Walter "Fuse" Fitzroy Jr. was introduced in Apex Legends' eighth season, Mayhem. Hailing from the formerly independent planet Salvo, Fuse was chosen for the Apex Games. With his mercenary past and affinity for explosives, Fuse seemed like just the right guy to introduce Salvo as the newest planet to join the Syndicate Alliance of Free Worlds.
Gameplay-wise, Fuse is classified as an offensive Legend alongside characters like Wraith, Horizon, and Octane. He may not have the mobility of those aforementioned Legends, but his abilities are some of the few in Apex Legends that can do direct damage to enemies. While Fuse's kit may seem built for wanton destruction, it also makes the character a fine defense character.
Making and Taking Space
The majority of Fuse's abilities work best in enclosed spaces. His Knuckle Cluster tactical ability can break down doors, do continuous damage, and slow anything near the surface it sticks to. Fuse's Grenadier passive ability lets him hold two grenades per-inventory slot - allowing him to carry twice the explosives of any other Legend. Both abilities are great for flushing enemies out of cover, but they can also be good for area denial.
Area denial abilities are usually reserved for defense Legends. Caustic's Gas Traps and Wattson's Perimeter Security fences are a few examples of abilities that make enemies think twice before pushing a location. Both Fuse's Knuckle Cluster and Grenadier abilities give just as much protection as a defense Legend's abilities do, with the added bonus that his skills provide more immediate denial. Compared to Caustic's Gas Traps (which take time to activate and can now be destroyed), chucking a Knuckle Cluster or grenade in an area takes next-to-no time. Doing so gives Fuse and his squad much-needed time to recover or plan an attack. A well-stocked and off-cooldown Fuse can hold an area just as well as any defense legend.
An Outdoor Barbecue
Fuse's strengths in indoor combat don't mean the character is useless outdoors. Far from it, in fact. While the more open areas of Olympus and Storm Point provide more of a challenge for Fuse, his ultimate ability gives him an ace up his sleeve. The Motherlode creates a circular wall of flame around the area that Fuse targets. It does a ton of damage to players who touch the walls, and also highlights enemies caught in the ring.
While The Motherlode can be slow at times, those who get caught have three options to choose from. Mobile Legends can use their abilities to get out (Wraith's Dimensional Rift or Valkyrie's VTOL Jets, for example). Those without repositioning abilities can tank the fire damage by pushing through the walls of flame, though this forces them to heal afterward as The Motherlode's damage-over-time is high. The last option is to wait out the ultimate ability, giving teams outside the fire an opportunity to push or retreat. No matter what those caught in the ring choose to do, The Motherlode puts them at a disadvantage.
The Motherlode's strength lies in its unpredictability. Defensively, Fuse can place The Motherlode between an enemy squad and his team to provide some breathing room. Good (or lucky) Fuse players can even trap an entire enemy team inside the ability - putting them at a positional or health disadvantage. Since The Motherlode can be launched faster within enclosed areas, Fuse can use it indoors to cause enemies to panic. Once enemies are caught in the blast radius, Fuse and his allies can make use of The Motherlode's wallhack ability to take them down.
Fuse's high-damage abilities can be good for pushing enemy teams, but they can also be good at punishing foes who try to invade Fuse and his squad's personal space. His grenades and Knuckle Clusters are perfect for small-scale entry denial; dealing damage and potentially slowing targets who get caught in the blast radius. The Motherlode multiplies his defense capabilities by walling off an area in a wall of flame. With these abilities in his arsenal, Fuse can hold down any fort, provided he has the resources.
Apex Legends is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
