Apex Legends Crowns New Most-Played Character

Apex Legends' rankings of the most-played and least-played Legends jump around with each update and balance factors affected by those patches, but Wraith has always consistently been the most popular character more so than anyone else. That's changed, however, at least for the time being until a new update shakes up the meta. Thanks to some Season 16 buffs he received and what's likely an example of word of mouth and some influence from top streamers and the competitive scene, Pathfinder is currently the most-played character in Apex Legends with Wraith dropping not just one but two spots on the charts.

That info comes from the Apex Legends Status site, a third-party tool which tracks pick rates of different characters across Apex's various levels of play. Based on the info pulled by the tracker, Pathfinder is sitting at an 11.8% pick rate with Wraith sitting at 10.4%. Between them is Octane who's also got a 10.4% pick rate, so the two are technically tied as far as those decimals are concerned, but Wraith's behind him either way on the charts.

So, what's led to Pathfinder's rise to the top? Rather than a streamer or someone prominent discovering some hidden tech that cause Pathfinder's popularity to skyrocket before that discovery was patched out, Pathfinder's climb has been a gradual one throughout the course of the season. He's gotten no real buffs over the last couple of smaller updates with the Season 16 one being the first real instance of attention he got in some time.

That update finally gave Pathfinder a worthwhile passive, the lack of which became a long-running joke compared to passives other Legends offered. In addition to gaining the Skirmisher perks granted as part of the class rework, Pathfinder's cooldown reduction on his Zipline ultimate was transferred to those Skirmisher actions, too. He also had his Zipline speed and range increased dramatically which is why we've seen so many Ziplines on maps now that seem to stretch from one POI to another. 

Alongside an increased pick rate, Pathfinder is winning more, too. He's picked the most across all but the Rookie, Unranked, and Bronze tiers, and when it comes to the top 300 players in the world, he wins more than any other Legend. There's also the fun factor to consider as well -- zooming around as Pathfinder with his extensive mobility options is as useful as it is entertaining, so unless we see some dramatic buffs or nerfs in the coming season, it's unlikely Pathfinder will fall out of favor anytime soon.

[H/T Esports.gg]