When players find themselves in a high-stakes battle to the death against characters with insane abilities in Apex Legends, it’s usually the team who can catch their enemies by surprise that dominate matches. This is exactly where Octane shines, as his toolkit is built precisely to let him quite literally outrun his enemies in order to outgun them. When speed becomes the question, Octane is the answer - and his improved perks as a Skirmisher in Season 16: Revelry makes him much deadlier than fans anticipate.
Players and newcomers hoping to master this speed demon of Apex Legends need to learn not just how his abilities work but also how best to use them. After all, Octane’s speed-oriented toolkit not only allows him to go much faster than usual, but his life-for-speed and deployables free for everyone to use can become detrimental to fans who aren’t careful how to use these powers.
Octane: Speed Devil
Despite living a life of luxury, Octavio Silva found boredom in his life as the heir of Silva Pharmaceuticals. So Octavio did what any bored son of a CEO would do - engage in death-defying stunts for the laughs. It was with an unfortunate stunt with a grenade (which he thought was totally safe) that cost him both his legs.
But this was nothing to stop a daredevil like him. Thanks to his friend Lifeline (who he totally did not guilt-trip), Octavio has gotten himself a pair of bionic legs. And after discovering the ultimate adrenaline rush that was the Apex Games, Octavio wanted nothing but to participate. In the mind of Octavio - now Octane - perhaps the Apex Games could finally cure his boredom.
Why Use Octane: Run Fast, Run Far
Considering the fast-paced nature of battle royales like Apex Legends for both solo and team-based players, it makes sense for a lot of Legends to have kits that allow them to adapt to extremely chaotic situations. However, Octane is perhaps the only character that gives players more options to “go fast” in high-speed encounters, incentivizing players who love to go wild with their offensive strategies. Other considerations when choosing Octane as a go-to Legend in the game would be the following:
- High-speed, high-stakes combat: Fans who just love extremely fast-paced combat will love Octane for his antics. Players can quite literally zoom inside and outside of encounters with his toolkit, and may even outpace his enemies to extinction if they get their aim and timing right. Likewise, Octane can safely scout and navigate areas due to his immense speed, often making himself hard to chase whenever he sprints.
- Incentivized aggression: Compared to other Legends, Octane’s high-speed toolkit is geared precisely for intense combat. Octane can easily sprint towards battlefields and engage opponents while having enough juice to reposition and even retreat. This can motivate a lot of Octane mains to either go solo or even go way ahead of their peers, often clearing areas of threats before the team loots.
- Train weapon accuracy in speed: Due to Octane being present in high-speed situations, engaging in combat is often difficult due to his speed straining his aim and his weapon’s recoil. This can be a good way for players to train using the game’s many armaments, however, as players almost always die in extremely panicky firefights as they lose their focus when multiple things happen at once - something that is an everyday occurrence for Octane.
The Basics Of Octane: Dominate Through Speed
Players who prefer to go wild with high risk, high reward strategies will definitely feel a rush of adrenaline with Octane’s hyper-aggressive kit. After all, he’s the only Legend with the capabilities of outpacing everyone else in the game, encouraging high-speed gameplay. However, despite Octane’s penchant to cause chaos regardless of his choice of weapons like Apex Legends SMGs, it would do good for players who plan on using him to have a more concrete grasp of what his toolkit can offer them. Here is an overview of Octane’s core skills and how they factor into general gameplay:
- Swift Ment (Passive): Octane starts recovering Health after not taking damage for quite some time.
- Stim (Tactical): When activated, Octane gets increased speed at the cost of a bit of help. This also reduces slow effects.
- Launch Pad (Ultimate): Octane whips out a Launch Pad and throws it to his general direction, allowing any player using it to be thrown to whatever direction the pad is facing.
Passive: Swift Mend
One of the most straightforward Passives in Apex Legends gameplay, Octane’s Swift Mend (Passive) allows him to start recovering after not taking damage for a while. This is especially useful in tough firefights involving Apex Legends LMGs and other heavy-duty weapons.
- Properties: At its core, whenever Octane doesn’t take damage for six (6) seconds, he starts to heal at a rate of 1 Health per second.
- Too slow for healing: The 1 Health per second healing rate might be an extremely helpful perk in emergencies, this Passive is still extremely slow for recovery. Instead, Octane should still pair this with Med Kits and even Phoenix Kits.
Tactical: Stim
Perhaps the bread and butter of Octane’s gameplay in Apex Legends, his Stim (Tactical) trades a bit of health for a necessary speed boost. This allows Octane to out pace his enemies despite their advantages to him or even if Octane is just using an Apex Legends Pistol. However, players need to be careful with their speed boost, as the health cost also leaves them vulnerable.
- Properties: This ability costs 20 Health and as a cooldown that lasts one second. Stim won’t knock out Octane, and it can’t bring him to lower than 1 Health. Upon activation, Stim removes all slows except the one caused by healing. Meanwhile, slow effects received while in Stim are simply reduced.
- Multitask while running: One of the most integral uses of Stim is how it can easily be combined with other tasks, such as using regeneration items. A tip here is to use Stim just before finishing a Phoenix Kit or a Med Kit.
- Maximize angles when sprinting: When using Stim, players need to use the advantage of visual chaos in order to avoid getting hit. For instance, instead of running straight, Octane under Stim should run in zigzag directions and making extremely quick turns on off-angles to boost flanking opportunities against opponents.
Ultimate: Launch Pad
Proof of Octane’s nature as a daredevil would be his Launch Pad (Ultimate), allowing him and Apex Legends teammates using it to get thrown to any direction the object is facing. Despite its straightforward nature, the Launch Pad is an object with quite a ton of interactions with other components in the battle royale. Here are some things to consider:
- Properties: A Launch Pad could be deployed once every 1.5-minutes, each of which with 200 Health. Only four (4) Launch Pads can be deployed at any given time. At its core, a Launch Pad will be used once players walk or sprint towards them.
- Use actions to release with different kinds of momentum: Using different actions will have players launched in different formats. For instance, jumping on the Launch Pad will launch players with a higher arc, while sliding or crouching towards them will launch them at a further but lower angle. Meanwhile, using momentum from a melee simply launches them vertically. It helps to note that players can’t double jump on the Launch Pad when downed or while using items.
- Take note of specific interactions: Octane’s Launch Pad also interacts with specific things differently. For instance, Wraith using Into the Void (Ultimate) can’t interact with Launch Pads, while Mirage’s clones can. Likewise, abilities like The Motherlode (Fuse) and Drone EMP (Crypto) can potentially destroy the Launch Pad. Meanwhile, any kind of throwable will bounce off the Launch Pad and increase their travel distance - including throwables as a part of Legend abilities, including grenades, grenade-like abilities, and flares.
- Use Launch Pad for combat survival: One of the most useful methods of Octane’s Launch Pad is anything that has to do with survival. For instance, players can deploy Launch Pads to send off a downed ally to safety, or even make doors impassable. Players can even use them to flank or outflank opponents trying to hide behind walls and rocks.
Octane Gameplay: First In, First Out
Octane is perhaps the fastest-moving character in Apex Legends gameplay and is probably the embodiment of the Skirmisher Class. His emphasis in high-speed engagements and fast-paced combat forces players to quickly adapt to any combat situation, necessitating Apex Legends skills that helps Octane perform regardless of enemy position and range. When choosing Octane, here are some recommended approaches to gameplay:
- Stay wary of engagements: While Octane’s kit is built precisely for high-speed engagements, players still need to be careful when pushing opponents. Instead of going all-out, players need to assess whether they have clear lines of sight towards entry points, exit points, and even potential repositioning angles.
- Capitalize on navigation potential: In every map, Octane players are advised to get playful with where they can stay and leave whenever they speed up. It’s advised that prospective Octane mains study where certain doors and corridors are, and where they can set up their Launch Pads for maximum exploration. An Octane player who knows how to navigate a map can be unstoppable in pursuits.
- Run far, but close enough to the team: While Octane is advised to go as fast as possible to outpace enemies, he shouldn’t be too far enough that he can’t get backup whenever he needs them. Ideally, Octane should communicate where he plans to go, and the team can either go the same direction or try to flank the position. That way, Octane can retreat to where the rest of the team plans on meeting him, or even wait for assistance to jump the gun on enemies.
Skirmisher Class: Speed Is Power
Compared to other Legends in Apex Legends, Octane has a love for speed that is relatively unmatched despite any efforts of his peers, making his toolkit perfect for surprises and ambushes. This makes him an ideal choice for the Skirmisher Class in the Season 16: Revelry update, with Perks and bonuses that further solidify his potential for fast-paced combat - perhaps much faster than other Legends. As a Skirmisher in February 2023, here are some things that Octane can do:
- Care Package special sights: One of the best Perks associated with the Skirmisher Class is their advanced Care Package sights. When a Care Package falls in their line of sight, they can see the highest-value item inside of them. This happens as soon as Octane sees the Care Package falling or on the ground. If the enemy has already taken the item, its name is grayed out instead.
Loadout Recommendations
Since Octane is built to go fast and loose against most teams, he will almost always find himself too close for comfort. In these situations, Octane is either most useful as a sniper that zooms in as soon as he engages with a target, or an ambusher that finishes opponents rather quickly with close-ranged armaments. Octane mains should consider using Apex Legends weapons like Assault Rifles when choosing this speedy Legend:
- EVA-8 Auto (Shotgun): One of the most popular shotguns in the game, the EVA-8 is unique in that it’s fully automatic - allowing players to shoot pellets in the shape of the number eight (8) as long as they pull the trigger. This is important for a speedster like Octane, as players don’t need to worry about manually shooting opponents and just hit the EVA-8 trigger as soon as he spots an enemy team.
- Volt (SMG, Energy Ammo): Among all the selections of Energy Ammo weapons in the game, it’s perhaps the Volt SMG that is the most practical due to its lack of any charging limitations. When combined with the 1x Digital Threat scope, Octane should be able to spot opponents much more efficiently despite his sheer speed, transforming him to a juggernaut in close-to-mid-range combat.
- R-301 Carbine (Assault Rifle, Light Ammo): One of the best ARs in the game has got to be the R-301 Carbine, courtesy of its easy handling and accessible nature. Octane with an R-301 can be a deadly force to reckon with, especially when dealing with opponents at almost any range.
Apex Legends is currently playable in the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch.