Season 13 of Apex Legends is officially here, and with it comes some sweeping adjustments to the game, ranging from major Ranked Match changes to weapon and character tuning. A new map update is now live, as well as a brand-new character: Newcastle. This Legend, who also happens to be Bangalore's presumed-dead brother, has brought a major shift in the meta which brings the rise of defensive Legends - including Rampart.
As with all Apex Legends tier lists, these characters are first sorted into their tiers, and the tiers are then sorted alphabetically. Here is the Apex Legends Season 13 character tier list.
S-Tier
Ash - Ash specializes in following up on an engagement and hunting targets down as they try to flee. Thanks to Ash's Arc Snare, she can slow enemies who are trying to run, and her Passive - Marked for Death - allows her to get clues on where enemies have run. Her ultimate acts as a one-way portal that is perfect for dropping in on unsuspecting targets. While her tracking relies on stumbling upon a recent battle, she can still fill a role similar to Bloodhound, just with a bit more in her kit for combat. She has proven to be a strong, well-balanced Legend since her release, and Season 13 does not change that.
Bloodhound - Bloodhound has always carved out a special spot in the meta as the game's best tracker. They can see tracks left behind from enemies, which is easily one of the best passives in Apex Legends, and use their scan to highlight large areas that pinpoint where the enemy is located. During their ultimate, Beast of the Hunt, Bloodhound can see tracks and enemies easier and move quicker to catch up with prey. When it comes to tracking down enemies and securing the kill, Bloodhound is second to none.
Gibraltar - Gibraltar has always sat atop tier lists every season thanks to his bulk, and his two different shields that protect him from damage. Even without Fortified headshot resistance, Gibraltar still has his Gun Shield when aiming, and his Dome Shield to create an area of protection out in the open. His Dome Shield also allows Gibraltar to revive faster, making him an excellent defensive and support Legend. While many were worried that Newcastle would be the same as Gibraltar, Gibraltar has a bit more bulk and is still an absolute force to be reckoned with. He was the only Legend who could take a Kraber headshot (the powerful Season 12 version) and live thanks to his Gun Shield, which shows just how solid of a tank Gibraltar remains years later.
Newcastle - Newcastle is the new kid in town, and his kit revolves around being an insurmountable wall against enemy fire. Newcastle uses a revive shield to drag teammates while picking them up, his tactical deploys a shield that can be moved but not shot through, and his ultimate sees Newcastle launch himself toward a teammate or designated location to create a nine-segment wall that damages enemies who try to climb over it. The leap has a short distance if targeting a location, but it is more than double the distance if targeting a teammate or friendly deathbox. Newcastle has proven to be a surprisingly strong force in the meta, impacting previously meta teams like RevTane and more. Time will tell if the meta adapts before he is nerfed.
Revenant - Revenant started off incredibly underwhelming, but after a series of powerful buffs, Revenant now lives up to his lore as a perfect killing machine. He consistently ranks at the top of Apex's seasonal tier lists, and for good reason. His tactical can silence enemy abilities, his Death Totem allows for pushing fortified teams with little risk, and his ultimate allows him to move quickly and silently while crouched (perfect for countering Seer). He's easily one of the strongest Legends out there, and that is only more true this season with the rise of defensive strategies.
Seer - While Seer is not as powerful as when he first launched, he is still an incredibly strong Legend when it comes to gathering information. While Seer and Bloodhound share many similarities in their kits, they operate on different scales. Seer combines a powerful passive and ultimate to gain information about enemies in his immediate area, and his tactical can interrupt and silence enemies - including interrupting healing. While he's fallen in popularity, he's still one of the strongest Legends out there.
Valkyrie - When movement is a key part of Apex Legends' meta, Legends like Valkyrie rise to the top. Her kit is all about freedom of movement for both Valkyrie and her team. Her powerful VTOL Jets are perfect for easily maneuvering around maps, and her ultimate allows her to redeploy her team with ease. She's one of the strongest Legends in the game when it comes to bypassing fortified groups, so for this season Valkyrie will remain in the top tier.
A-Tier
Crypto - Crypto is excellent at providing information to his team, at the detriment of being out of combat more than other Legends. Back in Season 12, Crypto's drone deployment received a rework so that he can just send it flying straight without going into drone view, which was a massive improvement as it let Crypto be in the action more. Crypto's drone can pick up banners, access survey beacons, mark enemies, and deploy a powerful shield-damaging EMP, so Crypto is a solid pick for any team. Players need only spend the time to learn his kit, as he is one of the hardest Legends to learn. The only downside is that if Crypto's drone is destroyed, Crypto is nothing more than a man with a gun.
Fuse - Fuse is perfect for players who love throwing grenades. Fuse gets improved grenade-throwing capabilities, better carrying capacity for grenades, and his skills all evoke a very similar feeling to blowing enemies up with grenades. His Knuckle Cluster deals great chip damage to enemies in a condensed area, and his Motherlode creates a ring of fire that marks enemies and deals damage to those trying to escape. He's great when enemies are clustered together, and can be one of the best early counters to Newcastle.
Mirage - Mirage is a strange Legend to place given his kit is very dependent on the player's ability to trick enemies. While Mirage could use a buff or two, his decoys can be a powerful tool to confuse and reveal the location of enemies foolish enough to shoot at them. His decoys are incredibly believable thanks to a rework several seasons back, and his passive ability turns him invisible when reviving enemies, which is a huge boost when going against non-recon enemies. Mirage can be an absolute menace to fight in the right hands, so long as his Decoys are used in a believable manner.
Octane - Octane is all about movement, whether that is moving himself quickly through Stims or moving his entire team with Jump Pads. Octane is great in the current meta thanks to the rise of defensive Legends like Newcastle and Rampart, as his Jump Pad allows him to reposition his entire team over defensive lines. He is especially popular with Revenant's Death Totem to break these choke points. His only drawback is that he has to consume health to use his Stims, though he does regenerate to make up for this.
Pathfinder - Pathfinder is a great Legend for those who like mobility and want to dominate the battlefield. His Grapple allows him to zip around and reposition with ease, while his zipline allows him to move his team across gaps and other wide areas. While he's not as strong as he used to be, he's still got a strong kit that can be quite deadly in the right hands.
Rampart - Rampart has been consistently left behind every season due to the quick nature of Apex Legends, but after a series of buffs and changes culminating in Season 12, she is finally seeing some strong performance. Her deployable cover got a strong buff to their health, allowing them to be more valuable in longer engagements; her minigun is able to be carried, which makes it more viable on the move; and Rampart excels at using LMGs, which are incredibly strong in Apex Legends. Rampart pairs well with the other defensive Legends, and she is one of the keys to dominating any Apex map right now.
Wraith - Wraith has often been seen as the poster Legend for Apex Legends, especially since she was one of the highest-picked characters among streamers and content creators. Her kit is perfect for those who want to weave in and out of combat. Her Into the Void ability allows her to turn invisible and become immune to damage for a short time, which is great for escaping bad situations or moving past a deadly choke point. Her ultimate creates a portal that Wraith and her team can use to safely travel longer distances. On top of that, her passive alerts her when being aimed at. She's an all-around solid Legend who can excel at staying safe in a fight.
B-Tier
Bangalore - Bangalore's kit is perfect for those just starting the game, and can be quite deadly in the hands of a long-time player. Often seen as the default "soldier class" in Apex Legends, Bangalore can serve as a great, well-rounded asset to any team. Her Smoke Launcher can cover up a push or retreat and disorient enemies (so long as they're not Bloodhound or Seer), her passive Double Time allows her to move quicker when being shot at, and her ultimate will drop a steady line of artillery that is great at zoning enemies. Lots of players are picking her again to see her new interactions with Newcastle, who happens to be her long-lost brother.
Horizon - Horizon is a solid Legend who blends crowd control and mobility to provide multiple benefits on whatever team she joins. Her Gravity Lift allows players to reposition to higher ground with ease, while her Black Hole sucks enemies in, which is perfect for setting up a combo with characters like Fuse or Gibraltar. She's not quite as strong as she was at launch, but is a solid Legend regardless.
Lifeline - Lifeline, while being Apex Legends' sole "medic," has started to fall into a weird place where many of her abilities are being pawned off to other characters - or even borrowed for other in-game mechanics. She used to be able to revive quickly, but that role now belongs to Gibraltar in his Dome Shield. She used to have a revive shield, but that's been taken by Newcastle, and her quick healing is taken in spirit by the Gold Body Armor. She's still a good healer thanks to her D.O.C. Drone, and she can revive two teammates simultaneously, but it's nowhere near as effective as her old revive shield. She's still a good Legend, but it's growing increasingly apparent that it's time for a Lifeline rework.
Loba - Loba's history in Apex Legends is a rollercoaster of buffs and bugs that made her nigh-unusable. Thankfully, her teleportation bracelet has proper collision and no longer slows her down, and Loba can move freely while the bracelet is mid-flight. Her Black Market Boutique has a decent cooldown, and it's great for pooling together loot without having to search across the map. Finally, her Eye for Quality ability allows her to see high-tier loot through walls, which is always invaluable. While only her tactical is useful in the heat of combat, her entire kit revolves around making a team better-equipped, which can be quite valuable in its own right.
Mad Maggie - One of the newer faces in Apex Legends, Mad Maggie specializes in focusing down targets - especially those who fortify behind walls like Newcastle, Gibraltar, and Rampart. Her Riot Drill is an explicit counter to those abilities, dealing damage to whoever is inside or behind these shields. Her Wrecking Ball can bounce around an area dealing damage to those nearby, and it can spread a lot of chaos if placed inside a Gibraltar bubble or behind Newcastle's wall. She is a solid offensive Legend, but sees a low pick rate despite being seemingly perfect in the current meta.
Wattson - Everyone's favorite electrical engineer is perfect for those who want to lock down an area, keeping it safe from ordinance, while also deterring aggressors. Wattson's electrical fences damage opponents crossing through them, and Wattson's team is alerted when the fence is crossed. Her ultimate, the Interceptor Pylon, blocks ordinance that is going to land in its zone of influence, and for a time will recharge shields for those in the area. Wattson's buff back in Season 11 made her more viable, though there are still better defensive Legends out there.
C-Tier
Caustic - Caustic got hit hard in Season 12 with a brutal nerf that makes his gas traps able to be destroyed when activated, meaning they can no longer be used as cover or to block a pathway reliably. Respawn also decreased the duration of the gas traps' cloud, meaning Caustic came into Season 13 weaker than most Legends. Now add on the fact that he loses the Fortified headshot damage reduction, and Caustic is a giant meat shield waiting to be shot. His traps and gas grenade can still be deadly if used properly, but he is substantially weaker than he used to be. One could make the case for Caustic in D-Tier, as he is currently the weakest Legend in terms of kit potential, but he does still have uses in certain situations. He is just outclassed by other defensive Legends until he gets some buffs.
D-Tier
No Legends are quite bad enough to make it to D-Tier, as everyone currently has a place in the meta. Even Caustic does have situations where he can be quite deadly. Season 13 saw a huge spike in the use of defensive Legends, and therefore Legends who excel at countering defensive characters like Octane and Revenant. It's certainly one of the most interesting and divisive metas that Apex has seen in some time, and who knows how the next balance patch will shake things up.
Apex Legends is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Apex Legends Mobile releases May 17.