Apex Legends: New Class System Rework

Image: Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts via HGG

Human Made

Penned by Gibson Vasela

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

At long last, after a very long time of waiting, the much-anticipated class system overhaul/rework for Apex Legends is finally here! Released at the start of Season 16, the game now features an extensive class system. Each legend is divided into one of five different categories, with each category having its own perks.

So just what are these perks, exactly? What are the benefits and downsides of playing each class? Which one should I pick? We are going to be answering all of these questions and many more in this guide to the new class system rework in Apex Legends. Strap yourself in, there is a lot to cover.

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Apex Legends: New Class System Rework Explained

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Class System Overview & Biggest Changes

As previously mentioned, there are now five different categories (classes) that a legend can fit under thanks to this recent season update. Each class features its own unique perks that add a lot to each legend’s already existing kit.

While classes existed before, they each feel much more distinct and interesting now. A brand new class has been added, and one has been renamed/reworked. The five classes that are currently in the game are as follows:

• Assault: Aggressive, combat-focused characters who are always on the front lines.
• Skirmisher: Mobility-based legends designed around re-positioning their squad.
• Recon: Characters whose abilities are based on scanning other legends.
• Controller: Defensive legends who can use their abilities to influence where enemies go.
• Support: Non-aggressive characters with abilities based on supporting their team.

This is a nice upgrade over the previous four that were available (assault, recon, defense, and support). The most notable new feature of this class system rework is the addition of Skirmisher legends. This is basically a movement-legend class. All legends in this category are designed around getting themselves and their teammates around the map as fast as possible. It features classic legends such as Pathfinder, Octane, and several others.

Defense has not been removed per se, but it has been reworked a lot. Most of the legends from the defense class are now categorized as Controller legends, due to their ability to control where enemies can and can’t go on the battlefield. Legends in this category include Caustic, Wattson, and several others. Meanwhile, the other defensive legends that don’t fit into that category have been re-classified as Support legends. This includes Gibraltar and Newcastle.

Each Class & Unique Perks in Apex Legends

Now that we’ve given a basic overview of the new system and all its most obvious changes, why don’t we talk about each of the new classes in more detail?

Assault

The first category for Apex Legends characters is the Assault class. In this category, you’ll find legends whose abilities are all based around combat and attacking enemies head-on.

It is the most “standard” class for lack of a better word, and it’s a great class to play if you are incredibly good at aiming and playing aggressively in first-person shooter games. It includes the following legends:

• Bangalore: Combat veteran who can throw down smoke bombs and call in an artillery strike on enemies.
• Revenant: Former assassin with access to Silence Bombs that disable enemy abilities and a totem that when activated will re-spawn you at its location after death.
• Fuse: Australian explosives expert with a set of unique cluster grenades and a mortar launcher for dealing damage to enemies.
• Ash: Ex-mercenary simulacrum who can throw down a device that locks targets in place. She can also create a one-way portal for quickly attacking enemies.
• Mad Maggie: Freedom fighter with the ability to launch a drill that does damage to targets behind walls. Can also throw a wrecking ball to damage enemies and give her a speed boost.

Unique Perks

The assault class’s unique perks enforce its legend’s combat-focused and aggressive play styles. If you choose a character in the assault weapons category, you will be able to carry more ammo for each stack of ammo that is in your inventory.

In addition, you will also be able to open red supply bins. These are special supply bins that contain a hidden second compartment. When these second compartments are open, they will contain attachments to add to your weapons!

Skirmisher

Up next on this guide for the new class system rework in Apex Legends, we have the Skirmisher class. This is a class that many players have been requesting be added to the game for a long while, although before they were calling it “Mobility” instead of Skirmisher.

Like the Assault class, it is a great category for players who like to play aggressively. This class features legends whose abilities are designed to quickly relocate their team. It features all of these legends:

• Pathfinder: Robotic survey expert who can swing around with his grappling hook and deploy zip-lines for him and other players to use.
• Wraith: Former titan pilot and scientist who can phase herself out of existence to avoid enemy fire as well as create a two-way portal for her and her squad mates.
• Mirage: Bar owner and party animal who can deploy holographic models of himself to trick enemies. Can be deployed one at a time or in a big group.
• Octane: Adrenaline junkie daredevil that uses a stim to make himself go faster at the cost of health. Uses a jump pad to quickly transport himself and his teammates.
• Horizon: Genius scientist who uses a device to quickly transport herself upwards. Also has access to a miniature black hole that can suck enemies into a certain position.
• Valkyrie: Daughter of a hardened mercenary. Uses a jetpack that can be used for quickly transporting both herself and her teammates around the map incredibly fast.

Unique Perks

Class perks for the Skirmisher class are centered around Care Packages. If you see a Care Package floating down, you can look at it to scan it and see what goods are inside it. Additionally, if the Care Package has already touched down, then you will be able to tell if it’s been looted yet or not.

These class perks are likely to change, however, as fan reception for them has not been as good as the reception for the perks available with the other classes in the game.

Recon

Now onto the Recon category of legends. The Recon class is based on the ability to scan and located other enemies for you and your teammates, allowing you to see through walls and clouds of smoke.

Apex Legends has long had a scanning meta, so if you are looking for some strong legends to play ranked with, this is the class for you. There are currently only four legends in the game that fit into this class, and they are as follows:

• Bloodhound: Experienced hunter who can scan and track the location of nearby enemies for his squad.
• Crypto: Expert hacker who uses a drone that can scan other enemies and deploy an EMP to stun enemies and drain their shields.
• Seer: Performance artist with the ability to track enemies through walls and deploy a giant bubble that will scan enemies inside.
• Vantage: Survivalist huntress that can rapidly relocate herself. Also uses a modified sniper rifle to pick off enemies.

Unique Perks

As for this class’s perks, they still have the ability to scan survey beacons as they did in previous seasons. However, it works a bit differently this time around. When a Recon legend scans a survey beacon, instead of revealing the next ring as it did in the past, it will show the locations of every enemy on the map for 30 seconds in total.

In case you don’t know what survey beacons are, they are devices marked on your map that can be interacted with by approaching them.

Controller

Up next, let’s take a moment to talk about the Controller class. As previously mentioned, this is a rework of the Defensive class from seasons past. Characters in this category have the ability to place down defenses and objects that influence where enemies can and can’t go on the map, essentially controlling their movement.

I highly recommend you pick a legend from this category if you like to play defensively and don’t like pushing enemies. The characters in this class are:

• Caustic: Mad scientist with the ability to deploy gas traps and a special gas grenade, both of which slow down enemies and damage them over time.
• Wattson: Electrical engineer who can set up electric fences and a shield-recharging pylon to protect herself and her team.
• Rampart: Expert gunsmith that specializes in setting up deployable cover and protecting areas with her custom-made mini-gun turret.
• Catalyst: Mysterious woman with the ability to throw down black goo that damages enemies who step foot in it. Can also deploy a tall wall to keep enemies out.

Unique Perks

The Controller legends take on the same class perk that Recon legends in the past did. They have the ability to scan for the location of the next ring! Although instead of doing it through Survey Beacons, they do it by interacting with devices called Ring Consoles.

Functionally, they work exactly the same as Survey Beacons. They are shown on your map and when you get to one, you can interact with it to activate your class perk. There are about a dozen of them scattered around each and every map.

Support

Last but certainly not least, we have the Support category of legends. This is without a doubt one of the most underappreciated classes in the game, as last season we only had 2 Support legends before the rework.

Support legends are based around, well, supporting their team. There is a lot of variety in what each legend can do in this class. One legend can revive teammates automatically, another can resupply teammates with valuable loot fast, etc. The characters in this class are shown below:

• Gibraltar: First responder who uses a device that deploys a bubble shield to protect teammates. Can also call down an artillery strike.
• Lifeline: Combat medic that can automatically revive teammates. Also has the ability to call in Lifeline Packages containing loot.
• Loba: Professional thief that can transport herself to high-up areas as well as deploy a device that will allow her to transport nearby loot to her location.
• Newcastle: Combat veteran with the ability to deploy a mobile one-sided shield to protect teammates, as well as a rapidly-forming defensive cover.

Unique Perks

The Support class has two class perks. Firstly, they have the ability to craft re-spawn banners from the Replicators that spawn throughout the map. This is a great alternative to getting banners manually from death boxes, and you can even craft someone’s banner after it has already expired!

Their second class perk allows them to open the secret compartment on blue supply bins. These blue supply bin secret compartments are always stuffed with survival items as well as healing items.

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We hope that you found this article covering the new class system rework in Apex Legends helpful! What are your thoughts on the latest season of Apex Legends? Be sure to let us know down in the comments! And please be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more awesome content.

Happy gaming!