The best way to find the strongest legends in Apex Legends is through pick rates. The most picked legends are top-tier and are debatably superior to other legends. The meta is currently focused on the skirmisher class, as they hold most of the high pick rate from players
With every season, legend pick rates differ as buffs and nerfs drastically change the playing ground, causing buffed legends to increase in popularity, while nerfed legends see a decrease in activity. Assault and recon class legends are the second picks for players with support not being far behind. Controller legends remain far from the common player pick as many players favor an aggressive play style.
8 Wraith
Wraith has always been the most-played legend in Apex Legends. In the season 16 update, Wraith received a buff that further cemented her position as the most popular legend. Her kit allows players to play aggressively and go for plays that they would not go for otherwise.
Wraith can quickly reposition herself to escape danger and save her life by timing her tactical. Wraith's ultimate allows for team repositioning that can be used to push enemy teams or flee from danger. Wraith has a pick rate of 11.4% percent but is currently on a slow decline.
7 Octane
Nothing is more fun than using an Octane stim and rushing into combat. Octane is a fun legend to play and will likely always remain a beloved choice for many players. Even his ultimate is exciting and has the potential to help players win a fight.
Speed is the basis of Octane, as his playstyle centers around initiating fights and constantly being on the move. Learning to play Octane revolves around timing your stims to allow faster entry to battle and using his ultimate at critical moments. The pick rate for Octane is currently 11.2% and is expected to stay in this range.
6 Pathfinder
Pathfinder is the king of mobility. His grapple holds near-limitless potential for a plethora of scenarios. Pathfinder can grapple and gain height advantage in almost any fight. Height advantage is essential in Apex Legends as players reveal less of their hitbox when at a height advantage. Players hearing a Pathfinder grapple are quick to hold a defensive position, as getting caught in the open is deadly.
In season 16, Pathfinder's ultimate was vastly improved resulting in a significant popularity spike. Pathfinder had a pick rate of 9.4% before season 16 and currently stands at 10.6%.
5 Bloodhound
The once powerful recon legend with no weaknesses received a nerf in season 16 that stripped Bloodhound from their glory. Bloodhound's ultimate and tactical were nerfed and their passive was reworked. To change the meta and give other legends a chance to shine, Season 16 nerfed recon legends. Currently, Bloodhound functions perfectly as a tracker through his new passive.
Bloodhound has seen a drop in their pick rate and currently stands at 7.2%, but this drop in their pick rate was not nearly as severe as Seer's, which went from 4.2% to 1.9% in season 16.
4 Bangalore
Following the nerf of recon legends, Bangalore has seen a rise in popularity. Her smokes have become more reliable following the nerf of recon legends, which used to be a counter to her tactical. Recon legends remain able to scan through Bangalore smokes, but their nerfs have made it a bit more challenging.
Using Bangalore effectively entirely revolves around using her smokes in specific moments. Bangalore's pick rate is 6.8% and is rapidly increasing.
3 Lifeline
Lifeline has gone through numerous changes since the release of Apex Legends. Her passive revive also saw drastic changes and gained a buff in season 16. The buff removed the slowdown effect Lifeline received when reviving a teammate. This minor tweak allows Lifeline to revive her teammates without becoming a still target that is easy to shoot at.
Allowing Lifeline to keep her momentum after reviving her teammates will give her more chances to go for risky plays that may pay off. Knowing how to play Lifeline centers around timing her revives at the right time. After her tweak, Lifeline's pick rate increased to 5.4% from 4.7%.
2 Ash
When Ash was first released, she reached a pick rate of 20% and slowly dropped to 2.8% until season 16. During an event, any players logging in would receive Ash for free. This caused her pick rate to increase substantially. Ash currently has a pick rate of 5.1% and may remain in that position for a while.
Ash is a balanced legend with a powerful ultimate that resembles Wraith's ultimate. Her tactical excels at preventing players from escaping and acts as a free arc star.
1 Loba
The only shocking aspect about Loba's pick rate is that she is not placed higher. Loba is the queen of support legends, as her ultimate provides loot for her entire team and equips everyone with sufficient ammo. Though she must be hidden, her tactical enable her to escape a dangerous situation.
Loba recently received her heirloom and has a pick rate that has been slowly increasing and currently stands at 4.5%.
Apex Legends is playable on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.