Players of Apex Legends who got too focused on the battle royale’s mobile gameplay may be surprised as to how location-focused Caustic can become. Armed with his gas traps, Caustic can transform any zone into a lethal spot, with enemies caught in his poisonous smoke becoming easy pickings for the rest of Caustic’s team.

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However, with Apex Legends entering a major overhaul with February 2023’s Season 16: Revelry, fans of Caustic may be interested to learn how he adjusts to his new classification as a Controller Legend. Some changes to play can affect how Caustic’s traps may affect other Legends, which means players need to stay on top of who gets buffed or nerfed to outlast them as Caustic. Newcomers to the game or those curious about Caustic’s toolkit should remember that this defensive Legend is focused less on directly killing his foes and more on punishing them for entering his territory.

Caustic: Beauty In Destruction

Humbert Labs once boasted Alexander Nox as a pioneer - one of the best scientists who invented pesticide gases under the purview of the Frontier’s leading pesticide gas manufacturer. While Alexander Nox remained faithful in his quest to protect the crops that helped the settlers of the Outlands, he realized he needed to exert more effort into creating the perfect pesticide. In turn, Nox started to experiment with the effects of his pesticides on living subjects.

When his superiors confronted Nox about his activities, the confrontation led to the destruction of the lab he was working in. This transformed Nox into Caustic, who saw the Apex Games as an opportunity to further test his poisonous creations.

Why Use Caustic: Any Room Is A Trap

Considered a rarity among Legends in the game’s fast-paced nature that encourages Apex Legends players to go solo, Caustic plays perfectly as a defender. This means he prefers securing the team’s defenses from any unnecessary intrusions and interruptions in combat. Whereas others do this through thick walls (Newcastle) and electric fences (Wattson), Caustic does this with punishing gas traps that tell him exactly where unlucky prey are upon activation. Caustic becomes a player’s perfect Legend if they want to do the following:

• Throwables become a priority: Some players in FPS feel more secure if they have access to more throwables such as flashbangs and smoke grenades. Thanks to Caustic, players get another form of throwable weaponry via Gas Traps (Tactical) and his Gas Grenade (Ultimate). Combined with the game’s Grenade Slots, players who use Caustic can become a pseudo-grenadier, with throwable lethality second only to grenade enthusiast Fuse.
• Stay in one perfectly-defensible spot: Players should go with Caustic if they prefer to be in a team that likes to stay in a location and jump from safe zone to safe zone. Caustic’s ability to booby-trap any indoor location into a hazard zone allows him to transform any space into the perfect safe spot that not only alerts him of an enemy presence but also damages foes.
• Get ahead of foes with future punishment: While a lot of players prefer fighting foes head-on, gamers who want to be more careful with their planning would likely fit Caustic’s playstyle. Carefully-placed Gas Traps in an area allow Caustic to punish foes in future engagements, especially if he manages to lure a kill-hungry opponent into an area with a cluster of his precious traps.

The Basics Of Caustic: Indoor Punishment

Perhaps the best thing that sets Caustic apart from other Legends in Apex Legends gameplay would be his primary playstyle: his Gas Traps. Thanks to the deployable nature of these trinkets, Caustic is able to transform even the most mundane of locations into death traps, especially once Caustic and his team finish enemies off with Apex Legends Assault Rifles and other powerful guns. Players who want to get some insights into what Caustic can offer might want to check out these abilities:

• Nox Vision (Passive): Caustic is able to see enemies inside his Gas Traps, giving him a pseudo-tracking role whenever pursuing enemies inside his poisonous smoke cloud.
• Nox Gas Traps (Tactical): Caustic can place up to six (6) Gas Traps that activate as soon as players get close to them or shoot them. This is the core element of his toolkit, as this deals damage over time which, when coupled with a shootout, can quickly wipe out an entire enemy squad.
• Nox Gas Grenade (Ultimate): The Legend can deploy a short-range grenade that unleashes a poisonous cloud over a large area, practically capable of closing off environments from access.

Passive: Nox Vision

Given the peculiar nature of Caustic’s Nox Gas Traps, it makes sense for him to be the only Legend capable of navigating his way around them in the battle royale. This is reflected through Nox Vision (Passive), which allows him to see enemies inside his gas - perfect for finishing enemies in close spaces with a short-range weapon like Apex Legends SMGs.

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• Properties: Caustic becomes immune to Nox Gas, regardless if it’s from his or another Caustic’s toolkit. Likewise, enemies inside his Nox Gas Traps and Nox Grenades are marked for him to see.
• Caustic is his own inconvenience: While Nox Vision is extremely useful against opponents, Caustic can’t see other enemy Caustics inside gases. Since all Caustics are universally immune to Nox Gas, they become the priority when facing an enemy team with another Caustic as an ally.

Tactical: Nox Gas Traps

The deadliest part of Caustic’s arsenal would have to be his Nox Gas Traps (Tactical). When deployed, these canisters balloon into large containers that are activated when shot or if it detects enemies in range. It’s during activation that these Traps transform rooms into death traps, as these deal constant damage to enemies before finishing them off with weapons such as Apex Legends LMGs.

• Properties: Caustic can deploy up to six (6) Gas Traps at a time, but only hold up to three (3) charges at any given moment. One charge is regained every 20 seconds. The trap (which has 150 HP) is activated when opponents get close or are shot. It deals 5 Damage and increases by 1 Damage every other tick, lasting 11 seconds, and deals a total of 109 Damage.
• Gas damages a lot of things: One of the most interesting components of Nox Gas is how it can affect different things. For instance, the gas can also damage Surveillance Drone (Crypto) and Amped Barriers (Rampart), disable D.O.C. Heal Drone (Lifeline), and become triggered by Mirage’s decoys.
• Use Gas Traps as obstacles: When Gas Traps are left untouched, they essentially act as obstacles. Caustic can use these Gas Traps to stop doors from opening to his side, or even as makeshift smokescreens when in trouble. Another way of using the Gas Trap is throwing them inside Bangalore’s smokescreens or placing them at the end of Wraith’s portals to damage pursuing enemies.

Ultimate: Nox Gas Grenade

Serving as the definition of overkill, Caustic has yet another tool up his sleeve: Nox Gas Grenade (Ultimate). With this Apex Legends ability, Caustic releases Nox Gas around him and continuously damages opponents inside this area. When timed properly, Caustic with Apex Legends Pistols can finish opponents off inside this gassed area.

• Properties: Nox Gas Grenade persists in the air for 15 seconds and has a cooldown time of 3 minutes. They have the exact same damage properties as Nox Gas Traps but have a greater area of effect.
• Transform interiors into death traps: One of the best uses of Nox Gas Grenade is to render an indoor area a lethal zone. This is best utilized when Caustic is chasing a team inside a closed location, as this forces the enemy team to evacuate - leaving them open for Caustic to hunt them down.
• Reserve for the endgame: Nox Gas Grenade becomes extremely dangerous when players use them near the end of the match. Players can corner enemies between a Gas Grenade and the impending Ring closure, forcing them to choose between a rock and a hard place.

Caustic Gameplay: Area Denial Is Key

Given his initial assignment as a defensive Legend, it makes sense for Caustic players to anticipate that his toolkit only works in closed spaces. However, this isn’t necessarily the case - Caustic players need to tailor their Apex Legends gameplay to accommodate multiple versions of area denial. The vast number of Gas Traps they can release means they can transform almost any area into a nightmarish hellscape for the benefit of Caustic’s Apex Legends teammates, especially with the right skill combinations:

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• Get scanners to clear areas quickly: When using Caustic’s Gas Traps, it’s essential to have him team up with Legends capable of maximizing the time spent killing opponents caught in them. Since Caustic’s poison smoke can obstruct vision, it helps to have him team up with Legends capable of sensing opponents past obstacles - an ability prominent among scanners such as Bloodhound and Seer.
• Capitalize on indoor poisons for less mobility: While it’s perfectly possible to make Gas Traps effective in open areas, using Caustic’s toolkit in an indoor area allows him to transform even the simplest rooms into deadly traps. When triggering his traps, the area of effect of Caustic’s poison cloud can fill up interior spaces quickly, maximizing the field of vision of his Nox Vision (Passive).
• Deny area control via trap deployment: With the grave threat of activating Caustic’s Gas Traps, even the sight of a Nox Gas Trap (Tactical) can make enemies squirm. This encourages them to either alter their course, spend time shooting each Trap to disarm them, or even dare pass through them when in a hurry. Caustic can use this to the team’s advantage by deploying Gas Traps on chokepoints or relevant areas of interest, delaying the enemy’s advance, or deliberately leading them into ambushes.
• Stack poisons via timing: Fans might think it’s weird for Caustic to possess various Gas Traps and have a separate Nox Gas Grenade (Ultimate) when they both poison foes. However, it’s when players properly time the usage of these skills that Caustic transitions from Controller to Assault. When Caustic plans on cornering an enemy team who just triggered his Gas Trap, players can trigger his Gas Grenade to further endanger a location. Since Caustic’s poisons stack, this combo can transform him into a walking death trap.

Controller Class: The Ring Determines Control

Unlike other Legends, players may appreciate Caustic for his aggressive control of various areas - especially indoors. With the right placement, Caustic’s gas trap can quickly decimate enemy foes who don’t know how to exit the doctor’s areas, especially if they have no idea about the nature of his Apex Legends Tactical and even Ultimate skills. Now that Caustic has been reclassified as a Controller in Season 16: Revelry, players can enjoy a modified Perk:

• Ring Console Usage: The game now removes the feature of Survey Beacons to reveal the next Ring Location and instead attaches them to Ring Consoles, a tool that only Controller Classes can use. Caustic players can appreciate this Perk, as this notifies them where they should hang out next and allow them to plan in advance as to where they would set their traps next.

Loadout Recommendations

With Caustic’s reliance on area denial for his core gameplay, it’s important in his Apex Legends performance to equip weapons that provide the right kind of supporting firepower to finish enemies off. Some ideal weapons that players want to use in conjunction with Caustic’s Gas Traps would be the following:

• VK-47 Flatline (Assault Rifle): One of the most accessible Assault Rifles in the game would have to be the VK-47 Flatline, boasting just a bit lower firepower versus the R-301 but has better handling. The image of Caustic coming in from afar as he targets enemies who just triggered his Gas Traps makes the Flatline an ideal companion.
• EVA-8 Auto (Shotgun): A common gameplay tactic involving Caustic’s toolkit involves placing Gas Traps in a room and then roaming around the poison cloud to finish enemies desperate to find an exit. To make the most out of the short duration of the Gas Traps, a quick-firing shotgun like the EVA-8 with a large spread can kill enemies more efficiently in this manner.
• Volt (SMG): While relatively the same in performance versus the R-99, the Volt SMG prides itself in relatively low recoil due to its nature as an Energy Ammo weapon. This makes shots with the weapon more pinpoint and precise - something that Caustic needs when dealing with enemies running amok inside a closed space.

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

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