With Season 17 approaching, we’ve finally got a glimpse of the upcoming Legend’s first look and abilities in Apex Legends.
Apex Legends usually releases a new character every season. However, due to the massive Legend-class overhaul in season 16, the developers did not introduce any Legend to make it less confusing for the players.
Nonetheless, it won’t be the same for Season 17, as Respawn has already released a trailer for the upcoming Legend in the game. Apparently, the name of the new Legend will be Ballistic. However, it is unsurprising, as the Legend was leaked in Season 15.
Nonetheless, much information about Ballistic’s origin, appearance, and abilities was undisclosed. But with Season 17 coming in close, Ballistic’s real identity and abilities are slowly revealing, thanks to the playtesters and official data shared by Respawn.
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Season 17 Legend: Ballistic
With the release of new Stories From the Outlands “Encore,” Respawn shared some crucial information about Ballistic’s origin, identity, and why he joined the Apex games. The real name of our 24th Legend is August Montgomery Brinkman. At the age of 63, Ballistic is currently the oldest human Legend in the game after Horizon.
Ballistic Origin
August was the sole heir to the Brinkman fortune, built on shady backroom deals. But when those deals caught up with his parents, August was left a billionaire orphan. Wealthy, furious and self-destructive, August joined the Thunderdome Games (the pre-Apex Apex Games). Here, he took the name Ballistic and became a sensation! His style was wild, reckless, and utterly selfish, helping him become the very first Thunderdome celebrity.
He was famed for his iconic CAR (“Lady Grey”, for the tea). It was here, in combat, that August would meet the love of his life, Sok Leng. They would quickly marry and have a son, Nathaniel. Sok Leng and her brother Kit Siang were an inseparable duo of destruction, and with August now in their squad, they seemed unstoppable.
But nothing lasts forever. August’s crowd-pandering combat style meant he wasn’t paying attention to his team when they needed him, leading to Kit Siang’s death. Devastated by guilt, August retreated into himself, driving away his wife and son. For nearly two decades, August lived as a recluse, keeping busy with small tasks to distract a lonely mind. And so August was largely forgotten, though not by everyone. His son, Nathaniel, was both enamored with his father’s victories and determined to surpass them. When his son qualified to join the dangerous Apex Games, August went to the Syndicate with an offer: take me instead.
His son would be safe from the path that ruined him. What better way to use those skills than in selfless service? And if it just so happens to be his favorite activity, killing all who stand against him…That’s quite a fortunate coincidence.
Ballistic Abilities
According to the official Apex description, Ballistic will be an Assault Legend. Here are the teased Ballistic abilities by the playtesters:
- Passive: Sling
- Ballistic can carry a third weapon in his inventory with no attachments.
- Tactical: Whistler
- Ballistic shoots a smart ammo projectile at an enemy that will apply a weapon overheat debuff. An indicator on the affected enemy’s hud will show how many shots they can shoot before the gun will overheat, causing them to pause firing for a short cool-down animation. Whistler can be held to lock-on to an enemy but can be dodged if you break line of sight with the tactical.
- If Whistler misses, it will remain on the floor or surface of the area (Like Ashe’s tactical) and if an enemy runs into it, it will deal 5 damage.
- Whistler deals 20 damage on hit and will do an additional 30 damage if the enemy overheats their weapon.
- Ultimate: Tempest
- Ballistic deploys an area of effect buff to him and his nearby teammates that grant them unlimited ammo, faster movement speed, and faster reloads. Tempest also temporarily set his third gun (the one with no attachments) to become a gold, fully-kitted weapon for the duration of the ultimate.
- The charge time for Tempest is around 3 minutes and the duration of Tempest is 30 seconds.
- Tempest’s ult time can be extended if you secure a kill while buffed, kind of like Bloodhound’s ultimate. This will extend the buff time for all teammates.
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