There has been a dramatic change in the meta since August 4, 2025, when Apex Legends Season 26 was released, thanks to Bangalore’s improved tactical abilities. Her new ability, Electric Smoke, makes her an easy counter to legendary heroes like Wattson and Caustic by causing 100 damage, destroying enemy deployables, and disrupting their ultimates.
Behind the Shock: How Bangalore’s Smoke Became Overpowered
In her Season 26 overhaul, Bangalore gained several bold enhancements:
- Smoke canisters now breach doors and travel faster.
- A new Level 2 upgrade, Electric Smoke, allows her smoke to EMP and incapacitate enemy devices and ultimates instantly.
- Additional perks improve tactical cooldowns and revive speeds, making her more aggressive and more disruptive.
This led to frustration across the community, with players noting that Smoke could now instantly disable Octane jump pads, Caustic barrels, Rampart walls, and even threaten Wattson pylons in the endgame.
The Community Buzz: A Divide Among Fans
Reactions have been mixed. One top Reddit commenter bluntly summed it up:
“It does 100 damage to ultimates, but will destroy tacticals” .
Another stated:
“Only thing tbh is a Wattson Pylon — it’ll eat the smoke and protect some traps”.
Additionally, data miners like HYPERMYSTx shared gameplay showing that Seer’s tactical, with pulse scanning, can counter Bangalore’s electric smoke by briefly revealing enemies through it.
The Counter at Last: How to Mitigate Electric Smoke
Seer: Read the Smoke, Outsmart Bangalore
HYPERMYSTx’s clip illustrates that Seer’s Pulse Tactical ability is a viable answer, scanning enemies through the EMP smoke and revealing their position for teammates. This effectively neutralizes the positional advantage Bangalore seeks to enforce.
Play Around with Utility
Strategies that rely heavily on deployables are being abandoned by competent teams. Avoiding gas traps, jump pads, and electric fences helps teams lessen the impact of Bangalore’s EMP upgrades. Those who prefer to play it safe may wait until the smoke has dissipated before setting traps.
A Shake‑Up That Needed a Fix
It was clear what Respawn wanted to do: make Bangalore a threat to strong defensive Legends like Caustic and Wattson. However, the effect went too far the other way. Season 26 could have turned into a “can’t see anything” meta ruled by Bangalore smoke spam if smart counterplay wasn’t used.
Luckily, counter found by the community, like Seer’s Pulse, helps to balance the game a lot. Players can now push back strategically by mixing Legends in smart ways.
Season 26 isn’t overpowered—it’s unbalanced… unless you’re playing smart.
