Apex Legends Season 17: Arsenal kicked off with a new episode of Stories From The Outlands, titled "Encore," which, alongside the season launch trailer introduced players to Apex's 24th legend: August "Ballistic" Brinkman, a former Thunderdome champion who retired from the Games after tragedy struck. But now he's un-retiring, determined to take his son's place in the Apex Games.
But despite his reputation for showing off in the ring, Ballistic is cool, calm, and collected--traits players will want to keep in mind if they aim to master this refined new legend. Knowing when to attack with guns blazing and when to stick to the shadows is key to crushing the competition when you're playing this experienced Apex predator and facing off with the game's other characters in battle. Whether you're struggling to organize and operate Ballistic's expanded arsenal of weapons or just looking to see what you'll be up against when you face him, keep reading for a closer look at this well-dressed, well-armed legend's abilities--including tips to help you make the most of that third weapon.
You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.
Click To Unmute
State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023
How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Joongi Han Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Tianyou Zhao Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer
Share
LinkEmbed
Size:640 × 360480 × 270
Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Sign up or Sign in now!
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
HTML5
Auto
Report a problem
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
enter
Now Playing: Apex Legends | Stories from the Outlands - “Encore” Cinematic Trailer
Real Name: August Montgomery Brinkman
Age: 63
Home World: Gaea
Class: Assault
Apex Games Tagline: Refined Gunslinger
Respawn describes Ballistic as a "refined older gentleman living with a beast inside." Once a popular Thunderdome Games competitor with a penchant for bravado and showmanship, August Brinkman is now coming out of a decades-long retirement to reclaim his place in the spotlight. But this time, he's not doing it solely for his own benefit (or so he says). After making a deal with Torres "Duardo" Silva to keep his son Nathan out of the Apex Games, Ballistic took his son's place, knowing all too well the dangers that come with participating in a bloodsport.
August's Thunderdome days ended in tragedy--Ballistic was responsible for the death of his brother-in-law, Kit Siang, who died due to Ballistic's preference for performance over protection. It seems he wants to stop his son from ending up in the same position--a claim that's shaky at best, given the fact that in the Apex Games, Respawn Beacons prevent competitors from actually dying. Whether this ploy to keep his son out of the Games will actually work remains to be seen.
Ballistic wears Kit Siang's glasses as a reminder to never repeat the selfish behavior that led to Kit Siang's death.
Passive - Weapon Sling: Allows players to store a third weapon. Access via inventory or the d-pad. The sling weapon cannot take attachments.Tactical - Whistler: Shoots a projectile that locks onto the enemy, damaging them and temporarily applying a debuff to them after making contact. This debuff causes enemies' firearms to overheat as they shoot. Overheating will cause a reaction that deals damage. Hold the tactical button to lock-on to a target.Ultimate - Weapon Enhancer: When activated, Ballistic and any nearby teammates get a buff applied, increasing reload time, armed movement speed, and infinite ammo. Any weapon stored in Ballistic's Weapon Sling will be instantly equipped and upgraded to gold-tier for the duration of the buff.Ballistic also has two additional abilities that are tied to his legend class. Ballistic is categorized as an Assault-class legend, meaning he has the following class-based abilities:
Access Weapon Supply Bins: Ballistic can open the secret compartment hidden in each red Weapon Supply Bin. Doing so will give him access to gear and attachments that fit his current loadout, similar to the Smart Loot Supply Bins found inside Storm Point's IMC Armories.Carry Extra Ammo: Ballistic can carry an extra 20 rounds of Energy Ammo, Heavy Ammo, and Light Ammo per inventory slot. Additionally, he can hold 21 Shotgun Ammo (as opposed to 16) and 37 Sniper Ammo (instead of the standard 28).Ballistic's legend abilities combined with his Assault-class perks make him a serious challenge to face in combat. With the ability to carry extra ammo and force enemies to lose control of their weapons, legends who encounter him in battle will want to plan their attack carefully.
Ballistic's abilities can turn the tide of battle, even when all seems lost.
This is also helpful as a makeshift method of area control. If there's an enemy in a building or you know they're lurking around a corner, firing off Whistler is a great way to block access and ensure the enemy can't reach you--not without paying a price, anyway.
Ballistic's squad-buffing abilities enhance other legends' battlefield performance.
That said, don't get too carried away--remember that Ballistic's Tempest ability increases the armed movement speed and reloading speed for the entire squad (provided that they're in range of Ballistic when he activates it). But it also gives Ballistic and his whole squad infinite ammo for the duration of the ability. If you'll be using Tempest regularly, you may find that you need to carry less ammo than you normally would. because you'll be wasting inventory space--always check the number of rounds, not the number of full inventory slots.
When playing as Ballistic, try to save this ability for moments when your squad is close enough to benefit, unless it's an emergency. Whether you're running from a third-partied firefight or simply trying to escape the ring, make sure you're close enough to share the love before you activate Tempest. But even if you're only playing with Ballistic instead of playing as him, you'll want to stay close enough to him to ensure you receive the squad buffs when he activates Tempest.
The Games require team cooperation, a lesson Ballistic learned the hard way during his Thunderdome days.
Octane is a great match, because he's already one of the fastest legends in the games. Stacking his Stim speed boost with Ballistic's Tempest speed boost effectively turns Octane into a green, Stim-addicted version of Sonic the Hedgehog. But the shared Tempest speed boost also means Octane has a way to boost his speed without damaging his health.Wraith is another good choice. She's been a bit easier to take out lately, mainly due to the fact that Respawn removed her ability to stack the speed boosts she used to get from using her tactical and ultimate abilities at the same time. But it appears that she can stack one of her ability speed buffs with Tempest, making it easier for her to rapidly phase across the battlefield while creating an escape route for her squad.Mad Maggie is one of the best legends to pair with Ballistic. The speed buff from her passive Warlord's Ire ability (which allows her to run faster when carrying a shotgun) combined with the speed boost from her Wrecking Ball ability already makes her a great match for Ballistic's squad, but by making use of the Tempest buff on top of her own abilities, she can go even faster. On top of that, Maggie is also an Assault-class legend, meaning she can also access Weapon Supply bins for customized high-tier loot and carry extra ammo. Sharing the battlefield with Ballistic only increases Maggie's skill, making her an ideal squadmate.Ballistic may work well with Octane in combat, but he's no fan of the Silva family.
But when it comes to defending yourself against Ballistic, playing as Revenant might be the best option. His Death Totem's "second wind" respawning ability makes risky pushes a lot less risky, and most importantly, Revenant's tactical Silence ability is the perfect way to take the wind out of Ballistic's sails, instantly cutting off access to his squad-buffing abilities and defensive capabilities. The element of surprise goes a long way when facing off with Ballistic, because he can't buff his entire squad if he doesn't see (or hear) you coming, so Revenant's quiet, quick crawl speed and ability to scale entire buildings make him the ideal legend to ambush Ballistic's squad.
Revenant also shares the same Assault-class abilities as Ballistic, so they're evenly matched on that front. Whether you're aggressively pushing an unsuspecting enemy squad or just trying to buy your team enough time to run away, Revenant's abilities are great for defanging Ballistic and his squad in a number of ways. But if the rumors about Revenant being "reborn" with a new set of lore-altering abilities are true, he may soon be useless against the powerful ability set of Season 17's high-class, high-caliber legend.
If Revenant does indeed lose his ability to use Silence, players are probably better off just playing as Ballistic himself. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. (Or pray they get nerfed).
Apex Legends' Best In-Game Teasers, Ranked
See More