Apex Legends is currently in the first weeks of its fourth season, and as with every season, the Legend meta shifts to accommodate for map changes and Legend re-balancing. Since Season 4 takes place on (a modified) World's Edge, Season 3's tier list may seem familiar to this one, but thanks to some buffs and map updates players will definitely see some Legends rising in strength while others fall to the wayside of disuse. Late-Season 3 buffs brought Legends like Gibraltar into the spotlight, but other legends like Wattson and Crypto sadly fall further and further out of the public eye.
S Tier
Gibraltar - The top tier in Apex Legends is reserved solely for Gibraltar, as he is an absolute powerhouse in the current meta. Thanks to his Fortified defense buff, which gives him damage resistance on top of his Gun Shield, it makes it incredibly hard for opponents to face Gibraltar head-on. His only drawback is his large hitbox (again, somewhat mitigated by the Gun Shield), which makes him more susceptible to poke damage. However, any mid-to-high tier Gibraltar player can easily make sure not to get into a situation where they would take excess poke damage from distant teams.
Gibraltar is very well-suited to both engage teams at a distance with long-range weapons like the new Sentinel sniper rifle, or he could rush teams using close range powerhouse weapons like the R-99 or the Peacekeeper. So long as Gibraltar is aiming his weapon, he will effectively have extra health that regenerates perhaps a little too quickly.
When in a tough spot, Gibraltar can always throw his Dome Shield for powerful cover. In the Grand Soiree update, Gibraltar got a buff that makes it so he revives his teammates faster when in his dome, effectively making him a stronger, more durable Lifeline. Gibraltar certainly needs no buffs, and perhaps a bit of a nerf to bring him more in line with the other Legends.
A Tier
Pathfinder - Somehow along the way in Apex Legends, Pathfinder became the fastest Legend in the game thanks to his grappling ability - even out-speeding the supposed speed demon Octane. Pathfinder can get both himself and his team up to locations that would be otherwise inaccessible for a height advantage in fights, or he can use his ziplines to get his team back in the circle quickly. Pathfinder's strongest advantage is without a doubt his grappling hook tactical ability.
If players practice with it enough, they can send themselves hurtling across the map at speeds that probably shouldn't be possible. When combined with Legends like Wraith, getting across the map is of little concern which allows for more looting time. This makes Pathfinder perfect for the limited-time Duos mode currently running in-game.
Wraith - Despite a painful nerf at the launch of the Grand Soiree, Wraith still remains the go-to for most players and is still seen as the face of the game. If tuning in to nearly any popular Apex streamer, chances are they will be playing Wraith - perhaps for good reason. Wraith is still incredibly hard to pin down thanks to her small hitbox and her Into the Void tactical ability.
Her portal ability is great for a number of reasons, and she can help her team escape a tricky situation, set up a trap for an enemy team, or set up her teammates to capitalize on a powerful flanking attack. While Wraith has continued to receive nerfs since the start of the game, she has still managed to come out on top on the tier lists and Season 4 is no different.
Lifeline - Apex Legends' sole healer still manages to be a staple on many teams for obvious reasons. While Gibraltar has take the spotlight as a fast healer, Lifeline still has her healing drone for free health as well as her tactical shield which deploys when reviving teammates. What sets her apart from Gibraltar is that she can deploy and drop the shield at will for powerful mind games - forcing players to either push and risk getting attacks or let Lifeline get the revive off first. Overall, Lifeline is in a great spot in the game currently as the only healer - but perhaps she can get the healing pulse that was showcased in the DUMMIES Big Day event during the Grand Soiree.
B Tier
Bloodhound - A surprising newcomer to higher tier Apex Legends tiers, Bloodhound got a pretty decent buff with the start of Season 4. One of the biggest changes in Season 4 comes in the form of a Beast of the Hunt buff for Bloodhound. Now, when Bloodhound knocks an enemy while in Beast of the Hunt, the ability time is extended by 5 seconds. So if Bloodhound knocks several enemies in rapid succession, their ultimate ability can last for a good amount of time.
While this is a strong buff to Bloodhound, their tactical ability needs a stronger buff for them to be a strong contender for top-tier. It should not reveal Bloodhound's location, as Bloodhound is supposed to be a stealth tracker. If this got changed then perhaps Bloodhound could be the next A or even S-Tier Legend.
Bangalore - Bangalore has always been a pretty middle-of-the-pack Legend when it comes to strength. Bangalore is reliable and has not undergone any major nerfs that took her down in strength. Her smoke launcher is great for several different purposes, whether it be escaping an encounter, confusing an enemy, or covering for a revive. Her ultimate has gotten a buff in recent seasons so it does more damage. Overall, Bangalore is a reliable pick and even has synergy with other Legends that make her a great fill-role. She can be really powerful if players learn to player Bangalore right.
Mirage - Mirage is perhaps one of the most underrated Legends in the game. His tactical Decoys are great for generating confusion and revealing enemy locations. While they are not always the most useful mid-fight, they are great for initiating or escaping if Mirage can break line-of-sight. His ultimate is decent at getting a strong flanking position on enemies or escaping a dangerous fight.
However, if Mirage gets the DUMMIE Escape Trick from DUMMIES Big Day then he will be absolutely great at causing confusion mid-fight. The only thing that really needs reworked is his passive. Turning invisible after being knocked is pretty good if players have the self-revive shield but the decoy should run away instead of doing its whole dying act.
C Tier
Revenant - The newcomer to Season 4 is perhaps a bit weaker than many would like. Revenant's abilities can be useful in certain situations, but overall, the Nightmare Simulacrum could use a buff. Silence is great if it hits, but the aiming seems a bit off on the ability and doesn't often go where players want it to. The Death Totem is perhaps the most underwhelming part of Revenant's kit.
While the idea is interesting, the fact that players do not have shields during the Shadow form makes them far too easy to dispatch. And when respawned at the Death Totem they only have 1 HP and their Shields, making them very easy to pick off. Overall it's more of a detriment to use in most situations and really needs a strong buff. Revenant's Stalker ability is great for getting high ground, but not enough to push him higher in the tier list.
Caustic - Caustic, the trap master himself, is in a bit of a weird spot in the meta right now. Being so trap-reliant means that he is great at locking down locations. However, since World's Edge consists of so many open areas and long sight lines, Caustic suffers. Since he has a large hitbox - like Gibraltar but without the Gun Shield - Caustic can easily get picked off from long range. What keeps Caustic in C tier instead of D Tier is the fact that his ultimate and traps can still be used effectively in larger areas unlike Wattson and her fences. Perhaps when King's Canyon comes back, Caustic and Wattson will once again have their time to shine.
Octane - Octane is fast, but he could be a lot faster. Octane revolves around being able to rush across the map to engage, escape, or to loot quickly. However, his kit is underwhelming compared to everyone else. Pathfinder outspeeds Octane by leaps and bounds, so he can't even say he's the fastest. Some buffs for Octane could include the ability to run at full speed with his weapons out or perhaps even the ability to shoot while sprinting. This would work well with him Stim kit and Jump Pad movement skills.
D Tier
Wattson - Rounding out the bottom of the tier list is everyone's favorite Cyberpunk girl Wattson. Shereceived several nerfs in previous seasons that still haven't been reverted on top of the fact that she (like Caustic) under-performs on World's Edge due to the large open map. Wattson really needs to have the Low Profile debuff removed as her hitbox is not smaller than most characters.
Additionally, Wattson could be better by letting her place more than one Interceptor Pylon again, or giving some sort of buff to her fences. Overall, she is not well suited for World's Edge so until the map gets more condensed then she will continue to be on the low end of the spectrum, even following the best tips for playing Wattson.
Crypto - Last up on the list is Crpyto, Season 3's Legend. Despite the buff to both Assist scoring and his Drone's health, Crypto just doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the legends. Unlike Bloodhound and their tracking and scanning abilities, Crypto is much more passive. Using Crypto's drone takes him out of the fight, leaving his team down one person.
While the team does get information and potentially the use of the EMP, it is more risk than its worth since Crypto is wide-open while in his Drone. To start making Crypto better he needs to be able to toss his drone out without going into the Drone itself. Letting Crypto toss a Drone quickly will allow him to set up an EMP at a choke point without leaving himself open. It would be a good start to bring him back into the meta.
Overall, many of the Legends currently are in a pretty decent spot. Some definitely need some buffs to be brought up into a more prominent spot in the meta while others (looking at you Gibraltar) are perhaps a bit too strong at the moment. With Season 4's Ranked Series being broken up into two splits, there may be some buffs coming mid-season to shake up the meta. There may also be a new Legend on the way if rumors are to be believed. However, players for the time being will have to work with the current meta until Respawn gives Legends the buffs (or nerfs) that they desperately need.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.