The not-that-subtle message underneath Apex Legends’ launch trailer for season 15, Eclipse, is that Seer — if not getting a nerf — is at least meeting his very worthy match.
That match is Catalyst, the newest Legend introduced on Monday. Her lore trailer from Oct. 17 will bring you up to speed on her backstory and how she’s tied to current in-world events; today’s feature gives folks another look at her capabilities, which involve manipulating a black, viscous liquid called “ferrofluid” which she carries in tanks strapped to her back.
It seems that Ferrofluid can work as a shroud to completely blind Seer’s powerful scanning abilities. The barrier Catalyst raises toward the end of Thursday’s trailer is permeable, as Octane finds out, but it also seriously slows down anyone breaching it, and also, it doesn’t look like they come out the other side seeing too clearly, either.
Thursday’s launch trailer also reveals more of Cleo, the shattered moon of Boreas, which is Catalyst’s home planet. As Catalyst’s dialogue with Seer suggests, she and her allies were working to save Cleo (and therefore their homeworld) before Hammond Robotics decided it couldn’t be salvaged and was better off as an arena for the Apex Games. That’s what brings Cleo into the game, as a map, with Eclipse, which launches Nov. 1.
For more about Catalyst, her backstory and enmity with Seer, check out Monday’s “Stories from the Outlands.” Catalyst is a defensive type, with terraforming capabilities (using the aforementioned Ferrofluid) that seem almost magical by nature. Catalyst (real name Tressa Smith) is also trans (as she revealed in dialogue from Monday’s video), and Respawn Entertainment enlisted consultants from GLAAD in addition to the studio’s own trans and LGBTQ employees to develop her story and persona.
Respawn will next show a gameplay trailer on Monday, Oct. 24, divulging more about what players can expect from season 15, its new map, and other features coming to the battle royale. Apex Legends is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X.