We’re a week into Apex Legends season 1, and if the battle pass chock full of rare cosmetics and rewards didn’t jumpstart your interest, maybe our new friend Octane will. The new legend was the subject of numerous leaks leading up to season 1’s start date, and with a new ability set that emphasizes speed and dangerous risk-taking, Octane will prove an interesting challenge for most players. Here’s how to play Octane most effectively in Apex Legends.
Who is Octane?
Octane, aka Octavio Silva, is a young adrenaline junkie with a penchant for pissing off his wealthy parents. After winning a race via a self-administered grenade (and ripping his legs off in the process), Octane was told his glory-seeking days were over. That didn’t sit well with him, so he guilt-tripped fellow Apex Legends character Lifeline into crafting some bionic legs for him. Now Octane can perform even more daring feats in the Apex Legends arena.
What are Octane’s abilities?
Octane’s ability set very much emphasizes some creative risk-taking and closing the gap on enemies. It’s a unique mix that many players may not necessarily jive with, and it remains to be seen if he’ll have a presence in Apex Legends’ ongoing “meta,” but for now, he’s the new kid in town, so you’ll find plenty of folks trying him out. Here’s what you’re working with.
Passive ability: Swift Mend
Despite a penchant for tearing himself a new one on the regular, Octane’s passive ability allows him to heal slowly over time, which really comes in handy with his tactical ability, which we’ll get to in a second. Swift Mend won’t heal you fast enough to make any difference in combat, but if you manage to make an escape or close the fight, you’ll find yourself back in fighting shape within a reasonable amount of time… unless another enemy team comes in like a pack of vultures.
Tactical ability: Stim
I love Stim, the “gotta go fast” of Apex Legends abilities. In exchange for about 15-25 percent of your health (it’s hard to tell), Octane will stick a needle full of the good stuff in his neck that makes him move 30 percent faster for six seconds. It’s really useful for closing the gap on enemies, especially if you’ve got some armor to soak up the first few hits you’ll probably take. I’ve also had some great success using it to outright flank enemies, assuming I have some cover to hide behind. Get enemy teams thinking they’re under attack from multiple teams and you’ll give them a good reason to panic.
Ultimate ability: Launch Pad
Certainly the goofiest of Octane’s toolset, but it has its uses. The most success I’ve had with the Launch Pad is to put myself in places that even Pathfinder would have some trouble getting to. Think the top of the Market building and dropping in on an enemy squad, or hopping across the massive ravine at the Bridges or Cascade locations. Getting on strange roofs will almost always help your advantage over an enemy on flat ground, despite the more vertical nature of Apex Legends and its roots in Titanfall. Despite all that, folks never seem to look up.
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Unfortunately, the Launch Pad can be really picky about what direction you’ll actually jump, and in a game where you only get a couple honest shots at deciding a fight, that’s not great. I’ve had a few jumps flubbed, leaving me unable to get to the rooftop that would have been perfect for sneak attacks.
Final thoughts on Octane
I’m a fan of Octane’s personality, but it’s a tough sell to call him a necessary choice in battle. His abilities are all accessible enough that I never felt like I had a steep learning curve (unlike Wraith or Mirage), but it’s still not decisive enough. Whereas legends like Lifeline or Gibraltar are providing the defense and healing necessary to make drawn out fights matter, Octane’s single greatest advantage seems to be that he’s a pain in the ass to hit accurately. We’ll see how he does once more characters are released.
Make sure to check out our other character guides for Lifeline and our ranking of every Apex Legends character, and our guide to the season 1 battle pass.