Catalyst’s ferrofluid-based abilities are quickly making her one of the most picked legends at the start of the Apex Legends season. Not only does she allow squads to hunker down and fortify advantageous positions, but she can also provide cover from sightlines and scans over wide-open areas. These abilities force players out of their comfort zones by making them choose legends that counter Catalyst’s abilities; of which there are quite a few.
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Fuse
Fuse is undoubtedly the biggest counter to Catalyst. His Knuckle Cluster tactical ability can break down Catalyst’s barricaded doors with a single charge and can deal a good amount of damage to her Piercing Spikes. If Fuse doesn’t have any Knuckle Cluster charges available, his Grenadier passive ability ensures that he almost always has at least one grenade that can bust a Catalyst bunker.
Fuse’s ultimate ability, The Motherlode, is also a direct counter to Catalyst’s Dark Veil ultimate. Since the veil only blocks scans from either side, it cannot prevent the active scans from the ring of fire generated by Fuse’s ultimate. Of course, enemies have to be within The Motherlode for them to be scanned by the ability, but this can be achieved with a little bit of luck and some predictive audio cues.
Crypto
Unlike most Recon legends, Crypto’s scans come not from his person but from his Surveillance Drone tactical ability. And since the drone cannot be affected by any of Catalyst’s abilities (this includes the slow effects from Piercing Spikes and Dark Veil as well as the damage from the former and the blind debuffs of the latter), this makes Crypto one of the go-to options when dealing with a Catalyst provided he has his drone up.
In terms of interactions, Crypto’s Surveillance Drone can open barricaded doors just as easily as it can open regular doors (that being it simply has to interact with them). Crypto can also place the drone above Catalyst’s Dark Veil to passively scan both sides, thereby making things easier for him and his squad. Dark Veil can become a hindrance to a Catalyst squad that is fighting a Crypto drone since they can’t see through both sides as the drone can. Unfortunately, Crypto’s Drone EMP cannot destroy Catalyst’s Dark Veil, so he has to make do instead with using his Surveillance Drone to give his squad the advantage.
Seer
Despite supposedly being weak against Catalyst’s anti-wall hack Dark Veil, Seer’s passive and ultimate abilities still work just fine. His Focus of Attention passive ability is as strong as it has always been and allows Seer to see through all walls, including Catalyst’s Dark Veil. With good communication and some well-placed pings, Seer can easily tell his squad where to shoot through the ferrofluid wall.
Seer’s Ultimate ability also isn’t based on a single directional scan but rather enemy movement. As long as foes are running or shooting within Exhibit’s effective vicinity, Seer and his allies can see them as plain as day. In fact, having both Seer and Catalyst on the same team can make fights against enemy squads feel one-sided as the vision-obscuring abilities and wallhacks can make for some controlled chaos.
Mad Maggie
Just like her childhood friend and fellow Salvonian Fuse, Mad Maggie’s abilities can both destroy Catalyst’s defenses and provide a way to see through her ferrofluid. Warlord’s Ire provides Mad Maggie with temporary wallhacks for enemies she has hit (this includes all her abilities, weapons, and grenades). By shooting or spamming abilities and grenades through Dark Veil, Mad Maggie can get lucky and tag an enemy with her passive. With the enemy’s location revealed, she can then direct her allies to focus fire on a specific location.
When it comes to barricaded doors and Piercing Spikes, Mad Maggie’s Riot Drill can easily break down the former while doing a good amount of damage to the latter. Riot Drill is still best used on barricaded doors, however, as it works in tandem with Warlord’s Ire and can show any enemies hiding behind them. If Mad Maggie finds herself without a Riot Drill charge or a grenade, she can simply toss her Wrecking Ball ultimate ability and bust through any barricaded doors with ease.
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Wraith
Wraith has always been a solid legend as her phase-shifting abilities give her and her squad the ability to move and reposition without taking any damage. These abilities come in handy when dealing with Catalyst as well. Into the Void lets Wraith pass through Catalyst’s Piercing Spikes and Dark Veil without experiencing any debuffs. Once on the other side, a Wraith must find cover as she cannot immediately fight back after using her tactical ability. When Into the Void is used in tandem with her Dimensional Rift ultimate ability, Wraith can create a portal that allows her and her squad to move and fight between two points. This lets Wraith squads bypass most, if not all of a Catalyst’s defenses and get to areas that she hasn’t fortified.
Horizon
Horizon’s ability to gain heght quickly is what makes her so powerful. With her Gravity Lift tactical ability, Horizon can reposition her squad to advantageous positions where they can heal up or attack enemies. Using Horizon’s Gravity Lift when near a Catalyst’s ground-based Piercing Spikes or Dark Veil allows players to completely bypass the traps and get into the thick of battle. Horizon’s ultimate ability, Black Hole, can also be used to pull enemies to a single side of the Dark Veil and temporarily blind a squad that passes through the ferrofluid wall. When in a bind, Black Hole can also be used to destroy barricaded doors and create openings for Horizon and her squad.
These are the legends that are most affected by Catalyst’s introduction into Apex Legends. Each of the legends has their own interactions with Catalyst’s abilities, and these are bound to change once the inevitable mid-season update comes along. Those who want to get the upper hand on the new defense legend should take the aforementioned playable characters for a spin, as they might find more utility out of them than anyone else.
Apex Legends is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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