Caustic
“ | Yes, I've heard about criminals posing as Legends, and they're as derivative as they are pathetic. Take this prison break. I admit there are similarities to my modus operandi, but the cloud formations... that's where they went wrong. My gas wafts through the air as if dancing with death. Not like the spray of some hick fireman's two-decade-old extinguisher, as shown here. Anybody with a tenth of my brainpower can see this for what it is: amateurs playing dress-up in a desperate attempt to gain notoriety. But considering your banal, lackluster brand which you dare call 'journalism'? A tenth of my intellect is giving you far too much credit. Do you have any more questions that might illuminate your ignorance? Very well. Enjoy your day.[1] |
Caustic | |
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Toxic Trapper | |
Details | |
Real Name | Dr. Alexander Maxwell Nox |
Alias | Dr. Mikhail Caustic[2] |
Gender | Male |
Age | 48 |
Date of Birth | Feb 25, 2685 |
Home World | Gaea |
Gameplay | |
Tactical Ability | ![]() |
Passive Ability | ![]() |
Ultimate Ability | ![]() |
Passive Perk | |
Real-world Info | |
Voice Actor | JB Blanc |
Caustic is a Legend that is locked from the base game. He can be unlocked by using in-game currency: either 12,000 or
750; or by buying the Champion Edition.
Caustic is a Defensive Legend with a slower playstyle, he excels in holding the fort and breaking down enemy attacks. His
Nox Gas Traps,
Nox Gas Grenades, and
Nox Vision can cause breaks in enemy attacks, causing panic.
Contents
Biography[edit | edit source]
Alexander Maxwell Nox was born to Arthur Rutherford Nox and Katerina Ticacek Nox on February 25, 2685.[3] He worked as a research scientist for Humbert Labs on his homeworld Gaea[3], the Frontier's leading manufacturer of pesticide gases. With a glut of pesticides needed to protect the growing Frontier colonies’ crops, Humbert Labs was constantly on the hunt for better and stronger formulas. Nox was one of their brightest scientists and worked day and night developing new gases. But to make sure they worked, he needed to test them on more than just inert tissue: he needed something living.[4]
As he toiled in secret, Nox began to see the beauty in his creations and their ability to destroy anything they touched. But the head of Humbert Labs, Dr. Franklin Humbert, soon discovered his gruesome experiments, and their confrontation ended with the lab in flames and its chief dead. Today, Nox is missing and presumed deceased, his supposed body found and identified by his mother, charred and beyond recognition.[3] 10 years later, Caustic now finds new test subjects in the Apex Games, where he puts his gaseous creations to work and observes their effects with great interest.[4]
Abilities[edit | edit source]
Nox Gas Trap[edit | edit source]
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Tactical | Q/![]() ![]() |
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Nox Gas Trap | ||
Description | Place up to 6 canisters that release deadly Nox gas when shot or triggered by enemies. | |
Cooldown | 25 seconds |
- You can hold up to three charges of this ability, and gain one charge every 25 seconds. Up to six traps can be active on the map at once, and you're able to pick up unused traps to regain a charge.
- Your enemies will be slowed inside the gas and are unable to sprint. Squadmates aren't affected by this.
- If one Trap affects an enemy it will deal 5 damage/sec. Your ultimate and any other trap affecting the same enemy will deal only 1 damage, if 3 are activated at the same time it will do 5-7 damage
- The trap and the gas cloud deal Health damage only, ignoring shields.
- Shooting the top of the trap will cause it to go off. Shooting the base will destroy it without releasing gas.
- The traps can float away when thrown in the water.
- The gas barrels can be destroyed while midair, or when it's not fully inflated.
- Wattson's
Interception Pylons can shoot down the barrel in flight if they would have landed inside the range of the pylon.
- Wattson's
Interception Pylons cannot shoot down gas barrels that are already fully inflated on the ground.
- The gas can damage both Wattson's
Pylons and
Perimeter Security nodes.
- Mirage's decoys can trigger the traps to reveal Caustic's location to his squad.
- Lifeline's
D.O.C. Heal Drone will malfunction while inside of the gas and will not be able to heal anyone.
- Crypto's
Surveillance Drone can be damaged by the gas.
- Rampart's
Amped barrier can be damaged by the gas.
- Shooting the base of the trap before it activates will destroy it without releasing the gas.
- It's good to throw a trap in a smokescreen generated by a Bangalore's
Smoke Launcher, especially if enemies are hiding in it. This will also highlight enemies in green due to
Nox Vision, and allow you an unfettered view of the enemies.
- When outnumbered or in a sticky situation, throw multiple traps around you. The enemy's bullets will hit your traps, setting them off, and allowing you to escape or heal to stay in the fight.
- When going through Wraith's
Dimensional Rift portals, throw a trap at the end to catch enemies off guard trying to get your squad from behind and reveal their position due to your passive.
- Throwing a trap in front of a door prevents it from opening to that side. You can use this feature to block doors and protect yourself or to trap enemies inside an enclosed room. If they break down the door, the trap will activate and you’ll be informed of their location.
- You can use your traps as smoke bombs, to throw some cover for sniper fire or general confusion.
- You can also use your traps offensively when an enemy team is inside a building, and they are extremely weak. They can be thrown inside if they forgot to close a door and will be very deadly if they are in a very small space.
- A team that manages to get their Caustic to end game (such as Round 6 as it is almost done shrinking) will have the advantage over other teams that don't have a Caustic. Caustic's abilities increase in utility as the play area shrinks. Furthermore, Caustic can prevent scenarios of Heal Off Victories from happening as it's harder to heal in the gas and ring damage.
- If you throw the trap underneath you, you'll be in its textures, works with teammates too.
- Throwing the trap under Lifeline's
Care Package before it lands will cause the trap to slowly fly away.
- Occasionally if you or a teammate touch a recently placed trap, It will begin to slide away.
- Placing a gas trap right next to a closed-door when the player is right next to the door or when a trap is deploying next to a closed-door that is propped open causes the player located where the trap was deployed to be crushed.
Nox Vision[edit | edit source]
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Passive | |
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Nox Vision | ||
Description | You gain threat vision on enemies moving though your gas. | |
Cooldown | N/A |
- Caustic is immune to the effects of Nox Gas whether it belongs to him or an enemy Caustic.
- Enemies inside the gas created from your tactical and ultimate abilities are highlighted green, similar to a threat scope. This vision is, as of the latest version, obstructed by walls or other obstacles.
- Your teammates do not share this vision, so be sure to communicate to them the locations of enemies you can see.
- Your threat vision doesn't work against other Caustics, forcing you to prioritize them, as they are immune to all Nox Gas effects and they can see your allies even if they are on your gas.
Nox Gas Grenade[edit | edit source]
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Ultimate | Z/![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Nox Gas Grenade | ||
Description | Blankets a large area in Nox gas. | |
Charge time | 210 seconds |
- Deals 5 damage for every second spent in the gas.
- Other than the wider area, the gas's function is identical to that of the Gas Traps.
- The grenade can be shot down by Wattson's
Interception Pylon. However, if the grenade has already detonated, the pylon can't block any of the gas, and will even take damage from it.
- Do not use this ability and expect it to kill an entire squad. Similar to Bangalore's
Rolling Thunder, its main utility comes in the fact that enemies are forced to either evacuate the area or suffer the consequences of damage, obscured vision, inability to sprint, and more.
- Since this slows and deals damage, it can be combined with
Nox Vision to pick off enemies in your gas. If you have some grenades that need using, throw them into your gas when an enemy is caught - this tactic has the capability of wiping out full squads if enough players are caught in your gas.
- Using this ability in large, open areas is often a waste. Try to save it for when enemies are occupying a building, a small area, or are hiding behind a cover too dangerous to bypass.
- All enemies that find themselves in the gas cloud are subject to
Nox Vision. Use this to hunt down and kill enemies while they are weakened.
- You can use it to block chokepoints or cover-up revives.
- Try saving this for the last few rounds as his abilities increase in utility as the play area shrinks. Furthermore, he can prevent scenarios of Heal Off Victories from happening as it's harder to heal in the gas and ring damage.
Fortified[edit | edit source]
Perk | ||
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Fortified | ||
Description | Incoming damage reduced by 15%. Not slowed by bullets. | |
Cooldown | N/A |
- Take 15% less damage from every attack.
- Immunity to slow effects from weapon fire.
- Don't overestimate this ability, 15% less generally translates to surviving 1 more shot.
Cosmetic Items[edit | edit source]
Skins[edit | edit source]
There are a total of 65 Legend skins for Caustic; 18 Legendary, 8 Epic, 23 Rare and 16 Common.
Finishers[edit | edit source]
Parting Gift
Default
Heirloom Set[edit | edit source]
The set contains:
- A Banner Pose: Hammer Time
- A Melee weapon skin: Death Hammer - A hammer with a skull at the back equipped with Nox gas.
- An Intro Quip: "I look forward to getting my hands on you."
Badges[edit | edit source]
Skydive Emotes[edit | edit source]
Level 30 |
Level 30 |
Level 92 |
Holo-Sprays[edit | edit source]
Music Packs[edit | edit source]
Loading Screens[edit | edit source]
Voice lines[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Patch notes |
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Trivia[edit | edit source]
- His global identification number on Gaea is: ARN0-225P-ER9.[3]
- Caustic may have a life-threatening disease, as in a voice line he says he has faced his death, right before going into a hacking fit. Some speculate he could have Cystic Fibrosis, though many diseases are possibilities.
- Although not visible due to his gloves, Caustic is likely missing at least two fingers. On his death record, the examiner states that two severed fingers were found near to the left hand of the corpse and matched Nox's DNA.[3]
- For some reason, Caustic's eyes appear to glow in the dark. It is currently unknown why but could have to do with his Nox Vision passive ability.
- In the discussion getting Revenant into the Apex Games, Caustic was discussed as having gone soft since some girl joined the games, most likely Wattson. [5]
- As explained by writer Tom Casiello, the Nox Gas is a corrosive gas, that eats through clothes, skin, and metal, unless countered by a chemical compound only he possesses so it doesn't affect him, which explains why the gas still affects Pathfinder, Bloodhound, and Revenant. Because that is the case, it is unknown why he needs his gas mask, though it is likely to hide his identity as he is presumed dead. [1]
- According to Manny Hagopian, Caustic's name was originally supposed to be "Alexander Gaskins" based on the serial killer Donald Henry Gaskins. It was changed to "Nox" after it was pointed out that "Gaskin" has the word "gas" in it and Manny agreed it felt weird.[6]
- An inappropriate voice line between Caustic and Crypto was removed in the September 03, 2020 Patch; where Caustic says as a thanks to Crypto, “You’ll regret the day you crossed me, gutter rat,” due to the word “rat” being a racial slur towards Asians.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
- Videos
- Images
Death report for Alexander Nox. of Caustic.[3]
Early concept art of Caustic.[7]
Concept art of Caustic.[8]
Model of Caustic's head, showing his face.[9]
Concept art of the Nox Gas Traps.[10]
- Merchandise
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Caustic Loading Screen Text "Blackheart's Rage"
- ↑ From Pathfinder's Quest, chapter 9
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Death Certificate
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Caustic Profile
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PlayApex/status/1223312490357981185%5D
- ↑ Manny Hagopian on Twitter
- ↑ Prog Wang on Artstation
- ↑ Kejun Wang on Artstation
- ↑ William Cho on Artstation
- ↑ Danny Gardner on Artstation
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