How to play Pathfinder in Apex Legends

One of the most popular characters in Apex Legends since its launch, Pathfinder has taken some hits over the last couple years by way of nerfs and other characters getting buffed around him. That’s made his pick rate drop somewhat since other characters can do more with their abilities than Pathfinder.

On the other hand, that hasn’t stopped a large population of Pathfinder enthusiasts from sticking with the lovable MRVN unit, whose positivity is only matched by the still-unparalleled movement players can achieve with Path.

Whether you’re trying to become a trick-shotting, grapple-wielding, solo-queue warrior or you just like to use ziplines a whole lot, Pathfinder remains one of the most fun legends to use in the entire game.

Here are some tips and tricks for playing Pathfinder in Apex Legends.

Insider Knowledge – Passive

Pathfinder’s passive ability allows him to use the survey beacons scattered across the map to find out the ring of death’s next location.

This ability is very useful in the later stages of the game as the ring gets smaller because it gives you a tactical advantage over all other squads. By knowing the next ring location, you can reposition and set up a vantage point for other squads who will make their way to it moments later.

Be careful, though—using this ability will leave you open to enemy fire for a small period of time, so make sure you’re safe before activating it.

In season six, Respawn buffed all recon characters, giving them the ability to scan survey beacons. To compensate for Pathfinder’s passive now being an ability that is available to several other legends, the Apex team subsequently buffed the ability for Pathfinder somewhat. When Path scans a beacon, in addition to his team seeing the next ring location, Pathfinder’s ultimate also gets a 10-second reduction in cooldown time. This can be used up to four times, taking the ultimate cooldown from 120 seconds to 80 seconds. Even if another recon legend in Pathfinder’s squad has already scanned a beacon for the round, Pathfinder can also scan it to receive this reduced cooldown.

Grappling Hook – Q

This ability is the main reason you play Pathfinder.

The Grappling Hook ability does exactly what you’d think—it gives you a short grappling hook that you can fire off at any given time. This gives you the option to pull yourself toward objects or scale up walls that would otherwise be unreachable by jumping.

You can also use this ability tactically to grapple a fleeing enemy and pull them into you and your team, stopping them in their tracks.

Learning the mechanics of how the Grappling Hook works is incredibly important on Pathfinder. Grappling onto an object and then aiming to the side while it pulls you toward that object can create a slingshot effect, allowing Pathfinder to achieve incredible speed and distances with this ability.

Another basic trick Pathfinder players can learn is grapple jumping. If there are no taller structures around for a Pathfinder to use to grapple onto, he can still achieve impressive distance and speed with his Grappling Hook by grappling onto the ground directly in front of him and then jumping the moment you hear the grapple attach to the ground.

Jumping before the grapple attaches will only result in the Grappling Hook pulling you to the spot where the hook attaches, and you will quickly lose the momentum of the grapple. Jumping afterward will propel you over the spot where the hook attaches in an arc, allowing you to achieve more distance and land in a slide, maintaining momentum for much longer.

Pathfinder’s Grappling Hook is what makes him one of the best characters for players looking to be creative with their movement, so the best tip for using his hook is simply to get lots of practice with it. A Pathfinder grappling all over the map is a happy Pathfinder.

Zipline Gun – Ultimate

Pathfinder’s ultimate gives you the option to fire off a zipline that you, your team, and your enemies can use to zip across the map. It can be used to reposition your squad around enemies or to get a team into higher positions that are normally out of reach.

You need to use this ability wisely, though. It can be used to make a quick getaway or to give your team an advantage in the final circle, but players on the zipline are also vulnerable to fire from enemy squads. Using a zipline is also loud, and its sound cue can easily be heard by enemies. Always be aware of enemy locations when trying to transport your team via the Zipline Gun.

The best ziplines are the ones that take enemies by surprise. Scaling a high point from an angle an enemy doesn’t expect or using it while other fighting is happening to mask the audio cue can give you the drop on an unsuspecting squad. Some Pathfinder players will grab a fully-kitted sniper rifle and scale up on top of a mountain to rain fire down from above.

However you choose to use your Zipline Gun, always remember that the best ziplines are the ones enemies don’t see coming. And, sometimes, it’s just easier to get on top of a building that way. It’s got one of the shortest ultimate cooldowns in the game, so you don’t usually need to worry about saving it.