HOW TO PLAY CAUSTIC IN APEX LEGENDS

Next on our list for the ongoing How to Play series is the infamous Caustic. Everyone’s least favorite legend to push in an enclosed environment, Caustic has seen his rise and fall on numerous occasions.

One of the founders of Apex Legend’s roster, Caustic has always been considered META character. This is due to the following:

• His contribution to a team’s defense. None dare run into a Caustic-infested bolthole.
• Caustic’s Q – the noxious barrels can act as a deterrent, yeet-offense, or damage dealers.
• Flushing out enemy teams with his Ultimate or denying enemy LOS (line of sight).

At the lament of many a Caustic main, his royal stinkiness has received some major nerfs. First, the damage to his Ultimate. Next, his barrels being one shot while mid-throw or if hit at the base. Last but not least, the barrels being breakable even after someone shoots them.

Still, ALGS-level teams utilize Caustic and there are plenty of good reasons for it. Let’s find all of them out in our How to Play Caustic guide.

ALL ABOUT THAT (CAUSTIC) GAS

As the principal Noxious Gas Trapper, Caustic is primarily a defensive legend. This way back used to mean that he took less damage compared to other classes (like Support or Offense). Right now though, he’s still super thick but only in girth sense.

Caustic’s primary function, in simpler terms, is to:

• Limit enemy player movement
• Limit potential threats of a 3rd party
• Limit visibility
• Entrench and fortify a position
• Clear out a well-defended position (especially against other Caustic players)

The last one is of special importance. You see, Caustic gas hurts everyone BUT Caustic and his team. So, if you want to push an enemy team that has a Caustic, you will be the only one not bothered by it.

As a Caustic, using your gas traps cleverly and ALL the time should be an absolute priority. These are on a 15-second cooldown so you can spam all 6 pretty quickly. Don’t forget that if you want to reposition your barrels, YOU CAN. You should do this if you need to move out soon so you don’t wait for the cooldown every time.

Let’s not repeat the same mistake Fuse mains do, i.e. throwing barrels when you have an enemy in front of you. Fire your damned gun first, always. Dammit.

ADVANCED CAUSTIC TACTICS (DEFENSE)

We already mentioned what the Caustic abilities are but let’s delve a bit deeper.

These traps are the bread and butter of any good Caustic player. You would think – “gee, I have all my barrels up, I am good to go. Right. Right?” WRONG! As a Caustic, you should obsess over your barrel placement. Can an enemy one-shot my barrels? Can he see the barrel from an angle? Is the barrel going to do damage if they rush in and try to take it down? Will it slow the enemy enough so we can move ’em down? Truly, MANY questions need to be addressed and addressed fast (and on the fly).

Speaking about barrels, you can have them used in many situations and positions:

• Near doors – enough to block the door but not so close as to be destroyed if someone spams nades. The ideal position is for an enemy to open the door an inch, so the barrel gets triggered. The enemy receives damage, is stunned and you can take him out.
• On corners – this one’s a real treat if pulled off right. Hard turns are almost impossible to avoid in tight corridors so having a barrel there means an enemy is sure to activate it by mistake. This usually leads to them being stunned and taking a bit of damage so you can ambush their asses.
• By elevator shafts, holes, ziplines, and other places where you don’t have Los (line of sight). You can imagine the stress you put on an enemy when he runs into your well-placed barell. The second or two he’s disoriented means you can unload a clip and take him out.

Never underestimate the power of a barrel when you are in the open. The above-mentioned scenarios are usually in an enclosed environment but they can also save you and your team outdoors. You place the barrels so you can quickly heal up. If you are pinned and desperately need cover, throw your Ultimate and hide in the gas. It is as dense and impenetrable as Bangalore’s Smoke. Setting up the barrels during that time can mean life instead of getting taken out by a persistent sniper.

Advanced Caustic Tactics (Offense)

Oh, now we’re onto something! How on Earth can you possibly use Caustic as an offensive legend? Here are a few options:

• Use your barrels to slide off and run faster into a retreating enemy. This is done by throwing a barrel down and using a duck the moment you land on the barrel. It is a bit tricky but if successful, you will be thrown similarly to Horizon’s passive.
• Use your Ultimate to disorient enemies in conjunction with Horizon Ult. This one’s a no-brainer. What does the team even do? Shoot Horizon’s ult while they’re disoriented and take damage from your ult? Try to run away but they get sucked in the Horizon’s Ult? It is a nightmare!
• Flush out enemies that are either hiding or bolted behind reinforced doors (vs. Rampart, Catalyst, etc.) Everyone hates the gas and its crazy high ticking damage. They’re sure to move out. Combine this with an arc star or other names and you can breach any door, unharassed.

Caustic is amazing at funneling enemy teams thanks to his traps. They will need to take time to shoot them completely, wasting ammo and valuable attention. Additionally, the extra concentration of not running into traps (which they can hear being deployed) is going to add more stress so they are more likely to a mistake.

Last but not least, the Caustic is like the last circle Boogeyman, thanks to this Ultimate. The range is such that if thrown as the final zone closes, it can envelop everyone alive and they will all take ticking damage for 15 seconds. Combined with everyone shooting each other, the chances of your team being left alive are very high. That it’s why it is imperative to have your Ult for the final circle.

HOW TO PLAY CAUSTIC IN RANKED

Some ALGS veterans still pick Caustic for maps like World’s Edge. This is because, in a map littered with buildings and defensible positions, a Caustic is invaluable. That is how a Caustic should be played in ranked – relying on his defensive ability. You can hold a choke or just gatekeep teams from rushing in as the Second Ring closes.

Farming RP with a Caustic is relatively easy – you only need a Legend like Valkyre or Wraith to help with repositioning. A Fuse or a Seer can add more utility so you can know either where to place the traps or to synergize for more damage.

If you want to get the competitive edge and learn all there is to be about this legend in our How to Play Caustic guide, we can provide more assistance. Thanks to our pro coaches, you can get personalized improvement plan, learn how to get better in Ranked and utilize your main to his maximum. Check them out here, on our Coaching Section at Blazing!

Thanks for sticking with us to the very end of our How to Play Caustic guide. More coming soon for your favorite legends so stay tuned!