Apex Legends players who love going aggro in the fast-paced shooter will almost always find themselves running around the battlefield just to get the rush of combat. And when they do meet worthy opponents, it’s likely that some teams would retreat in the first sign of danger. This is a bummer most of the time, but not if players are using Ash.
This simulacrum initiator of Apex Legends specializes in precisely chasing enemies at their weakest. Ash’s toolkit is built to help her identify enemies who had just engaged in combat, as well as give her access to teleportation methods that allow her to jump from one heated battlefield to the next. At the sight of Ash’s blade, there’s no escape. Here's how to maximize this deadly Apex Legend’s abilities.
Ash: Schemer First, Scientist Second
Hailing from the Titanfall series set in the same world, the enigmatic Ash has been hinted as one of the more important background characters in Apex Legends lore. Born in the Frontier, Ash was originally known as Dr. Ashleigh Reid, a prominent researcher hired by the Syndicate to steal an experimental fuel source being studied in the Outlands. While her long con led to close relationships with her marks, an accident led to the destruction of their lab, leading to both her death and resurrection.
Now a simulacrum, the trauma of her transformation led to Dr. Reid losing much of her memories, with the power-hungry “Ash” personality remaining. And when an encounter with Horizon overrides her programming, the dormant but intelligent Leigh personality has begun to reemerge - and ready to reclaim her new body.
Why Play Ash: Methodical Combat Initiation
While Revenant of Apex Legends encourages stalking and straightforward stealth, fellow simulacrum Ash instead approaches enemies with cunning and deliberate mercilessness. Capable of ensnaring enemies and locating opponents who just killed other players (especially with recommended Apex Legends weapons), Ash quite literally “punishes” others who had just killed, as though becoming death incarnate. Here's why this can be appealing to potential Ash users:
- Target vulnerable opponents more often: Given her Marked For Death (Passive), Ash can catch the general direction of opponents who had just killed a Death Box owner. Chasing them allows Ash to catch a potentially-recovering team off-guard, making them easy pickings.
- Tap into a frontline aggressive scouter: Thanks to Ash’s kit, players have another option for a scouting character, but with a more aggressive approach. Her abilities allow her to spot recently-attacking enemies, allowing her team to actively choose whether to chase or avoid targets.
- Slight silencing, slight mobility: Compared to a hard silencer like Revenant and a hard runner like Octane, Ash has a little bit of both. Her projectile Arc Snare (Tactical) can give a short silence to opponents, while Phase Breach (Ultimate) allows her team to either chase enemies or choose a better vantage point - even vertically.
The Basics Of Ash: Careful Stalking
Being an aggressive stalker in any Apex Legends map, Ash relies less on consistent stealth and more on tactical prowess when engaging enemies. Thanks to her toolkit, Ash is capable of not only finding enemies tired from recent conflict but even having skills that can stop opponents on their tracks to transform them into easy pickings. These things benefit Ash, especially if she’s using a powerful weapon like an Apex Legends Assault Rifle, which is tailor-made to help players adapt to situations. Here is a quick rundown on this Legend's basic skills:
- Marked For Death (Passive): This skill allows Ash to see the locations of recent Death Boxes. Interacting with such a Death Box will show the location of the attackers once.
- Arc Snare (Tactical): Ash can throw a slow-moving projectile that transforms into a snare trap, stopping opponents in place.
- Phase Breach (Ultimate): Ash can set up a one-way frontal teleportation device to a certain location.
Ash's Toolkit
Passive: Marked For Death
As a Skirmisher in the battle royale, it’s essential for Ash to have a means to track down her enemies for her ambushes and surprise attacks, regardless of what Apex Legends weapon combo she uses. This is the point of her Marked For Death (Passive), which helps her track other aggressive attackers from the vantage point of recent Death Boxes. Here are some qualities to check out:
- Properties: Ash’s map immediately marks the location of Death Boxes that spawned within the past 3 minutes. She can ping any of them from her map view, regardless of the distance. Interacting with said Death Box will reveal the current location of its recent attackers for 8 seconds, and sees how many attackers are left for 4 seconds. The enemy team who experiences this gets a hint about Ash using this ability.
- Avoid unnecessary conflicts: Thanks to this ability, Ash can immediately make decisions as to whether certain enemies are worth pursuing, or if certain areas are safe for exploration. If Ash sees enemies lurking in a possible hot zone, Ash’s team can simply avoid this area.
- Always prepare for counters when using this ability: Aside from the fact that enemies are notified of Ash revealing their location, players need to remember that this ability’s 3-minute limitation on Death Box usage means Ash can only track enemies from fresh battles. Opponents who remember the spot of their recent conflict can go back and surprise Ash’s team instead.
Tactical: Arc Snare
It’s one thing for Ash to identify where potential targets are, and another thing to give the Apex Legends team the ability necessary to follow-through. Such is the point of the Arc Snare (Tactical), which allows Ash to unleash a projectile that transforms into a snare trap that stuns the target upon making contact. Here are some things to note:
- Properties: This ability has a 25-second cooldown and affects a 4-meter radius for 5 seconds until someone enters the trap. The first enemy to enter this area takes 10 Health damage, 20 Shield damage, and gets a 3-second snare.
- Treat this like any other projectile: Given the Arc Snare’s nature as a projectile that sticks to any object, it helps to treat it like any other grenade. It's ideal to use this to an opponent focused on running away or recovering, so that it’s easier to aim. Likewise, following-through or combo-ing with AOEs like Knuckle Clusters (Fuse) and Nox Gas Traps (Caustic) can make a zone a guaranteed death trap.
- Take note of ability interactions: The Arc Snare isn’t an almighty capturing tool. When close enough to a Phase Breach (Ash) or a Dimensional Rift (Wraith), a target can still escape the vicinity of the trap. Interestingly, the Arc Snare can also make other mobility abilities rather disadvantageous for enemy teams, such as a Gravity Lift (Horizon) and Launch Pads (Octane).
Ultimate: Phase Breach
When desperate to chase her enemies and perhaps finish them off with a pistol, Ash doesn’t necessarily have to run a long way to reach her destination. Thanks to Phase Breach (Ultimate), she can slash a tear into spacetime to reach a particular destination. This tear stays open for a while for Ash’s team to use. Here are things to consider:
- Properties: This Ultimate has a 2-minute cooldown, with the portal itself lasting 15 seconds. Ash can choose any destination within 62.5 meters, be it horizontally or vertically.
- Remember the direction when using the portal: When players enter Ash’s portal, they retain the same direction they’re facing upon exiting. Players who think enemies might follow them can enter Ash’s phase with their back turned to the destination, allowing them to surprise any followers.
- Phase past obstacles: While the game will notify Ash if she can’t breach past certain locations, Phase Breach can still be used past windows, allowing Ash and her team to exit buildings and other sticky situations. If players also see a cliffside or a tall wall, they can use this portal vertically to reach the top.
Ash Gameplay: Prepared Stalking Tips & Tricks
An aggressive stalker like Ash can become a tricky Legend to handle, especially when using heavy artillery alongside her Apex Legends Tactical skill, due to how combat-hungry her toolkit can get. While it’s fun chasing enemies who just killed other players, gamers who can’t tap into Ash’s skills might force her to hold back, preventing her from become eliminating enemies fast enough to be useful. When using Ash, players should always take note of the following gameplay strategies.
- Attack with preparation: While Wraith also works with a teleportation shtick, Ash’s lack of a backwards return with her Ultimate makes her a fragile attacker if she strikes without a plan. Players need to plan their approach with Ash properly in order to capitalize on her toolkit and secure the final blow.
- Secure alternate angles of attack: Instead of chasing enemies head on with her Ultimate, players should instead try to find an alternate angle of attack that can block an enemy’s access to a safe zone. This gives Ash’s team a better chance of survival, as a recuperating enemy will not have as many resources during their attack.
- Capitalize on verticality: Due to the nature of Phase Breach (Ultimate), Ash can also deploy her teleporting skill upwards, allowing her and her team to access high points. When pursuing opponents, Ash can use this to get her team to better vantage points, especially if they have snipers.
Assault Class: Combat Perks
Previously classified as a reconnaissance Legend, Ash’s toolkit allows her to specialize in chasing aggressive enemies. This offensive-leaning reconnaissance possibly led to her reclassification into an Assault Class Legend in Season 16, giving Ash more access to opportunities that allow her to capitalize on her combat potential. Now, Ash has access to these aggression-leaning Perks:
- Weapon Supply Bin - Secret Compartment: Ash now has access to the Secret Compartments of Weapon Supply Bins, essentially giving her four Rare Smart Loot attachments. One of these is always an Optic, with lower chances for Magazines and Hop-Ups. Meanwhile, unarmed Ash and her allies accessing these Bins will give them a weapon with two Attachments.
- More Ammo, More Kills: Ash can now carry one extra stack of Light, Heavy, and Energy Ammo. She does the same for Shotgun and Sniper Ammo, but with a lesser amount for the extra stack.
Loadout Recommendations
As an enemy tracker, Ash can punish enemies for even attempting to enter combat. Players who want to maximize Ash’s tracking toolkit might want to give her high-powered weapons that allow her to kill enemies in just a few blows, allowing her to be a fast-acting assassin. Weapons in the game that can help Ash with this objective include:
- Peacekeeper (Shotgun): Assuming Ash uses her kit properly, she will almost always end up face-to-face with retreating opponents or even close enough to run alongside them. In these situations, the Peacekeeper is an ideal weapon to catch opponents off-guard. A few shots from this lever-action shotgun can kill opponents much more quickly than other shotgun variants.
- VK-47 Flatline (Assault Rifle, Heavy Ammo): Aside from being an accessible Assault Rifle with decent handling, the Flatline is great when fired from hip fire range. This is great for Ash, who relies on pursuing enemies and may be slowed down by unnecessary ADS.
- Wingman (Pistol, Sniper Ammo): While this recommendation works for all Sniper Rifles, the Wingman becomes an exception with its small size, making it hard to anticipate what Ash would be holding even if players spot her nearby. Gamers with decent aim can eliminate opponents from afar, allowing Ash to chase enemies while maintaining comparative distance.
Apex Legends is playable on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.