Apex Legends Tier List for Season 16: All legends ranked
Who is the best Apex Legends character this season?
Our Apex Legends' Tier List is here, ranking every character in the frantic battle royale from developer Respawn. Diving into the best characters to use in Apex Legends with a tier list and explainers of all four legend categories, from support to recon.
If you have been away from the game for a while and need a refresher or just want to give it a go for the first time, our tier list provides everything you need to know, including details on how good the DLC characters are and the best offensive, defensive, support and recon characters divided per category.
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Apex Legends Battle Royale Tier List: The best Legends for Battle Royale ranked
After many battle royale matches in Apex Legends, we've ranked every current legend into a single list - based on their strengths, passive and active abilities, and how they fare against others in terms of advantages and disadvantages.
Apex Legends Tier List (Characters ranked by Tier, last updated February 27th, 2023)
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| Best | Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Seer, Wraith, Ash, Catalyst |
| Strong | Pathfinder, Octane, Valkyrie, Horizon, Newcastle, Vantage, Lifeline |
| Good | Fuse, Bangalore, Caustic, Mad Maggie |
| Average | Crypto, Mirage, Loba, Revenant |
| Weak | Rampart, Wattson |
There have been many changes and balance updates through the years, but this up-to-date rank should provide a solid foundation of what's occurring in the game.
How we settled on our Apex Legends Battle Royale Tier List
Ranking all characters in Apex Legends from 'best' to 'worst' is not an easy task. Each legend, regardless of the nerfs or buffs they have gained throughout multiple balance updates, brings something unique to the table.
Abilities such as Seer's micro-drones or Valkyrie's jetpack can be incredibly powerful in the right hands, and the same can be said about pretty much any other character.
Since this isn't a single-player game, balancing all these abilities as well as how they interact with each other is always tricky, as we have seen in games such as Overwatch. Apex Legends leans more on the competitive side of things, so weapons are also important, and go hand-in-hand with each legend's perks.
Sure, you can use Wraith's ability to travel through a void and basically become invincible for a couple seconds while traversing the map. But if you haven't practiced enough with the game's weaponry to find the right gun for you, it may be tough to land that final shot or successfully confront an enemy squad.
Are there any 'bad' choices to make when it comes to characters? Well, it depends. Advantages and disadvantages depend not on the skill set, but rather on the overall efficiency of said qualities.
Some legends will sometime receive so many drastic nerfs that their initial appeal is affected, and end up becoming a second or third option instead. If their abilities aren't as powerful or as useful as they once were, it's best to just opt for a different one and hold on until future balance patches.
But as we said, choosing the right weapons and strategizing around enemy squads is the key aspect of the game. Abilities, regardless of how flashy they are, exist to support and enhance that core gameplay, but never replace it.
It's likely that you'll be able to survive in matches even if your legend's powers aren't ground-breaking, but when there are so many options available, putting yourself at a disadvantage doesn't make much sense.
With all of this in mind, we looked into each character's strengths and disadvantages based on the latest balance updates against others to decide our definitive Tier List.
How good are DLC characters Apex Legends?
This is an interesting question when it comes to Apex Legends. The core group of characters (Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Pathfinder, Wraith and Bangalore) present quite difference choices from the get-go. But ever since the initial release date, a total of 17 new characters have been added as DLC.
By comparison, the original cast might seem rather rudimentary compared to the abilities boasted by all of the DLC cast. Mirage can create illusionary copies of himself, while Revenant can silence enemies and ruin their abilities for a short time, making the newer characters more desirable.
Each of them has a unique appeal, but it's worth keeping in mind that the Legends are only as good as you are with them. If you don't like using the Recon class and prefer an Offensive class, then Crypto probably isn't the Legend for you.
You can purchase DLC characters through using Apex Coins (most often you get these through using real world money, though on occasion you can be rewarded with them) or through using Legend Tokens that you collect the more time you spend in any Apex mode.
How useful is the newest DLC Legend, Catalyst?
Catalyst (Tressa Crystal Smith) is a brand new Legend that was introduced at the beginning of Season 15, and she's still one of the strongest Legends in game. Here's a quick breakdown of her abilities:
- Passive: Barricade - Strengthens doors and locks them, doorways missing a door can also benefit from this
- Tactical: Piercing Spikes - Essentially a gooey trap that turns into spikes and impales enemies caught in them. Catalyst is immune to other spikes too.
- Ultimate: Dark Veil - Another wall of gooey liquid (ferrofluid) that slows and partially blinds enemies
Catalyst is a great character for leading your opponents into traps that weaken them and give your team a good opportunity to take them out. Battle Royale is where Catalyst shines as her abilities make it easy for you to watch your own back and for your team to fortify themselves in a position. This is especially useful if the final set of rings cover a building, if you're team has a Catalyst and you are inside, you can create a stronghold to fend off your opponents.
Analysing DLC characters to find one of your ranking is key before making a decision, but you won't have nothing to worry about against other players with paid characters using most of the original six in the meantime!
Want to know the best Legend for this Season? Check out our Apex Legends Season 16 Legend Tier List that details who's the best for Revelry and why. Our other guides can show you how to make a Private Match and explain what Ring Consoles are. Also, take a look at our Veiled collection event page to learn about the latest limited-time event.
Best Assault Class character in Apex Legends
For Season 16, Ash has rightfully maintained her place as our pick for one of the best Legends for any mode. Ash, formerly known as Dr Ashleigh Reid, is someone you want on your team and someone you really should fear if you confront them on the battlefield.
Ash's tactical ability, Spinning Snare, damages the first enemy that gets too close and it traps them in place which makes them an easy target. Good news if you're Ash or on their team, but bad news if you're the one trapped.
Her passive ability is also one that's great news if you're Ash, and absolutely terrible news if you're on an opposing team that has recently lost a teammate. Ash's map will mark recent death boxes and then mark any surviving Legends near it. If Ash is in your match, then it's a gamble to try and collect your teammate's banner if she's nearby.
Finally, Ash's ultimate is great for escaping dangerous areas and for catching another team off guard. Phase Breach allows Ash to open a one-way portal to another location (unlike Wraith's Dimensional Rift ability that can be used for 2-way travel).
Overall, Ash has made this list because you can combine all three of her abilities to become truly lethal.
Best Skirmisher Class character in Apex Legends
A mix of offensiveness with the perks that a recon character could easily wield, Wraith is an elusive character that has one of the most powerful abilities in the game. Into the Void allows her literally travel through the 'void' - in this state she avoids all incoming damage, and can move freely for a couple seconds.
Since this state is outside the plane of reality, Wraith also becomes almost invisible to others (though she does leave a trail that can be spotted if you're close enough). It makes for a perfect opportunity to escape from trouble, or rather approach it directly, flanking the enemy without them noticing.
As for her other abilities, her passive summons a voice that gives alerts whenever an enemy is getting closer or someone is about to shoot you, while Dimensional Rift creates portals to travel through two locations for 60 seconds.
All in all, these are great additions to the character's already impressive tactical ability.
Best Recon Class character in Apex Legends
The battle royale maps are big, and it's always helpful to have a recon character on your team. Our best choices are all about scanning the surrounding area for enemies, as well as adding new mobility options for you and your squadmates.
A character you will see every few matches at the very least, and for good reason. Bloodhound is the perfect definition of the recon category. They excel at keeping track of enemies' actions and last movements thanks to their passive ability. But if that's not enough, Eye of the Allfather is an excellent ability to have on your squad.
This sonar radar reveals enemies in a radius in front of Bloodhound, alongside receiving a message of how many foes were detected by this. Their appearance won't last long, but it should provide plenty of time to warn your teammates or prepare your a surprise attack, which is immensely useful.
It's worth keeping in mind that enemies will know they have been scanned - but you and your team will have the tactical advantage.
As for their ultimate ability, Beast of the Hunt enhances Bloodhound's senses for a period of time, making cold enemy tracks visible as well as boosting the overall speed. In heated circumstances, this is the perfect ability to use. When paired up with Eye of the Allfather, no one will be able to escape from your sight.
Best Controller Class character in Apex Legends
The newest Legend to be added to the roster has been making her mark on the Apex games. Catalyst has three abilities that are useful for any play style, and though she can be treated as an offensive character, her true strengths lay in being the best of the Controller Class.
Her Piercing Spike ability allows you to make a quick escape from any enemies on your tail or if you want to lay a trap to ambush unsuspecting teams that cross your path. Also, if another Catalyst has put down their own spikes and you are playing as her, you will be immune to them.
Catalyst's ultimate ability, Dark Veil, is another one where you can ambush enemies or use it to escape. The veil of dark gooey liquid (ferrofluid) temporarily blinds and slows down enemies that walk straight through it. This makes it particularly useful if you're being chased around a building or a built-up area on the map. One throw of the veil behind you, and any enemies caught in it will be slowed down just enough for you to have a chance at running. Alternatively, you could just obliterate them too while you have the chance.
Also, Barricade (Catalyst's passive) is useful if you find yourself perfectly situated in the center of the last set of rings and you are inside a building. This ability allows her to reinforce doors and lock them to any enemies, even if the actual door is missing from the doorway.
Best Support Class character in Apex Legends
If you prefer a classic medic-type character then Lifeline is the one for you. D.O.C. Heal Drone is one of the most useful abilities in the game, allowing you and your teammates to heal while stationary around the drone.
Of course, Apex Legends is a game that will have you moving most of the time, but if you're resting behind a wall after your shield was destroyed by enemy fire, the drone will serve as a backup as you reposition yourself. This is also helpful when reviving teammates, granting them instantaneous health regeneration for a couple seconds.
Speaking of which, Lifeline has a unique way of bringing teammates back to the fray. Combat Revive allows her to leave a drone make the action on her behalf and this can now be used with two teammates simultaneously.
In addition, Care Package is always nice to have. Lifeline will deploy a station with this ultimate ability, granting better versions of the squad's equipment (body and knockdown shields, helmets, weapon attachments, backpacks and so on).
Lastly, her passive ability allows her to open an extra compartment in blue supply bins, which is super helpful for looting.