Apex Legendsseason 17 is right around the corner, bringing with it changes to Ranked, a revamped Firing Range, and a “healing” World’s Edge. It is also introducing a new character in Ballistic, which is usually a given forApex Legends, but many may have been curious if it would happen after Season 16 skipped over a new character.
Ballistic is anAssault-classApex Legendscharacterwho excels at singling out a target and eliminating them, creating situations where it becomes a 3v2 firefight. According to senior legend designer John Ellenton, Ballistic’s best team comp and his biggest counter can be found in Skirmisher characters. Anyone who can help him complete a push, like Octane, are valuable allies, while those who can move around his tactical/deny it, like Horizon, are his Achilles heel. However, his weapon kit is pretty universal and players may find a lot of utility in Ballistic.
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Apex Legends: Ballistic’s Abilities
Ballistic’s abilities include a passive Sling that allows him to carry a third weapon, a tactical smart bullet that may cause an enemy’s weapon to overheat, and an ultimate that buffs him and his nearby allies. While it may sound rather OP on a surface level, there is plenty ofcounterplay built intoApex Legendsthat his kit isn’t devastating.
For example, his Slinged weapon cannot have any attachments and must be a ground weapon. It cannot be a crate weapon for example. Meanwhile, his tactical must be aimed, and the tracking isn’t a guaranteed hit. Ellenton called it more of a clever pistol instead of something likeTitanfall’s smart pistol. If it does miss, it creates a zone that can zap an enemy’s weapon, but the overheating isn’t instant. Players can manage their sprays to keep it from overheating or swap to another weapon, which would still deny the use of a powerful weapon.
His ultimate is understandably his best ability, but it isn’t without its drawbacks. The upgraded Sling weapon could be huge, but it is circumstantial and based on what the Ballistic player has Slinged. When activated, the buff only applies to nearby allies (though they can venture off after that). Infinite ammo sounds like a bigger deal than it is, since it only applies for a limited time, but it can still go a long way in keeping a squad in a fight/helping with inventory management. Overall, Ballistic is going to land hot inseason 17 ofApex Legends,and it’ll be interesting to see what metas emerge around him.
Apex Legendsis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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