Another new season, another new Legend.
Apex Legends Season 14 is the debut of Vantage, an expert sniper with a bat companion. A Recon Legend, Vantage sits somewhere between a scout and a fragger, similar to meta staples Valkyrie and Bloodhound. But that's only a surface-level comparison: her playstyle is entirely different.
Vantage's Tactical ability, Echo Relocation, serves as both a gap-closer and an emergency escape route. When used, Vantage deploys her bat (named Echo). Echo moves towards wherever Vantage's reticle is pointing, stopping after 40 meters. With Echo deployed, Vantage can hold the Tactical button to launch toward him or tap the button to reposition him. She can also tap the Utility button to recall Echo.
Echo Relocation is a complicated, versatile move. Once deployed, Echo won't just stay in one spot permanently. Instead, he'll start to follow Vantage once she moves more than 55m from his location. That means you can use Echo as a permanent escape route. You'll always have an easy way to retreat with him behind you. You can reposition Echo while you're performing other actions, like shooting and healing.
Vantage's other two abilities are far more team-focused. Her Passive, Spotter's Scope, is her best scouting tool. When aiming down the sights (unarmed or with optics with 3x zoom or higher), Vantage's eyepiece will highlight enemies and display a bullet drop indicator. The highlight function is a great way to gather info for your team, while the bullet drop indicator makes hitting long-range shots easier.
Vantage's Sniper's Mark Ultimate is one of the most unique in the game. When used, Vantage deploys her custom sniper rifle. Enemies hit with the rifle are marked for 10 seconds. While marked, they'll take 15% more damage from all sources. Vantage's rifle can hold up to 5 rounds; she gets one round for every 20% Ultimate charge. This means she can use her Ultimate at only 20% charge. She'll only have one bullet, but sometimes that's all it takes.
All these abilities combine for a character best played in the mid or backline, whether she's scouting or dealing damage. She pairs very well with other scouts like Valkyrie and Bloodhound and can work as a pseudo-support in a pinch. Unsurprisingly, Vantage fits into a ton of team comps. Here are three to try out.
Three Team Comps for Vantage
Vantage/Valkyrie/Gibraltar
Vantage and Valkyrie are a potent combination. Vantage can take over some of Valk's scout duties, allowing her to frag out and deal damage. Vantage can also soften up and mark enemies with her sniper, making Valk's Missile Swarm and Gibraltar's Defensive Bombardment much more potent as offensive abilities. Of course, you've still got the classic Gibby shield/Valk ult combination, one of the best movement tools in the game. Because Vantage plays further back than Valk would in the scout role, this comp will play a bit slower than the classic Wraith/Valkyrie/Gibraltar squad. That doesn't feel so bad when Vantage is sniping away with her Ultimate.
Vantage/Caustic/Seer
This comp uses Vantage in place of Pathfinder in the Seer/Pathfinder combo. Seer plays as an aggressive scouter, finding enemy squads and setting up teamfights. Vantage can play aggressively off of Seer's info, using Echo to jump in and take favorable fights. She can also be more defensive, marking enemies with her sniper and helping out with her Spotter's Scope.
Caustic is a pure, tanky anchor here. You'll want to be in the circle with this comp, as Caustic can lock down positions with his gas traps. He can also combine his Nox Grenade with Vantage's Sniper's Mark, dealing massive damage in a short period.
Vantage/Gibraltar/Caustic
If you want to play passively and defensively, look no further. Between Caustic's gas traps, Vantage's Sniper's Mark and Spotter's Scope, and Gibraltar's shield and Defensive Bombardment, enemy squads will have a tough time attacking your team. Conversely, this comp is also excellent at attacking other squads who are set up defensively. Vantage can find an enemy team with her Passive and mark them with her ult. Then, Gibby and Caustic can smoke the team out with their ults. The other squad won't survive long with that much damage coming in.
Vantage is a fascinating addition to Apex Legends. In a way, she's like Pathfinder: she can be the team's primary scout, but she probably shouldn't be the team's only scout. But she's much better at dealing damage than Pathfinder, bringing her closer to someone like Bloodhound or Valkyrie. Any way you slice it, she's an exciting addition to your squad.
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