Usually, players have to wait until they see an ability trailer to get information on how exactly a new character’s abilities work in Apex Legends. But thanks to a report from Inverse, it appears that Catalyst’s abilities have snuck onto the Internet a bit earlier than normal.
Of greatest interest to most players will be Catalyst’s ultimate and its particular ability to counter one thing in the game: scans. So-called “wall hack” characters like Seer and Bloodhound have dominated the game so thoroughly without any obvious counter to them that the launch trailer’s depiction of Catalyst’s ultimate appearing to stop Seer’s scans caused many players to hope for a counter legend to scan characters. Inverse’s report confirms that Catalyst’s ultimate, Dark Veil, will indeed stop enemy scans.
Interestingly, the wording of the post doesn’t leave out the possibility that friendly scans can still pass through Catalyst’s Dark Veil, meaning that combining Catalyst with another scan character could end up being a powerful combination. The Dark Veil also slows and blinds players who run through it, leaving them very vulnerable to enemy fire. Players can even go over a Dark Veil with certain movement abilities that provide enough vertical height.
The report gives players a better glimpse into other Catalyst abilities as well. Her tactical, Piercing Spikes, will deal damage to enemies that step onto them in addition to slowing them. Piercing Spikes will be destructible, but players must be close enough to the patch of ferrofluid to see a “glowing core” that they can shoot to get rid of the spikes. Barricade, her passive, allows Catalyst to essentially “lock” doors for enemies, forcing them to destroy the doors if they want to get in. Those doors also take more damage when the passive is used on them.
In addition to locking and strengthening the doors, Barricade can “rebuild” doors that have already been destroyed by melee or ordinance. Players can barricade up to two sets of doors at a time.
Catalyst’s confirmed abilities instantly make her an imposing legend for late-game engagements. In situations where the final ring is shrinking and there’s little cover to play behind, using Dark Veil will become a go-to strategy for teams to more safely find areas to play. The Veil can also be used offensively, placed directly in front of an enemy squad to try to trap them, forcing them to go through the ferrofluid wall and become slowed and blinded.
The ability to avoid enemy scans is also massive and potentially overpowered if it turns out that her own team’s scans can pass through the wall. Legends like Horizon, Valkyrie, and Octane will be useful against her by getting over the Dark Veil, while characters with ordinance, like Gibraltar and Bangalore, might also become effective anti-Catalyst characters.
It’s impossible to tell exactly how Catalyst will play out when she arrives in Apex. One thing seems certain, however: she aims to shake up the legend meta far more than other recent legends that have come to the game.
Update Oct. 26 11:50am CT: The article from Inverse listing full descriptions of Catalyst’s abilities has been taken down.
