Catalyst

Lore & Background

According to the game's lore, Catalyst grew up on the planet Boreas and later moved to the planet's moon, Cleo, where she applied to become a terraformer. On Cleo, she learned how to control a substance called ferrofluid, which she could use to create barriers to protect herself and others. After losing her job, she joined the Apex Games to make money to support herself and her family. Throughout the game's updates, she received multiple alternate skins. Catalyst is a defensive-oriented character, and the first transgender character added to Apex Legends, as well as one of the first added to a commercial multiplayer game like Apex Legends. Her character art utilizes the colors from the transgender flag, and she speaks openly of her identity, with one quote being "I am the grim trans witch your parents warned about you".

Reader's Guide

Catalyst is a Controller type character, using her control over ferrofluid in various ways, which manifest in multiple abilities, including Piercing Spikes, which lets her throw spiky ferrofluid patches which activate when someone enters their proximity; Barricade, which lets her reinforce doors or fill a door frame; and Dark Veil, which creates a wall of ferrofluid that slows and blinds enemies who walk through it. She has been generally well received, with her announcement generating a lot of excitement on social media.

She received praise for her design as well as the authenticity of her character, with author Jackson McLaren considering her among the best-executed trans characters in video games. Her potential in the game's metagame has also been discussed, identified as a particularly strong character prior to the game's nineteenth season. Prior to the nineteenth season, Catalyst, alongside fellow Legend Bangalore, were the center of Apex Legends' metagame. According to designer John Larson, her popularity in competitive play was due to how versatile she was. The nineteenth season introduced changes intended to make her less dominant.

Did You Know?

• She was voiced by trans actress Meli Grant, who had been 'obsessed' to land the role after hearing that they were seeking to cast a trans actress.
• Senior game designer Samanta Kalman coined Catalyst's description as a 'techno-witch', which served as a 'lightning bolt that got the whole team excited'.