Apex Legends Ash’s Abilities Could Replace Wraith

Titanfall 2’s Ash was recently revealed to be Apex Legends’ newest playable character, arriving in November with the launch of Season 11. Though not much is known about her kit, what Respawn Entertainment has shown of Ash’s abilities appears eerily similar to Wraith. Wraith has been a staple of Apex Legends – and especially its competitive scene – since its release, but Ash may end up being better, replacing the fan-favorite legend.

In Apex Legends‘ Season 11 trailer, Ash uses a portal that looks much like Wraith’s. Wraith’s portal, along with her intangibility-granting “Into the Void” phase ability, has made her so powerful that Respawn has needed to continually nerf her. Though still a popular pick, these nerfs have turned her into a shell of what she was at the game’s launch. Ash doesn’t appear to have anything like Into the Void, but her portal works immediately, unlike Wraith’s, and allows her to go through walls.

Wraith has always been a great character to both start and get out of battles, as her phasing and portal abilities enable her to flee with little to no risk. However, Wraith has trouble fighting players bunkered up in buildings. She can neither go through walls nor open doors while phasing, and her portal can be guarded by defensive Apex Legends characters, like Wattson. Ash’s portal should be able to bypass these these shortcomings, allowing her to directly enter buildings through walls with ease and open fights against camping teams.

Why Apex Legends’ Ash Might Be A Better Wraith

Additionally, the apparent speediness of Ash’s portal will likely be a major bonus to her kit. Wraith was once able to immediately go into Into the Void, and she would receive a huge speed boost when setting her portal and using phase at the same time. Wraith’s many nerfs have given her phase ability a long delay, and she no longer gets the speed boost from using the abilities simultaneously.

Ash looks set to avoid Wraith’s pitfalls, as she does not even need to run to set her portal: Once in the portal, the player will immediately be teleported to where it ends. The slower movement through Wraith’s portals allows enemy players more time to detect where the portal is coming from, potentially making it far less effective than Ash’s. Still, while Wraith may be outclassed, she will probably remain one of Apex Legends’ most popular characters. Hers are among the strongest abilities in Apex Legends – likely why Ash’s ultimate resembles Wraith’s in the first place.

Apex Legends Season 11 will launch on November 2, 2021.