Bloodhound is one of the most mysterious characters in Apex Legends. But Respawn’s latest animated short, released today, shed some light on the legend’s background.
The new episode of “Stories from the Outlands” shows how Bloodhound lost their uncle—and how they became Bloth Hoondr.
The episode also precedes a new lore event, The Old Ways, which includes a Bloodhound Town Takeover, permanent Duos mode, and gives players a definite choice between Kings Canyon and World’s Edge.
The animated short tells Bloodhound’s Origin story. They live in a tribe inspired by Old Norse mythology, with the use of Viking patterns on their clothes, practices, and rituals, and deities such as the Allfather.
The latest episode of “Stories from the Outlands” also mentions the Meltdown, an incident that caused the abandonment of World’s Edge. The accident caused several deaths and its part of a dichotomy that’s present in the trailer.
Bloodhound’s uncle, Arthur, comments on how machines made other people weaker, a reference to the Meltdown accident. “Let their death be a warning,” he told a young Bloodhound.
Bloodhound’s tribe follows the Old Ways, a modernity-averse lifestyle that glorifies combat and uses melee weapons. The short showcases the story of Bloodhound’s ax, which was passed onto them by their uncle as he gives the tracker a rite of passage.
The video gives more insight into Bloodhound’s character and how they became Bloth Hoondr. It also explains key elements of the character, including their Old Norse-inspired background, the importance of the ax in their heirloom set, and how Bloodhound got their pet crow, Arthur—named in honor of their uncle.
The respect and departure from the Old Ways is also a key theme in the short. In Bloodhound’s initial attempt at killing the beast, they used a Charge Rifle and landed them in exile for forsaking tradition. After the creature returned, the tracker used a charged core to scare off the beast.
“It was not the gun that protected them,” Arthur said. “It was you. Perhaps there’s more to the Old Ways than the weapon we choose.”
The passage shows that there’s a degree of leeway in their tribe’s honor code. The juxtaposition between technology and tradition is also an important part of Bloodhound’s character.
The Technological Tracker, as evidenced by their name, uses a series of technological advances to hunt their prey in the Apex Games and honor the Allfather. At the same time, the legend still honors the Allfather and mentions their Felagi fighters. The conjunction between technology and tradition could be one of the heirlooms she got from her uncle.
The short also evidences how they found Arthur, their pet crow. The animal helped Bloodhound fight off the beast as their final rite of passage and stuck with the legend following their uncle’s funeral.
