The best characters to play in 'Apex Legends,' ranked

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The best characters to play in 'Apex Legends,' ranked

Apex Legends

EA/Respawn Entertainment

Of the eight characters to choose from in "Apex Legends," it can be hard to know where to start.

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  • "Apex Legends" is the biggest game of 2019, and tens of millions of people are already playing it on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
  • It's the latest hit in the Battle Royale genre, which is known for blockbusters like "Fortnite" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds."
  • One major twist in "Apex Legends" is that players choose from one of eight playable characters. Each of those characters has its own unique features. Which to choose?!

So you've downloaded "Apex Legends" to your platform(s) of choice, and you're ready to get wild. Great!

There's only one choice left to make: Which character to play as! The quirky robot? The spooky tracker? The brash soldier?

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Of the eight characters to choose from in "Apex Legends," it can be hard to know where to start. Which ones are the best?!

Let's dive in:

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How we determined this ranking:

How we determined this ranking:

Each of the eight different characters in "Apex Legends" has its own attributes, but there are a few commonalities among all of them. For instance, despite their different sizes, they all move at the same speed — both walking and running. And they all have the same amount of health.

Their differences are primarily based on their skills and, most importantly for this ranking, their so-called "hit box" sizes.

What is a hit box? It's the portion of any given character that is recognized by the game. So, for instance, if you're being shot at by an enemy, their bullets only register as hitting your character if they hit within the hit box.

And in "Apex Legends," there's a pretty major discrepancy between the hit boxes of various characters. As such, the following characters are arranged first by their hit box size — the total surface area where a character can be hurt — and second by their relative usefulness based on other characteristics.

8. Gibraltar.

8. Gibraltar.

Gibraltar has, by far, the largest hit box of any character in "Apex Legends." His hit box size is more than double that of the smallest character, and his special ability is only situationally useful.

He is, in short, the least useful character in the game. He has a personal shield, which is nice, and he can drop a large shield for your whole squad (also nice!), but he's also the most easily hit of any character in the game.

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7. Caustic.

7. Caustic.

Just slightly smaller than Gibraltar is Caustic — he only barely outranks Gibraltar, and it's due to his slightly smaller stature.

Worse, his abilities are extremely situational.

Caustic throws gas canisters that both hurt enemies and block doors. But how useful is that when you're in the final circle? The answer, unfortunately, is that it's extremely limited in use most of the time.

6. Pathfinder.

6. Pathfinder.

Pathfinder, despite looking wiry, has a massive hit box: That's because the space between his legs, and the spaces between his arms and torso, are all counted as part of his hit box.

Worse: His hit box extends beyond some of his appendages, so even shooting near his feet will cause damage.

That may not sound meaningful, but it's hugely meaningful compared to the many other characters in "Apex Legends" who have far smaller hit boxes.

On the flipside, getting around as Pathfinder is one of the most useful abilities in the game. That he's able to reach otherwise unreachable places until the very end of a given match is tremendously useful, and can mean the difference between winning and losing.

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5. Mirage.

5. Mirage.

Mirage is right in the middle, albeit in the bottom half of the middle, in terms of ranking. He's got a really useful power, but he's also got a middle-of-the-range hit box.

Being able to trick enemies with his duplication powers is great, and remains useful right until the end of a match. But it's not quite as useful as ...

4. Bloodhound.

4. Bloodhound.

From here on out, nearly every character's hit box is reasonably similar. What it really comes down to at this point is abilities.

Bloodhound's ability is downright incredible: Being able to track enemies, and occasionally see them through walls, is about as useful as it gets.

Depending on how good you are at "Apex," Bloodhound may be the best option.

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3. Wraith.

3. Wraith.

Wraith is an extremely tricky character to master but, once mastered, is capable of deceiving enemies and setting up elaborate traps.

More notably, though: She has, by far, the smallest hit box of any character in "Apex Legends." If you're just starting "Apex," she's a good character to start with for the simple fact that you're less likely to get hit by enemy bullets.

2. Bangalore.

2. Bangalore.

Bangalore, however, offers abilities that are extremely useful across multiple sections of a given match. Right off the bat, if you're getting shot, Bangalore runs faster. Later in the game, she's able to drop bomb barrages on enemies in cover. That she's able to drop smoke canisters is similarly useful at any point.

Bangalore is certainly the most well-rounded of any character in "Apex."

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1. Lifeline.

1. Lifeline.

Lifeline doesn't have the smallest hit box in the game, but she's number two. She's nearly as hard to hit as Wraith, but she comes with the ability to heal herself, heal the squad, and — when she gets an ultimate — to call down care packages from the sky full of high-level loot.

She's hard to hit, self-repairing, and comes with a guarantee of great loot. There's nothing not to like about Lifeline. She's the best character in the game for new players, and she's a crucial member of any squad.

It doesn't hurt that she's got a great attitude.