Apex Legends Season 26 is here and it brings some HUGE shakeups to the ranked meta, so which legends should you be picking this season and which should you avoid.
The theme of this season is rivalries and developing clear counters to the dive meta that formed in season 25. In this season there is a distinct division between more aggressive comps and defensive bunker strategies that allow for more flexibility in playstyles rather than the more one note vibes of season 25.
Of course the changes to Caustic and Bangalore are the clearest example of this with Caustic becoming the strongest defensive legend in the game and Bangalore gaining the ability to tear down those defenses at the push of a button.
The changes to these legends are so significant that they have become defining staples of the current meta, so let's start things off by breaking down what makes them so distinct so that we can better understand the rankings of the full roster and see what direction respawn are taking with this season.
First lets talk about caustic as his rework has been a long time coming and well to put it bluntly, he is SO back.
Every single aspect of his kit has been buffed to its absolute limit. His gas now does increased damage, slows enemy movement, drains movement abilities and disables aim assist, with a wider range and even reduced cooldowns. Meaning now, when you push a caustic, you’re actually going to be at a significant disadvantage and you are NOT going to have a good time.
Pair this with the ability to unlock all 4 upgrades and the updated controller perk which gives you an extra 25 shield and passive shield regen inside the zone and you have yourself the most insane final boss bunker setup imaginable. Easily making him a high A tier pick this season.
These changes make bunker zone playstyles extremely viable as you’ll now have an actual deterrent to dive comps and aggressive pushes. There's just one small problem…
Bangalore has had a huge upgrade this season, turning her from a more defensive tactician to an aggressive bunker buster.
Her smokes and ultimate can now be upgraded to instantly destroy any deployables as well as doors. This allows your squad to quickly clear out reinforced areas and execute enemy squads in a flash whilst still providing space with her smokes and ultimate to quickly reset if things don’t go to plan.
These changes obviously make Bangalore extremely oppressive as she presents a counter for the vast majority of the legends on the roster. Her biggest drawback might even be that her kit is just too good, as a lot of the legends she would be most effective against simply aren’t being picked as they’re completely useless the moment they came up against an enemy Bangalore.
This creates a bit of a catch 22 where certain legends are made unplayable simply because Bangalore exists, but this means that actually getting value out of Bangalore consistently is unlikely as you won’t be coming up against the characters she counters very frequently.
Make sense? Good.
Without a doubt an S tier legend right now but honestly she's probably going to get nerfed very soon.
With these legends you can start to see that two distinct playstyles are taking priority this season, one which excels at fortifying space and another that focuses on sieging that space.
But don’t forget, there's also some major changes to the ranked format. Designated drop zones mean there is far less early game chaos and more time to loot and set up fortifications, whilst reduced KP means there is less of an incentive to hunt for kills versus playing strategically for a high placement.
With that in mind, I think it’s safe to say that your goal this season is claiming and then defending advantageous positions for as long as possible so you’re going to want to pick legends that excel in these areas.
Ok enough yapping, lets dive into the legends you should absolutely avoid.
In season 26, Gibby came to throw bubbles and lock down space but well, he’s all out of bubbles.
He was already in a pretty bad position and has been for quite some time and I honestly thought he would be getting a bit of a buff this season. You’d think that with bunker setups being so prevalent he’d be in a good spot but it’s pretty hard to recommend gibby right now. The one thing he has going for him is his bubble but there are so many ways to play around it that you’re just better off with other options.
It’s a similar story for rampart who is completely countered by Bangalores smokes which destroy her walls instantly. and without amped cover, Rampart is just a big gun, out in the open waiting to get shut down.
And then we have Vantage who despite some pretty major buffs at the end of season 25, still struggles to deliver any meaningful value to the team. Her kit is just far too one dimensional, being completely built around the sniper, which is great if you really love sniping. But you could just play any other legend, pick up a sniper and you’d have a more well rounded kit with the same ad-vantage (see what i did there?).
The last trash tier legend has to be seer, his kit simply doesn’t have enough of an impact on either side of the coin. Against aggressive squads he’s just far too slow and clunky leaving him open to get picked off easily and he’s barely going to effect bunker setups, definitely not enough to actually find an entry.
In the D tier there are 5 legends who all suffer from the same problem, outdated kits. While each of these legends have had their day, they have struggled to keep up with the current meta as other options climb to the top.
While these legends do have their moments, Horizon, Octane, Bloodhound, Valkyrie and Catalyst should be avoided for this reason, unless of course you are particularly cracked when it comes to using their kits, in which case I salute you.
In C tier we have legends who have clear strengths but are more niche picks that are only strong when paired with higher tier legends with a specific playstyle in mind.
Crypto remains a decent pick and in the right hands he can provide extremely valuable intel to the team but this playstyle is heavily dependent on proactive planning and strong team comms and lets face it that's pretty hard to come by in most ranked lobbies.
Loba has seen a pretty drastic drop in popularity lately as her kit provides very little in combat and her shop has kind of become redundant when you have so much extra time to loot up in your designated drop zone meaning most of her value now comes from her ability to escape a fight and reset when things go badly and that's far less likely to happen if you instead pick a legend with more impactful utility.
Ballistic saw a lot of nerfs at the end of season 25 that have left him feeling pretty lackluster in the current meta. The whistler is still pretty strong but realistically most of his power came from the ult and the ability to give your team a speed boost with unlimited ammo so you can run down enemy squads, without that there's just not much reason to play him right now.
Conduit was just starting to see a bit of a come up towards the end of season 25 with her fast shielding and slow coming in clutch against dive comps but sadly shes fallen back into the depths with Bangalore simply wiping her ult off the map giving other support legends an edge.
And lastly we have mad maggie and fuse who both serve very similar roles in the current meta, break bunkers, with each having their own unique approach. Both legends can be insanely impactful when you want to claim space or take a building but once you're in there they’re quite easy to play around unless paired with more defensive legends. Fuse does take a slight edge over maggie purely because his tactical is able to briefly clear Bangalores smokes, which you will be seeing a lot of this season.
Ok now we’re getting to the good stuff. In B tier we have legends that are a lot more versatile, providing both offensive and defensive abilities that play into the current meta to gain a major advantage.
First up, mirage remains surprisingly decent with his distractions enabling pushes and his sneaky revives allowing for quick resets all while remaining an active participant in fights at key moments.
It’s a similar story for wraith who has no problem getting out of a fight when she needs to and bringing the team with her for a quick retreat or surprise flank.
Sparrow is another legend hit by the Bangalore buff, but he still remains a very strong pick with unmatched intel gathering to guide rotations and some great abilities for turning a fight around provided you’re able to play around enemy bangalores of course.
Wattson and Newcastle both come at the top of B tier for the simple fact they present the only real hard counters to bangalore’s insane destructive capabilities, with both legends ultimates blocking her smokes and while Wattson provides a bit more defense she is reliant on being inside a building or behind cover whereas newcastle can create his own mini fortress. Which one you pick really depends on how mobile you want to be and the legends you're squadding up with.
Joining Caustic in the A tier we have 2 legends that have seen something of a resurgence lately.
First up we have Revenant, who received a pretty huge buff to his pounce at the end of season 25 which allows him to travel a ridiculous range, but that's not all. Not only does his level 3 upgrade allow you to knock 5 seconds off your tactical cooldown but with the new power booster amp you can bring the cooldown down to just 10 seconds. Pair that with faster ult recharge and you can see how revenant is able to absolutely wreak havoc in the arena, getting in and out of fights to pick off isolated targets with very limited risk.
It’s very similar for pathfinder who’s recent buffs give him the mobility needed to run circles around enemies, making both legends exceptional at taking space whilst maintaining the option to get out and reset if things aren’t going their way.
This playstyle is surprisingly strong in the current meta as being able to reposition so quickly gives you far more control over key areas whether you are attacking or defending but keep in mind that playing these legends does require a unique skill set so be sure to get some practice before you take them into ranked.
Before we take a look at our S tier legends it’s important to remember that while knowing which legends to pick can help you rank up faster, you still need to hone your skills if you actually want to improve at the game. That's why we’ve partnered with some of the best players in the game like HisWattson, Keon, Jxmo and District to bring you in-depth guides that teach you how to play like the pros. If you’re serious about improving then click the link in the description to find out more.
Ok so joining Bangalore in S tier we of course have Alter and Ash who remain dominant forces this season and it’s not hard to see why. Both legends offer so much versatility with options to get in and out of fights instantly and take complete control of space, with amazing solo carry potential and great support for the team. Ash’s mobility and tether allow her to isolate and outmaneuver enemies like no other legend, whilst Alter’s ability to quickly reposition allows her to maintain an advantage even when she goes down.
And last but certainly not least we have Lifeline who's only gotten better since last season. Her ability to keep the team and herself topped up and quickly reset using doc whilst remaining in the fight is something you just can’t get from any other legend, but she's made even better this season by the simple fact that unlike many other supportive legends her ultimate can not be destroyed by bangalore. This means that she can continue to deliver value no matter what hits her and can easily carry the team right to the end of the match.
And that wraps up our Apex Legends Season 26 Ranked Tier list. Now you are ready to jump into ranked but, if you are serious about improving then check out our in-depth guides from some of the best players in the game only availible on FPSLounge.com