One of the Titanfall universe’s most iconic characters has finally made it onto the roster of the Apex Games. Ash, a simulacrum mercenary who made her first appearance in Titanfall 2 as one of Kuben Blisk’s Apex Predators, is now a playable character in Apex Legends.
Ash’s abilities are great for both solo and team play, making her one of the most versatile legends to choose from. While Ash may have a low barrier to entry, players who put in the time can get even more out of her. In a game like Apex, knowing the fine details of a legend’s kit can make all the difference.
7 Mark Enemies Using Death Boxes
Ash’s passive ability Marked For Death lets her scan death boxes to track their killers. Using Marked For Death pings the location of each surviving squad member (If none are still living, the game will inform players they’ve all died). It’s important to note that this works on friendly death boxes too, which can help Ash to pinpoint the location of a nearby squad. Keep in mind that enemies will be warned that they have been located, much like players are informed when they’re picked up by Bloodhound scans. Still, this is a great passive ability, leagues above some of the other legends.
6 Check The Map For Recent Deaths
Ash’s map is a bit more special than the other legends’. Opening the map reveals the locations of every death box from the last few minutes. This extra intel can be vital to a team’s success. Knowing where your enemies are lets you plan ahead. For example, if enemies are outside the next ring and near a chokepoint on the map, your squad could ambush them as they attempt to push forward.
Hovering over the death box inside the map will also reveal how long ago that player died. If you’re close by and the death box dropped in the last few seconds, this could be the perfect opportunity to third-party the victorious squad. And if players are in search of an S-tier weapon, death boxes are a great place to look.
5 Ash’s Portal Is a One-Way Trip
One of the major differences between Ash and Wraith’s portals is that players won’t be able to travel backwards through Ash’s Phase Breach. Wraith — Apex’s original portal placer — can travel backwards and forwards through her portals, but she has to first manually place them by running around. There’s a bit of a tradeoff for Ash in this regard: while she misses out on the ability to backtrack, she’s able to instantly teleport to safety. Despite some killer bugs with Ash’s portal, the Phase Breach is still a solid option for quickly moving around a map.
4 Her Ultimate Takes You Farther Vertically Than Horizontally
Teleporting across the ground as Ash will take you far, but players can get even more mileage out of her ultimate by aiming it upwards. While you wouldn’t want to stick around for too long (being out of bounds for 15 seconds will down players), Ash’s Phase Breach can get her all the way to the top of Fragment’s skyscrapers.
Skyscrapers are an extreme example, but there are plenty of other areas that aren’t out of bounds for Ash to teleport to. Next time you have the chance, try looking up to see if there’s anywhere inaccessible to other legends. It might just give you a leg up over your opponents, especially during the final rings.
3 Use Her Tactical To Defend Doorways
Ash’s Arc Snare will tether enemy players for about 3 seconds on top of dealing some minor damage. But since her tactical can last around 8 seconds on the ground, it can also be used to block access to buildings temporarily.
Throw the snare in front of a door, and most enemies won’t dare push through it. This can give players ample opportunity to pop a shield battery, reload, or move to a different location. While this strategy is most effective in small doorways, it can also be used on Storm Point at some of the large gates surrounding the area many players call “Jurassic Park” — effectively denying an enemy team the chance to move into a new POI.
2 Save The Ultimate For A Fight
While it’s tempting to move huge distances with Ash’s portal whenever her ultimate charges up, it’s best practice to save it for when it’s most needed. Whether Ash’s squad is winning or losing a fight, her portal can come in very handy. Run away from certain death in order to heal back up behind cover, or use it to reposition or flank enemies where they least expect it.
There are some niche moments when using the ult outside a fight can be useful. Recovering player banners that are about to expire, outrunning a closing ring, or gaining the high ground in preparation for a fight are just a few top-tier ways to use Ash’s portal.
1 Coordinate With Movement Legends To Move Insanely Fast
Ash’s portal already lets her traverse huge distances over a matter of seconds. But when combined with other movement legends’ ultimates, Ash’s portal can help a squad reposition quicker than seems possible. Pathfinder’s zipline, Octane’s jump pad, or Valkyrie’s Skyward Dive can more than double the distance squads can travel when combined with Ash’s ultimate.
Communication with squadmates is key for this to work, but when teams do pull this maneuver off, the results speak for themselves. Just check out this squad who rotated all the way from Fragment to Harvester on World’s Edge.
Apex Legends is free-to-play on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
