Apex Legends newcomer Seer shook in-game meta to the core in Season 10, courtesy of his remarkable set of tracking abilities. Being a Recon Legend, the Apex Legends character focuses on using his micro-drones to reveal as much information about enemies as possible.
Contrary to the more careful Bloodhound, Seer can dominate in more active setups - favoring more aggressive teams. With this in mind, newcomers might feel uncomfortable using Seer for the first time, expecting to go guns blazing on the battlefield. Thankfully, players can rein in Seer’s rather powerful skillset with the right strategy.
10 Recon With A Dash Of Aggro
When one faces a Seer in combat, they might have the impression that he's just a more beefed-up version of Bloodhound. However, contrary to impressions, a more accurate comparison for Seer's toolkit would be for a more combative Recon Legend.
Compared to Bloodhound that has key advantages towards stalking opponents, success with Seer heavily relies on a player's ability to adapt to a combat situation. Despite Seer's potency regarding detection, a player can't do much with him if they can't follow through with any of his abilities. Players about to play Seer should remember that this Legend favors a more aggressive approach. Meaning, players using Seer's abilities should always do so in anticipation of a firefight.
9 Heart Seeker Is A Handy Threat Spotter
Whereas Bloodhound can spot traces of enemy movements throughout the field, the Heart Seeker (Passive) allows Seer to spot enemies whenever he goes into ADS. With Heart Seeker, a detector circle goes on top of Seer's ADS crosshairs. An orange arrow points towards enemies within 75 meters of the circle, whereas a blue arrow points towards enemies beyond 75 meters up to a certain point.
Additionally, the lower the detected enemy's health, the faster the heartbeat associated with them. Given the straightforward nature of Heart Seeker, this essentially becomes his threat spotter. When used correctly, Heart Seeker lets him know exactly when to expect a firefight a few split seconds before they happen.
8 Focus Of Attention For The Push
Players who cried foul over Seer's initial release will likely point to this skill as the culprit. And while the chip damage and flash effect were nerfed from Focus Of Attention (Tactical), this remains the core ability for Seer's offensive nature.
When activated, Focus Of Attention creates a cylindrical AOE in front of Seer that detonates after 1.6 seconds. Enemies inside the area get a 1.25-second Silence as well as instant interrupts to channeled actions, disabling heals, and revives. On top of that, this Tactical triggers Heart Seeker and reveals affected enemies and their health for a whopping 8 seconds.
Despite the advantages of this Tactical, it has glaring weaknesses. Using the Tactical will slow Seer by 15%. On top of that, the delay in its activation can give enemies time to run away. It's best for Seer to use Focus Of Attention when they think they've hit the opponents hard and might have to heal. That way, checking their health and the momentary stun can give the squad enough time to regroup or wipe them out.
7 Exhibit Punishes Quick Movers
What perhaps lies at the pinnacle of Seer's expertise in aggressive takedowns would be his Exhibit (Ultimate) ability. When activated, Seer deploys a 65-meter sphere of micro-drones for 30 seconds. Throughout its duration, Seer and his allies will detect quick-moving hostiles and enemies who are shooting within the diameter. In heated firefights, enemies will choose between moving around in full view of Seer's squad or slowing their movement at the risk of death.
Of course, Seer does need to consider the weaknesses of this Ultimate. When deployed in an open area, enemies can destroy the core device that only has 125HP. Moreover, the Ultimate can't detect airborne or crouching enemies. When used properly, Seer can use information from Exhibit to ensure whether it's a practical move to continue fighting or to retreat to safety.
6 An Attacker, But Not A Pusher
Despite the offensive potential of his toolkit, there's a reason why Seer remains a Recon Legend and not an Offensive one. Given his detection abilities, Seer remains best used from the rear - but his keen advantages on offense mean he also benefits from an aggressive playstyle. However, players should avoid using Seer to push as, unlike Revenant or Octane, he cannot close the gap fast enough and he has a glaring lack of escape mechanisms.
Instead, Seer should remain on the tail of more aggressive teammates. When pushing, Seer should time his abilities when enemies seem to be on the run. That way, they're forced to focus on defense and retreat instead of offense. This should give Seer and his allies enough time to regroup or even strike a counterattack.
5 Seek Enemies Better With A Sniper
Given the sheer detection potential of Heart Seeker, Seer might level up his threat detection game while using a sniper rifle. Remember, Heart Seeker gives Seer's ADS a detector circle that points towards enemies within the view's range. Courtesy of a sniper, this allows Seer's Heart Seeker to detect enemies from extremely far ranges. When roaming, Heart Seeker via sniper can help Seer detect enemies as they move.
More importantly, the added firepower of the sniper rifle can make Heart Seeker a death sentence. After all, knowing just where to hit the enemy with the sights can destroy shields and, with something like the Kraber, can obliterate enemies in a shot.
4 Split Enemies With The Tactical
While it's advisable for Seer to remain careful with the use of his Tactical, some aggressive players might see its potential as bait. After all, enemies will likely stray away from the Tactical's AOE as soon as they see it activate. Of course, this means they won't get caught in the detection blast. However, two other things happen to their disadvantage.
For one, Seer's Tactical will force them to break formation. Either this will force enemies to suddenly burst in the Tactical's relative center to look for Seer or essentially run away from the scene. Moreover, the scattering of enemies will likely allow Seer's allies to spot them heading in a particular direction. Do this properly, and Seer's squad can eliminate whoever is at the enemy squad's tail and force the entire team to come back for their comrade.
3 Lure Enemies From The Rear
Aside from separating enemies with Seer’s Tactical, another nifty playstyle with the Legend is to secure kills from the rear. This doesn’t necessarily mean waiting for the killsteal, but rather ensuring the idea of retreat is extremely disadvantageous to the enemy team.
Efficient use of this strategy involves mobile teammates, such as speedy Octane, teleporter Wraith, or fliers such as Valkyrie and Horizon. With enough annoyance, their mobile nature can lure enemies to the rear where a Seer can activate any of these detection abilities. When executed properly, this formation will encircle an enemy squad and make escape extremely inefficient.
2 Keep An Eye Out For Exits
Players who want to master Seer should always consider the lag time between the setup and activation of his abilities. Aside from their range limitations, the second-long setup time for his Tactical and Ultimate may give enemies enough time to run away, forcing Seer to waste a perfectly good ability.
To avoid these risks, Seer should keep an eye out for where enemies should likely head when escaping from his abilities. That way, teammates can set up an ambush on likely escape routes away from the effective range of Seer’s abilities.
1 Watch The Head At All Costs
Seer's hat remains one of the iconic elements of his character design, and it seems the game took this fashion into consideration in the Legend's mechanics. Players who use Seer for the first time might notice that he's prone to taking more damage from headshots, and this seems by design. Given his hat, Seer is easier to spot compared to other Legends. As a result, the hitbox where his hat meets his head is slightly larger compared to other Legends.
As a result, players need to keep an eye on where Seer triggers his abilities. Given the timed nature of both Focus Of Attention and Exhibit, an enemy who can figure out Seer's location can land a nasty headshot. If possible, Seer should retreat as soon as he activates an ability to avoid unnecessary detection.
Apex Legends was released on February 4, 2019, and is available on PC, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.