Who is Ballistic in Apex Legends?

Ballistic is heading to the Apex Games in season 17, and he’s bringing an all-new playstyle to Apex Legends.

This mysterious man appeared at the center of a number of leaks prior to his confirmation in season trailers. Originally, he was part of the season 13 data mine, a huge leak of future content that showed off new potential characters entering the game. That leak turned out to be largely accurate since it correctly predicted the arrivals of legends like Newcastle, Vantage, and Catalyst.

Players finally got confirmation of the legend in the April 24 Stories from the Outlands episode, “Encore,” which gave more insight into why the gunslinger was stepping out of retirement and back into the ring. This video came mere days after Respawn Entertainment uploaded an image of the character on its event page for the Veiled collection event before subsequently replacing it.

On May 1, the Apex developer released its Arsenal gameplay trailer, showing off the character’s ability kit and gameplay for season 17, which begins on May 9.

Here’s everything there is to know about Ballistic, Apex‘s 24th playable character.

All Ballistic abilities in Apex Legends

Passive: Weapon Sling

For Ballistic’s passive ability, the Weapon Sling allows players to carry a third weapon around with them and use it as they want to. This weapon doesn’t automatically come up when players cycle weapons and must be selected for use with an alternate interact button.

This weapon cannot take any attachments, but it becomes the player’s primary weapon during Ballistic’s ultimate and also becomes the gold, fully-kitted version of the weapon during this ultimate period.

Tactical (Q): Whistler

Ballistic’s Tactical ability fires a projectile, overheating an enemy’s gun as they shoot, which then causes damage to its user. Players can hold the Tactical button to lock on to the target.

This ability should help players control a gunfight. You’ll want to seize the opportunity in which your opponents will be unable to fire without taking damage. You won’t have long, however, before the ability wears off, so be sure to make the most of the time you do have.

Ultimate: Tempest

Ballistic’s ultimate gives nearby teammates faster reloads, quicker unarmed move speed, and infinite ammo. After activating this ability, Ballistic equips his sling weapon, which is automatically upgraded to gold and gains attachments.

Be sure to organize your weapon loadout accordingly. You may want to put your strongest weapon in the sling, so when you trigger your ultimate ability, you’ll have the best gun upgraded. Play around with the weapon sling to get a feel for what playstyle is best for you.

All Ballistic lore in Apex Legends

Ballistic joins the Apex Games having quite an extensive history with bloodsports.

The legend’s character bio tells of how Ballistic competed in the Thunderdome long before the Apex Games came into existence. He was one of three champions that would compete together, in addition to Sok Leng and her brother Kit Siang. But Ballistic acquired an ego in his days of competition, and in a moment of succumbing to his crowd-loving side, he failed to help his team, leading to Kit Siang’s death.

Ballistic—who was “devastated by guilt,” according to his character bio page—retreated into retirement, neglecting his son and wife. As his son grew up, however, he aimed to surpass Ballistic’s accomplishments, eventually signing up for the Apex Games years later. When Ballistic discovered this, he offered himself in place of his son, and Duardo Silva agreed to the deal.

Ballistic now joins the Games as a returning champion from ages past, and many think he may be past his prime. But can an old dog learn new tricks? Apex fans will need to wait and see.