Apex Legends has only been out for a month, but if you’re already getting tired of playing as the same handful of heroes each game, you could be in for a treat. A new character is reporting coming to the game soon as part of the “Battle Pass,” and it looks like it’s drawing some influence from the Borderlands series.
According to Daily Esports, the first post-launch character for Apex Legends will be named “Octane,” and he will arrive around March 12 alongside the Battle Pass — but he won’t actually be included in it. The pass will reportedly only be purchasable using real cash as opposed to in-game coins, and it will be released as part of the game’s first-year roadmap. This roadmap will also add additional weapons and loot to the game. The “Havoc” energy rifle was already added in a free update, packing a heavy punch at medium ranges.
Initially, Octane was leaked on Reddit by a poster that supposedly snapped a picture of the character off of the screen of a person working on it. Since then the character has been the source of much debate on Reddit with Daily Esports claiming that a person close to the project has confirmed that the leak is in fact legitimate.
Octane’s design is similar to the “Psycho” enemy type from Gearbox’s Borderlands games, and the promotional image features the character doing heavy metal devil horns. His mask also has teeth painted along the top and bottom edges, but goggles and a gas mask cover much of his face. Curiously, he also appears to have some sort of artificial devices in his abdomen, almost like those who enter the real world in The Matrix. His outfit is very similar to Junkrat from Overwatch.
Currently, all but two of Apex Legends‘ heroes are available to use right from the start of the game. The remaining two must be purchased, and it can take quite a bit of time to earn enough coins to unlock them through traditional play alone. Octane will likely be unlocked in a similar way, but it’s very unlikely that the Battle Pass itself will include anything but cosmetic items, so as to preserve the competitive nature of the battle royale gameplay.
Apex Legends continues to be an enormous hit on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game recently passed 50 million total players, proving that there is still room in the battle royale genre for experimentation and innovation.
