Apex Legends' 13th Season, Saviors, has just dropped, and along with a new Battle Pass, some map tweaks, and some general quality of life improvements, a brand new playable Legend has been introduced. Named Newcastle, this new Legend takes a primarily defensive role, with abilities that allow him to drag downed teammates and deploy a range of sturdy shields capable of protecting the entire team. Unlike most new Legends when they’re first introduced,Newcastle seems like a middle-of-the-road characterwith quite a few counters to his abilities.
With Newcastle being a defensive hero that relies on his shields and teammates, there are a few Legends that can counter his strengths quite easily. While most of these strategies should help to take down a Newcastle player with relative ease, it might take a bit of skill to nail down those players that have a particular knack for playing asApex Legends' defensive heroes.
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Bangalore
In a tragic twist of irony,Newcastle’s own sister, Bangalore, is actually one of the best counters to his shield abilities. As Newcastle’s shields can mostly only be deployed in a front-facing position, he’s left pretty open from aerial attacks. Bangalore’s Ultimate ability, “Rolling Thunder,” unleashes a barrage of mortar fire on a large area of the battlefield.
By using thisRolling Thunder Ultimate, players can easily take down any shields that Newcastle has placed, while also getting a few lucky hits from above. Even if Newcastle and his team aren’t directly affected by Rolling Thunder, it’ll likely flush them out of their current cover, allowing a skilled team to make an effective push.
Gibraltar
On a very similar note, Gibraltar’s Ultimate can also be used to counterNewcastle’s shields. Called “Defensive Bombardment,” Gibraltar’s Ultimate functions in essentially the same way as Bangalore’s, albeit with a slightly reduced area of effect. Gibraltar players can easily disrupt Newcastle and his team by bombarding them from above, though they will have to be a little more precise with their aiming than those playing as Bangalore.
Fuse
Continuing with the trend of countering Newcastle’s shields by simply attacking from above, Fuse can get the job done with ease. With his Passive ability allowing him to carry double the amount of grenades and hisKnuckle Cluster Tactical ability, Fuse can effortlessly throw a bunch of grenades into Newcastle’s blind spot, wreaking havoc inside.
If players are attempting to escape the shield fort, then Fuse’s Ultimate should come in pretty handy, trapping them inside a burning ring of fire. From there, a team should have no problem picking off fleeing opponents or thosetrapped inside Newcastle’s walls.
Valkyrie
With one of thebest Passive abilities inApex Legends, Valkyrie can get the drop on Newcastle with minimal effort. All Valkyrie players need to do is fly over and behind Newcastle and his team, and attack from behind. While in the air, Valkyrie can also use her Missile Swarm Tactical to fire a barrage of rockets at the exposed Newcastle, causing some real damage.
Rather than try to circumvent Newcastle’s force fields,Mad Maggie’s Tactical abilitylets her simply shred through them directly. Called the “Riot Drill,” this ability launches a drill into any surface or wall, which burns players on the other side while it burrows through it. Obviously, his can be used to great effect on Newcastle’s shields, as the drill will shred through them, all while damaging those on the other side.
Caustic
One of the easiest-to-use counters against Newcastle,Caustic’s poisonous grenadescan wreak havoc on the defensive hero and his team. Unlike Gibraltar’s shield, Newcastle’s force fields don’t stop Caustic’s noxious gas from spreading. This makes it incredibly easy for a Caustic player to lob a Nox Grenade near Newcastle and his covered team, and just let it go to work, chipping away at the team’s health, or forcing them to flee their encampment.
Apex Legendsis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Apex Legends Mobile releases May 17.
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