: Black Hole - deploy N.E.W.T. to create a micro black hole that pulls players towards it, and hits them with a graviton blast at the end
Fuse
Real name: Walter Fitzroy
Class: Assault
A great addition to Apex Legends, extravagant Aussie Fuse has a pronounced proclivity for pyrotechnics. Put simply: he loves grenades and all things that go BOOM. This feisty bomber just wants to watch the world burn and enjoy a cold one as the embers fall.
- Tactical Ability: Knuckle Cluster - launch a cluster bomb that continuously expels airburst explosives on impact
- Passive Ability: Grenadier - stack an extra grenade per inventory slot. Fire grenades farther, faster, and more accurately
- Ultimate Ability: The Motherlode - launch a bombardment that encircles a target area in a wall of flame
Valkyrie
Real name: Kairi Imahara
Class: Recon
Known as the Winged Avenger, Valkyrie is bold, brash, fiery, and fierce. With mini rockets, a jetpack, and plenty of mobility, if you want to zip around the map like an angel of destruction, this legend is the one for you. Her dad was also in the Titanfall games, but we won't hear any 'nepo baby' comments, please and thank you.
- Tactical Ability: Missile Swarm - fire a swarm of mini-rockets that damage and disorient the enemy
- Passive Ability: VTOL Jets - use your jetpack to fly. Fuel is limited, but refills over time
- Ultimate Ability: Skyward Dive - Launch into the air and sky dive. Allies can hook into take-off systems to join you
Seer
Real name: Obi Edolasim
Class: Recon
Seer is about as cool as it gets - basically a cyborg cowboy with super-human powers. An icon of the shunned, the unaccepted, and the unabashedly original, his drone-fuelled abilities focus on maximizing vision in the battlefield, allowing you to spot your enemies, even through walls.
- Tactical Ability: Focus of Attention - summon micro-drones to emit a delayed blast that goes through walls, interrupting and revealing enemies
- Passive Ability: Heart Seeker - hear and visualize the heartbeats of nearby enemies when aiming down sights
- Ultimate Ability: Exhibit - create a sphere of micro-drones that reveal the location of enemies moving quickly or firing their weapons within
That's every Apex Legends character (so far) - all that's left to do is choose! We recommend trying out a few before settling on someone to main, because every character brings something unique to the fight. You can check out our Apex Legends tier list to see who's best, but ultimately, you should pick a character that you enjoy playing and can have fun with.