Apex Legends kicked off the fourth part of its season-long quest today with a hunt as stim-fueled as Octavio Silva himself. But that’s not the only source of action. The story chapter, The Impromptu Kidnapper, sees Apex‘s combat medic abduct a Hammond Robotics employee to save her best friend.
This section of the quest picks up right where chapter three left off, when a recklessly brave Octane entered the Shadowfall dimension solo to hunt for the pieces of the artifact. Octavio is somewhere in there and his jump pads are all over the map.
Between the hunt, the relic, and the story chapter, there’s plenty to break down. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
The hunt: High-Octane
Slum Lakes definitely feels different this time around and it’s not just the murderous Prowlers that lurk in the area. The POI is filled to the brim with Jump Pads and they’re one of the quickest ways to travel around the map.
Players start the quest with a Mozambique and a P2020 without Hammerpoint Rounds, as well as a golden shield, backpack, and some healing items. The weak starting weapons can be replaced soon. There’s a true arsenal spread out over Slum Lakes, ripe for the taking.
The objective in the first part is to kill eight Prowlers. Fighting them can be tricky since most of the engagements will likely take place on narrow rooftops and their mobility, coupled with the jump pads, lets them easily chase you over the area. Speed is also of the essence here. The ring is closing in fast and it’s easy to get sidetracked between the Prowlers, escaping the ring, and chasing down loot.
Slum Lakes houses a myriad of loot in regular modes and that’s no exception in the quest. R-99s, Alternators, Flatlines, and healing items are easy to find across the area. One Wingman spawns right in front of the player (take the second jump pad from the left) and a G7 Scout sits in a supply bin on top of the bridge. The two bins after the houses contain a Flatline and an R-99. Another R-99 is on the rooftop just before the dig site.
After taking out the Prowlers, players have to dig up the artifact. The nearby area is filled with assorted ammo and plenty of weapons, including a care package that has high-tier loot. Players can get their hands on a gold helmet and a fully-kitted Prowler SMG and R-301 in the supply drop.
The numerous jump pads around the dig site provide players with a mobility option to create distance between them and the Prowlers. Jumping also allows for safe reloads, which can come in handy. Be mindful of your trajectory, however. Landing straight into a Prowler when trying to reposition will surely disrupt the flow of the fight.
Extracting out of the area is the easy part. There’s a Jump Tower in the middle of the area and players can use it to dive straight onto the dropship—no zipline needed.
For legend choices, the jump pads provide plenty of mobility already, so legends such as Loba and Pathfinder can take a backseat. Loba’s ultimate, which would be a great strength, takes a while to charge up, further decreasing its efficiency.
Mirage can easily bamboozle several Prowlers and is a strong choice. Lifeline’s D.O.C. and faster item consumption also bring solid utility to players, whether they’re solo or on a team. Revenant mains can rejoice. The simulacrum is finally available to play during a hunt after three weeks on the bench.
Following a successful extraction, players will obtain the Howlite gun charm, as well as the Retinal Array and the next chapter in the story.
The story: The Impromptu Kidnapper
In the previous chapter, Octane decided to dive into Kings Canyon singlehandedly and recover all pieces of Loba’s artifact. The Impromptu Kidnapper kicks off from Lifeline’s perspective. The combat medic requests that Bangalore sends out the legends to rescue him as soon as possible.
Octane left a note (taped to Wattson’s forehead, of all places) saying that he couldn’t stand to sit out any longer. “I don’t sit on the sidelines well,” the note reads. “So I’m going in anyway. Because I’m Octavio Silva and if I die today, at least I went out doing what I do best.”
The sergeant refuses Lifeline’s pleas, however, saying that Octane is probably “sitting on a tree, drinking a cold one.” But she plans to send an extraction team on the following day if he doesn’t return. Lifeline’s not having it. “Yuh gonna send one now, is what’cha gonna do,” she tells Bangalore, who promptly slams the door on her face.
Lifeline tracks down Hammond Robotics’ Yoko, who had information against Loba, and knocks on her door. She panics and pulls Yoko into the hallway, locking the door behind the duo. “Is this a kidnapping?” Yoko asks, and Lifeline dreads the answer to that question.
Lifeline takes Yoko down to Bangalore and promises her Bangalore’s autograph in return for the dirt on Loba—and Che can save Octane. “Everybody gets what they want,” the medic says. She confesses her guilt over Octane’s departure, showing the back of the note as evidence. “So if it’s curtains for me today, Che, I need you to know something… You cracking accountant jokes tonight hurt the most.”
The plan works. Yoko gives Bangalore a rundown of the meeting, including a full transcript, and the two legends head to the Paradise Lounge with two different goals in mind. Bangalore wants to confront Loba, but Lifeline just wants to save Octane.
The chapter finishes with Bangalore confronting Loba in front of the other legends. She’ll tell “the real reason” they’ve been risking their lives in the incursions, “and it’s got nothing to do with treasure,” she says. Lifeline enlists Gibraltar’s help to save Octane and the duo seem to be going into a portal when the chapter finishes.
The next chapter, The Lying Liar, may pick up from where the legends left off and revisit Bangalore’s confrontation with Loba. The thief unsurprisingly appears to have hidden motives behind her quest and we may start to get a glimpse at what they are in the next part of the quest.
The piece: Retinal Array
The spoils of High Octane include a Retinal Array, an “optical assembly of very high quality.” During the story, Lifeline asks if “this thing has eyes.” It appears that whatever the legends are building is animated and possibly sentient. The Occipital Hub, recovered in the second hunt, holds a “motor subprocessing” and has to do with the host’s locomotion. The Gemini cores retrieved previously, on the other hand, are responsible for “higher functions and memory.”
The legends could be building another robot or simulacrum, which would fit with Bangalore’s affirmation that “it’s not about treasure.” Hammond Robotics’ involvement, too, points toward another simulacrum since the company is responsible for the creation of those beings. But so far, it’s all speculation—at least until Bangalore exposes Loba’s tricks in the next chapter of the story, called The Lying Liar.
