As predicted, in March 2019, the first big update to Apex Legends was released. The update included the introduction of gaming seasons. Season 1, called “Wild Frontier,” allowed gamers to purchase the game’s very first Battle Pass, and unlocked a new Legend, known as Octavio Silva (“Octane”).
Octane needed to be unlocked manually, which cost 750 Apex Coins or 12,000 Legend Tokens. To do this, from the Lobby, click on the Legends tab, then click on the Octane tab.
Once he’s purchased and unlocked, he’ll appear as one of the Legends now available within the game.
At the start of a match, select Octane if you want to control him, assuming one of your other squad members has not selected him first.
MEET OCTANE . . . THE 9TH LEGEND IN APEX LEGENDS
Octane is a man, but he has robotic legs and a never-ending craving to travel fast. In other words, he’s an adrenaline junkie. Like the eight original Legends, he has a Tactical, Passive, and Ultimate ability, plus he can use any of the weapons and tools he discovers on the island during a match.
Like all of the other Legends, you can customize Octane’s appearance by unlocking and selecting a Skin, Banner, Quips, and/or Finishers before a match. There are many different skins that can be unlocked. The skins, of course, make Octane look awesome, but don’t impact his speed or fighting abilities. They’re for cosmetic purposes only.
Meet Octane, the ninth Legend currently available in Apex Legends. With each new gaming season in the future, expect new Legends to be introduced into the game—each with their own special abilities.
Octane’s Tactical ability is called Stim. It allows him to move 30 percent faster for up to six seconds at a time, but using this ability depletes some of his Health meter. During a match, Octane has an unlimited supply of Stim, but it can’t be used continuously. When it’s in use, a green hue appears around the edges of the game screen, and Octane can move much quicker. Use this speed to your advantage. You can quickly rush enemies to attack, or retreat from an area faster than many of your enemies can follow.
His Passive ability is called Swift Mend. Over time, this ability is used to restore some of Octane’s Health meter. In other words, if it gets drained as a result of using Stim, or from an injury, for example, using Swift Mend allows this Legend to heal himself over time.
Octane’s Ultimate ability is called Launch Pad. When used, a Jump Pad is created and can be placed in any nearby location that you choose.
The Launch Pad can then be used by Octane (or any other Legend) to quickly catapult themselves high into the air. Simply have your Legend step on the platform. Your Legend will travel straight upwards. While airborne, use the navigational controls to glide your Legend through the air. After this Ultimate ability gets used, it’ll take a while to regenerate.
Not only can going airborne allow Legends to relocate faster, they’re also able to use their weapons, so you can quickly achieve a height advantage by leaping up onto a hill or mountain. You can also try to shoot at enemies while flying through the air, but this is a more challenging skill to master.
BATTLE PASSES OFFER NEW WAYS TO ENJOY APEX LEGENDS
Moving forward, every three months or so, a new Apex Legends gaming season will kick off, and the previous one will come to an end.
During each gaming season, you’re able to purchase a new Battle Pass. From the Lobby, click on the Battle Pass. You’ll find it along the top of the screen.
From the Battle Pass screen, click on the Buy Premium Battle Pass banner that’s displayed on the left side of the screen. To learn what the current Battle Pass includes, first click on the About Battle Pass button.
Each Battle Pass includes 100 levels. As you level up as a player by gaining XP, your Battle Pass will level up as well. Each time this happens (while participating in regular matches), you receive a prize that’s yours to keep. However, the prizes offered during a season can only be unlocked during that season. Prizes include exclusive Legend skins, Apex Packs, and unique Stat Trackers, for example.
If you manage to reach Level 97 before Season 1 ends, you’ll earn enough Apex Coins (approximately 1,000 of them), which you can apply to the purchase of the Season 2 Battle Pass. In other words, you can ultimately earn more Apex Coins during a Season 1 than you spent to buy the first Battle Pass, and at the same time, unlock some other pretty awesome loot that will never be re-released into the game.
To reach Battle Pass levels 97, 98, 99 and 100 during Season 1, however, you’ll need to play Apex Legends for at least 135 hours during the three-month-long (90-day) gaming season, so pace yourself accordingly.
During future gaming seasons, a Battle Pass might include specific challenges you’ll need to complete in order to unlock Battle Pass levels, but at least for Season 1, it’s all about just playing Apex Legends and gaining XP through regular gameplay.
To purchase a Battle Pass, after clicking on the Purchase Premium Battle Pass button, you’ll be asked to choose between a Battle Pass or a Battle Pass Bundle. You’ll need to first acquire Apex Coins (using real money) to make either purchase.
Purchasing just the current Battle Pass will cost 950 Apex Coins, which is equivalent to about $9.50 (US). If you opt to purchase a Battle Pass Bundle, it’ll cost 2,800 Apex Coins (approximately $28.00 US). The first 25 Battle Pass levels unlock immediately, granting you access to all of those prizes.
Purchasing a Battle Pass is optional, and you can still win certain season-specific items by completing specific objectives. However, to unlock the best prizes, the purchase of a Battle Pass (or Battle Pass Bundle) is required.
Keep in mind, if you purchase just a Battle Pass, you can’t change your mind later and upgrade to a Battle Pass Bundle. You can, however, later purchase and unlock one level at a time for an additional fee of 150 Apex Coins (about $1.50 US) each. To do this, return to the Battle Pass screen and click on the Buy Battle Pass Level button.
From the Purchase Battle Pass Level screen, choose how many Levels you want to unlock at once, keeping in mind you’ll be charged 150 Apex Coins each. Displayed in the center of the screen are icons that represent the prizes you’ll unlock when you purchase the selected Level(s). Shown here, just one Level is about to be unlocked.
Shown on this Purchase Battle Pass Level screen, four additional levels are about to be unlocked at once using 600 Apex Coins. By looking at the center of the screen, you’ll see icons for the six prizes that’ll instantly be unlocked once the purchase is finalized.
Displayed across the Battle Pass screen, near the bottom-center of the screen, is a slider that shows icons representing the prizes that can be won by unlocking each of the 100 levels. Scroll to the right to see all of the levels.
With each new gaming season, expect new Legends to be introduced into the game, and know that as each Battle Pass kicks off, you’ll have the opportunity to win and unlock a wide range of goodies. Plus, each new Legend that’s added to Apex Legends offers something new and creates new opportunities when engaged in battle.
During each regular match, your squad will, of course, consist of three Legends (each controlled by a different gamer). Through experimentation, discover which other Legends Octane should be teamed up with in order to create a more formidable squad. Of course, a lot has to do with the skill level of the gamer controlling each Legend on your squad.
If you opt to control Octane, or any newly added Legends for that matter, quickly learn how and when to use their unique Tactical, Passive, and Ultimate abilities to get the most out of that Legend during combat and exploration situations.