One of the things that sets Apex Legends apart from other battle royales isn’t just its fast-paced hero-based gameplay, but rather the ability to capitalize on an environmental component that not all shooter games are able to tap into: open air. The sprawling sci-fi environments of Apex Legends is built precisely for the likes of Horizon, whose abilities allow her to soar high into the sky and use verticality as a means of catching opponents off-guard.

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Of course, with Horizon tapping into a niche skillset, players might not have the easiest time using her abilities to the fullest. After all, one wrong aim of her gravity jump and players can end up plummeting to their deaths or even heading straight into an ambush. Just how are players expected to approach combat using Horizon’s abilities?

Horizon: Scientist Lost In Time

Horizon checking NEWT

When the Outlands had found itself suffering an energy crisis, companies hired astrophysicist Dr. Mary Somers to find a solution. During her time of research, Dr. Somers had to move her family to research station Olympus and developed a close relationship with her apprentice, Dr. Ashleigh Reid, in their study of Branthium, an element with the potential to produce limitless energy.

However, when Dr. Reid revealed her treachery to Dr. Somers during their trip to a black hole, not only did she steal the Branthium they possessed, but also hijacked their spacecraft to ensure Dr. Somers died. Being the quick-witted scientist she is, Dr. Somers programmed her robot assistant N.E.W.T. to help survive the incident. Unfortunately, their return to civilization revealed they were away for 87 years. On her trip to Olympus, Dr. Somers caught wind of the city being used as an arena for the Apex Games. The astrophysicist uses her technology to transform into Horizon, a gravity specialist and enters the Games in the hopes of finding her son and going back in time.

Why Play Horizon: Verticality Extraordinaire

An enemy lifted by Gravity Lift

Players interested in adding the verticality of maps to their playstyle with Apex Legends weapons might appreciate Horizon for her floating-focused toolkit. Unlike more technical Valkyrie and gliding Pathfinder, Horizon’s more flexible control over her gravity skills allows players to have short bursts of high-enough leaps that can make them a menace in active battlefields. Gamers who appreciate this kind of high-skill gameplay might love Horizon as a character for these other reasons:

  • Better maneuverability in mid-air: Thanks to Horizon’s gravity kit, she now has access to an underutilized aspect of the game - aerial maneuvering. Since her suit gives Horizon better maneuverability in midair, Horizon can make quicker turns and have a much faster fall impact that can allow her to transition from movement to combat much faster. Players who want to capitalize on the game’s fast-paced action may want to try Horizon for this advantage.
  • Get convenient aerial jumps with Gravity Lift: Thanks to her Gravity Lift (Tactical), Horizon has the ability to jump into the air almost anywhere. With the Lift propelling her 30 meters off the ground, she has the distinct advantage of getting to roofs of most buildings and get vantage points for sniping, or even jump the gun on enemies.
  • Pull enemies in sight with Black Hole: When using N.E.W.T., Horizon gets the unique ability of having an actual black hole pull everything towards it. These not only pull doors and walls, but also enemies hiding behind obstacles. Pesky battles can be made much easier with Horizon deploying her Black Hole (Ultimate) and revealing enemies almost instantly.

The Basics Of Horizon: Jumping Supremacy

Horizon attacking with her squad

Verticality has always been Horizon’s thing since her arrival in the game, regardless if she’s using Apex Legends Assault RIfles or other weapon variants. However, while Horizon is straightforward in her higher-jumping specialization across any Apex Legends map, players still need to understand the rest of her toolkit to help her meet her full potential. Players curious about Horizon’s toolkit can get a quick gist of her skills below:

  • Spacewalk (Passive): Horizon’s space suit allows her to better control her path in the air and reduce impact of falls.
  • Gravity Lift (Tactical): Horizon throws a device that counters gravity, allowing her to float upward and get a boost when exiting.
  • Black Hole (Ultimate): N.E.W.T. is commanded to create a black hole that pulls players towards it.

Passive: Spacewalk

Passive - Spacewalk

Thanks to her space suit and Spacewalk (Passive), Horizon enjoys better control of her movements in the air and even gets reduced fall impact, allowing her to better control her movements whenever she gets lifted in the skies while using any Apex Legends weapon combo. This makes her an ideal midair combatant, especially for players who can use her movement in conjunction with their combat performance:

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  • Take note of falling interactions: Aside from having a more controlled fall, Horizon has special interactions depending on how she falls. When falling while standing, she has less lag time between falling and deploying her weapons. Meanwhile, falling while crouching transitions her into a slide, making her much faster on the ground even more temporarily.
  • Use other leaping abilities with more precision: Horizon about to use Launch Pads (Octane) isn’t exclusively going to follow its predetermined flight path. Thanks to Horizon’s air control, she can strafe away from the path and follow her own trajectory, allowing her to stay away from snipers and other Legends expecting her to go a particular direction.

Tactical: Gravity Lift

Tactical - Gravity Lift

Perhaps the signature ability of Horizon as a character with even a simple weapon like an Apex Legends pistol, Gravity Lift (Tactical) allows her to throw a device that counters gravity in that location. Anyone stepping into the lift is pushed upwards and, when exiting, gets a temporary boost. Horizon can use this to get the literal upper hand and become a much deadlier midair combatant. Here are things to take note of:

  • Properties: This ability has a 20-second cooldown, and its deployable gadget lasts for 10 seconds. It’s only after the gadget expires that cooldown begins. The device creates a 30-meter cylinder of antigravity, which then affects all entering players.
  • Take note of lifting interactions: The Gravity Lift’s lifting aspect can affect a whole host of things aside from players. For instance, the Lift can propel Tridents upwards, as well as knocked down players, and even force ordinances off course. Proper positioning of this ability can make this into an inconvenient obstacle.
  • Use gravity offensively: Aside from Horizon and her team getting the higher ground in combat, Gravity Lift can be used to constantly disorient opponents. In a firefight, throwing Gravity Lift to the enemy’s direction can throw them off course and ruin their momentum. Likewise, this ability can lock doors or even make for an inconvenient trap right outside a doorway.

Ultimate: Black Hole

Ultimate - Black Hole

Perhaps the deadliest ability in Horizon’s disposal as an Apex Legends team member, Black Hole (Ultimate) makes Horizon deploy N.E.W.T. and spawn a micro black hole that can pull anything and everything towards it. At the right moment, this ability can pull enemy players to its general direction, exposing them and making them vulnerable against Horizon and her team. Here are things to consider:

  • Properties: This ability has a 3-minute cooldown and lasts for 12 seconds. Upon deployment, N.E.W.T. has 175 HP and can be hit by friendly fire. The gadget triggers its effect after 2 seconds, creating a black hole that pulls all players within a 10-meter radius, even through walls.
  • Take note of other mobility abilities: One of the best counters against the Black Hole are other mobility skills, such as Into The Void (Wraith). Horizon should take not of enemies that get pulled into the black hole that possess mobility skills, as they can use these to get out of trouble.
  • Consider weaknesses: Given how this ability comes from a gadget, it has its inherent weaknesses. For instance, things such as Drone EMP (Crypto) and Interception Pylon (Wattson) can destroy this ability, and it even takes 50-percent more damage when hit with explosives.

Horizon Gameplay: Verticality Is Key

Horizon eliminating an enemy

Upwards is always Horizon’s best friend, but even gravity can become her worst nightmare if players don’t know how to time and use her jumps properly. Even if she’s holding a powerful gun, Horizon who can’t control her ascent and descent with her Apex Legends Tactical can become fodder for enemies who can easily predict her movements. In turn, Horizon players should take note of these gameplay elements to maximize her potential as an Apex Legend:

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  • Get the edge in midair: Thanks to Spacewalk (Passive), Horizon has better control of her movements midair and when falling after her gravity-based kit. In high-intensity environments, Horizon’s better navigational skills in midair allow players to maneuver their way in firefights more efficiently or have more room to focus on ADS and aiming instead of worrying about where to land.
  • Treat the Gravity Lift as an obstacle: Aside from using the Gravity Lift as a maneuvering device, players may want to use Horizon’s Gravity Lift (Tactical) to create obstacles from enemies. They can easily have the Gravity Lift block doors or even force enemies to get into unpredictable angles with deliberately-sabotaging jump points. Likewise, players can position Gravity Lifts to lift knocked-down allies to safer areas.
  • Get throwables into Black Holes: When Horizon uses her Black Hole (Ultimate), she can practically reveal all enemies nearby since this drags them towards it. Horizon and her team can transform this Ultimate into a death trap by throwing grenades to the Black Hole’s direction, since it can almost always guarantee damage to allies.

Skirmisher Class: Care Package Control

Horizon and a squad

Horizon’s mastery over vertical travel gives her a lot of opportunities to clear locations from a much-harder aerial standpoint, making her fit for the Skirmisher Class reclassification in Season 16. Given her access to more vertical mobility, Horizon is better-equipped to access some of the more difficult areas in the game. And now that she’s a Skirmisher, Horizon has access to the following Perk:

  • Care Package valuation: As a member of the Skirmisher Class, Horizon is now able to view the highest-valued item in any Care Package. She can spot this as soon as she sees them fall or land on the ground, provided she has line of sight. If another team takes the item, that item’s name turns gray, making this skill a handy indicator if an enemy team is nearby.

Loadout Recommendations

Horizon with a weapon

With verticality being Horizon’s specialty, a well-timed jump from a high-enough point can allow her to tout a simple Apex Legends pistol to kill enemies. However, players who want to maximize Horizon’s toolkit to jump the gun on enemy teams and eliminate them might want to do so with the right loadout. Weapons compatible enough with Horizon to capitalize on her vertical mastery should probably use the following guns in the game:

  • EVA-8 Auto (Shotgun): It helps players to remember that aiming upwards or downwards has got to be the most annoying action any opponent would have to do in a firefight, and this “delay” is something Horizon can put to her advantage with the EVA-8. Thanks to the auto-firing nature of his shotgun, Horizon can descend and aim up close and dish out devastating damage under the safety of a split second or two (2) of an enemy trying to figure out where she’s coming from.
  • R-301 Carbine (Assault Rifle, Light Ammo): Players using Horizon need to understand that going up in the sky with her gravity leap gives her access to a lot of potential enemies across all ranges. Having an all-rounder ranged weapon like the R-301 Carbine gives Horizon the opportunities to aim at enemies without risking accuracy, especially with the right scopes.
  • Wingman (Pistol, Sniper Ammo): Holding the distinction of perhaps being the only Pistol that needs Sniper Ammo, the Wingman fits the likes of Horizon due to her capability of making precision shots from the sky. Players who get to train with the Wingman properly can use Horizon to be an unstoppable assassin, being able to kill opponents in higher ground after jumping and hiding in the comfort of a lower platform as soon as she lands.

Apex Legends is playable on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

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