When you’re ability is to gas people to death, you can expect a lot of jokes on the internet comparing you to a Nazi. More especially so if you are the only white male in your rooster. Such is the case for Caustic.
My Methods are only controversial to those who lack imagination.
At the age of 48, Alexander Nox, is one of the oldest participants of Apex Legends. His specialty is poison gas which he uses to set up traps against the other contestants. As of now, he is the only character capable of doing so.
Many of his abilities rely on close range combat, and his tactical arsenal compliments this notion. His gas slows people down. His traps can block doorways. Caustic can practically own an entire building if he so wishes. Though this doesn’t make him impenetrable, it does make him hard to kill once he has positioned in a good spot. Fighting him at close ranged well prepared is a guarantee for death.
Caustic can set up to six traps at once. And can remain even at longer ranges. Once he deploys a seventh trap, the eldest trap disappears. Caustic can set up three traps simultaneously before needing to refresh this tactical skill for thirty seconds. Though the refresh starts at the first gas trap you deploy. So there’s no need to deploy all three. Since the recharge rate is quite fast, there’s little to no need to hold yourself back. And impressively enough, his gas traps also block doorways.
Once a trap has been activated, Caustic can easily see which one has been triggered even through walls. This notifies him that one of his gas canisters has been shot and is leaking. He can also see if somebody is taking damage from his trap due to the damage indicator on his crosshairs. His poison gas can also be difficult to see through effectively doubling it as a smoke grenade. Though Caustic can easily see those who would step into it as they glow on his vision.
The Cons
That’s not to say that Caustic does not have his flaws.
In fact, one could say that he is, in many ways, ill-fit for Apex Legends. For a game that specializes in fast-paced shooting, Caustic is more for players who are slow and tactical thinkers. He is a difficult character to play offensively as he barely has any skills that support him to do so. In a do-or-die scenario, he is quite at a disadvantage.
His gas traps, for one thing, should not be deployed in the middle of a very close ranged firefight. The short window of animation time that makes him do so leaves you open with no way to defend yourself. They’re better suited for those who are planning a defense. This means that when he is ambushed, he is in serious trouble.
His ultimate ability while being useful also has an animation time that leaves him open for a short while. And in a fast-paced shooter like Apex Legends that could mean all the difference in the world. He also cannot throw his gas canister too far meaning that you have to get closer to the enemy for it to be effective.
His gas traps, for one thing, are easily identified. If you do not place them in key locations, they are relatively easy to avoid. Shooting the base also destroys the trap without it leaking. Though I have yet to see anyone really do this in my time.
While his traps gradually increase damage, their initial damage is a bit low. It isn’t too hard to get out of their range even when slowed. I rarely killed an enemy with gas traps alone as they always back away too quickly for it to be truly effective.
In short, he’s a character that discourages the enemy to push. Caustic buys you time but can’t deliver you away from harm for good. While Caustic provides you with space, he can’t provide complete safety. And thus, he does have to rely on his teammates to truly secure the kill.
As someone who mains Caustic, it hurts a bit to see him with so many flaws. While he has some impressive tactical potential, it is dwarfed by other heroes abilities to simply get around his. I barely see anybody use him at all and I barely encounter anyone on the battlefield playing as him. In consolation, I suppose, not many people know how to truly fight against him and thus hesitate. One day soon when people get used to seeing his abilities, he might become completely useless.
I really like playing the cold and calculating type. Many of Caustic’s lines are fun to hear. And playing him makes me feel truly intimidating on the battlefield. But I feel as though his abilities need a bit of push for him to truly be well balanced against other heroes.