Apex Legends’ limited-time mode (LTM) Control doesn’t really play like its battle royale or Arenas counterparts. Instead of working with the usual squad of three, Control puts two teams of nine against each other. Teams get points for capturing and holding zones. The first team to reach 100 points or hold all three zones for a certain period of time in a lockout wins. While the mode was designed to work well with the game’s entire cast, some legends who are common picks in other modes may not be as well-suited for Control.
Control isn’t a regular mode in Apex, but its popularity with players means that it’s returned several times as an LTM during events. Its next return will be during week three of 2022’s Fight or Fright event, where it will be sharing the spotlight with Gun Run and Shadow Royale for the duration of the event. If you’re looking to get back into Control after its long absence or want to give it a try for the first time, we’ve compiled a list of the legends best suited to the task.
Here are the best legends for Control in Apex.
Fuse
One of the best ways to approach Control is from an area denial perspective. The more area you take up or make hazardous to your opponent, the harder it will be for them to approach you or steal the point you’re defending. On the flip side, raining fire—literal or metaphorical—down on your enemy while they hold a point is a good way to chase them off a zone.
Fuse is the king of area denial. Both his tactical and his ultimate make it difficult for enemies to stand in any given location. Knuckle Clusters can be used to chase enemies off of zones and out from behind cover, while The Motherlode can keep enemies inside of a particular area, making them easier for your teammates to take out. Both can even be used defensively to stop the enemy from storming a particular choke point or doorway.
There are so many enemies in one place in Control that any extra damage is appreciated, no matter how small. Fuse’s abilities fit the bill here, too. Knuckle Clusters in particular can do a surprising amount of damage to a cluster of enemies. While he might not have a fantastic pick rate in battle royale, Fuse is more than viable in Control.
Bloodhound
With nine people on each side, information is key—and few legends can get information like Bloodhound. Eye of the Allfather can pinpoint the location of several enemies when defending or rushing, and Beast of the Hunt is a useful bit of extra firepower. When combined with the large radius on their tactical, you have an excellent tracker who is adept at conveying information to eight other allies.
Bloodhound has always been a strong pick in battle royale, and they work equally well on Control’s individual POIs. The extremely wide radius of Eye of the Allfather catches more people on these smaller battlegrounds, and Bloodhound’s more aggressive pushing playstyle encourages your teammates to capitalize on opportunities as the match goes on. They’re a strong pick on most LTMs, and Control is no exception.
Seer
Like Bloodhound, Seer provides a lot of information for his team. Rather than favoring an aggressive playstyle, though, Seer tends to reward patience and ambush tactics. His Heart Seeker isn’t as useful in Control, but Focus of Attention is a great way to flush enemies out of their hiding spot or scare everyone off of a point. It also provides valuable recon information about enemy health and shield status to allies, allowing them to capitalize on the weakest opposing players.
Exhibit is a boon in Control, too. Setting it in a hidden location near a zone is a great way to see all enemies coming into and out of an area, which helps your teammates mount a strong defense on a zone they control. Generally speaking, the more you know about enemies’ locations and tactics, the better you’ll do in Control. Many players just rush in guns blazing, but there are ways that stealthier players can sneak in and cause mayhem. Seer helps prevent that.
Valkyrie
Valkyrie might not seem immediately useful in Control since the battlefields are so small that her Skyward Dive ultimate doesn’t really work as a repositioning tool. But her other abilities are still extremely helpful: Being able to quickly fly to better vantage points with her VTOL Jets allows her to function well as a sniper and her Missile Swarm works as an outdoor area denial tool, like Fuse’s Motherlode.
Even Skyward Dive can be useful in certain situations. As part of her recon designation, Valkyrie can see enemy locations while she’s flying through the air. A quick Skyward Dive straight up and down can not only help you reposition back to your team’s spawn point for a more coordinated push, but it can show you exactly where enemies are—the better to help break their defenses. She might be more of an out-of-the-box pick, but Valkyrie is still a good pick for Control.
Octane
Besides area denial, back-capping is another potential strategy in Control. Back-capping involves bypassing the map’s central zone and instead capturing the zone closest to the enemy base. This method works well because it cuts off enemies from their team when they respawn and forces them to fall back to their home base.
When back-capping, you want to get to the objective fast—so why not bring in Octane? His Stim will get him from A to B to C quickly, and his Jump Pad can help teams escape or rush into a position. Like Bloodhound, Octane is a legend who has traditionally been strong in almost all of Apex‘s modes, most notably battle royale. His propensity for solo play thanks to his self-healing makes him a good choice for stealthy back-capping endeavors. He’s also one of the quickest ways to get back to a point from a spawn, meaning you can stay in the fight longer and without necessarily having to hunt down a Trident to get there quickly.
