Although it may be hard to remember, there was a time when Apex Legends didn’t have Octane. Season 0 saw the game launch, and Mirage and Caustic were the big characters to unlock and use at launch. Then, come season 1, Octavio “Octane” Silva joined the Apex Games and hasn’t looked back since.
Every Apex Legends season has introduced a new character, but few have remained so popular. For example, Wattson (season 2), Crypto (season 3), and Rampart (season 6) often find themselves at the bottom of season 10’s pick rate. Octane, on the other hand, is super popular, rivaling and even surpassing Seer within the first weeks of season 10.
For the first few weeks of a season, it’s an understatement how popular the new character is. After all, Respawn’s philosophy is to launch a new character strong and then tweak, as it did with Seer’s recent nerf. That explains Seer’s popularity, but how long it lasts remains to be seen. Octane is the big question mark here with a simple answer: the rule of cool.
Octane in Apex Legends Season 10
Octane’s kit is pretty good. It’s not S tier on anyone’s Apex Legends tier list by any means, but he gets his use out of it. His passive healing is quite welcoming to any new players, his tactical gives a speed boost for recklessly charging into battle or quickly dipping out, and his ultimate jump pad sees him launch in any number of directions. The bottom line is simple: he’s fun to play with a cool kit. Octane is the cool kid of Apex Legends.
Sure, it’s absolutely necessary to mention that he’s a vital part of the Revtane meta of his jump pad and Revenant's Death Totem. While there are viable, alternative pairings, a Revenant+Octane push is hard to beat, still present, and sometimes quite frustrating. But even Revtane has fallen behind in terms of popularity, as the new “wall hacks” meta seems to be taking over. It’s all about scanning opponents and utilizing that foreknowledge.
In contrast, Octane’s abilities in Apex Legends are all about acting without foreknowledge. He rushes in, rushes out, jumps around, and is absolutely wild to play. It’s not uncommon to see an Octane rush right into a barrage of bullets, but neither is it uncommon to see a good Octane using his speed to his advantage. Still, he’s a viable pick, but when someone else can fly, others can scan, and stronger picks for the meta exist, Octane is still on a vast majority of squads.
And that’s because, plain and simple, Octane is cool. His character design is cool, his skins are eye-catching, his abilities are fun, and overall, he stands out as a result. That’s not to say other characters don’t have their draws, styles, or unique aspects, but Octane’s appeal has proven to last.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Mobile, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions are in development.