Crypto

“

You can only trust those who you know are liars. I used to think differently back when I was working as a simple computer engineer. A straight-edge job with no bumps - I would go in, do what I was asked, and leave. I rarely doubted the loyalty of those who worked alongside me, I didn't really care, until the contract came in... a service order from: Q.W. Initials. That's all I know of the person who took my life away from me. And that is why I am here now. That is why I did what I did to get into the Games.

Crypto
Surveillance Expert
Details
Real Name	Tae Joon Park (박태준)
Alias	Hyeon Kim
Gender	Male
Age	≥22
Homeworld	Gaea
Weight	130 lbs (59 kg)
Height	5'9" (175 cm)
Gameplay
Legend Type	Recon
Tactical Ability	Surveillance Drone
Passive Ability	Neurolink
Ultimate Ability	Drone EMP
Real-world Info
Voice Actor	Johnny Young

Crypto is a Legend introduced in Season 3 that is locked from the base game. He can be unlocked using digital currency: either 12,000 or 750, or by buying the Champion Edition.

A Recon Legend, Crypto takes to the skies with his Surveillance Drone, revealing enemies for Crypto and his squad using Neurolink. If he finds that the enemies have already hunkered down, he can activate his Drone EMP to break their defenses and slow them before he comes out of the shadows and makes his move with his squad.

Abilities

Surveillance Drone

	Tactical	Q///
	Surveillance Drone
	Description	Deploys an aerial drone. 40-second cooldown if destroyed.
	Cooldown	40 seconds

• Info
• Interactions
• Tips
• Bugs

• The drone can be deployed and flown up to 200 meters away from Crypto. If the drone is 240+ meters away from Crypto, it'll automatically be recalled.
  • Hold ADS to conduct level flight while looking around.
  • When not being piloted manually, the drone can be left parked in midair.
  • Crypto is left stationary while piloting the drone. Taking damage while in drone view will force Crypto out of it.
• Crypto can recall the drone at any time, even while shooting, healing, while knocked down, or executing other actions. The recall takes ~2 seconds.
• The drone has 60 health, and only heals damage when recalled.
• The drone can be used to open doors/Supply Bins/Care Packages, pick up squadmates' banner cards, and use both Survey Beacons and Respawn Beacons instantly. It must be within 7 meters to do these.
  • If have Vault Key in your inventory. Can use drone to open the Vault.
• The drone can ping items as long as they are within 12 meters. Enemies can be pinged up to 125 meters.
• Champion Banners seen through the drone's vision will show the number of enemy squads within a 200-meter radius of Crypto (not the drone).
  • Crypto can warn teammates about the number of nearby squads by pinging these banners while in drone view.
• While in drone view, Weapons automatically reload, starting with the currently equipped weapon. Reloads take the same amount of time as they would normally.

• The following is everything that the Surveillance Drone can Ping:
  • Gear
  • Weapons
  • Attachments
  • Regen items
  • Ammo
  • Grenades
  • Map Features
  • Enemies
• You can manually ping and use the ping wheel while in drone view.
• Pathfinder's Grappling Hook can attach to the drone.
• Fuse’s Knuckle Cluster can stick to the drone.
• The drone cannot pass through Wraith's Dimensional Rift.

• Crypto is completely vulnerable while in drone view. Find a safe place to stay while operating the Surveillance Drone. You can crouch while entering drone view to force Crypto to stay in this stance while using it, making it easier to hide him.
• Holding the tactical button allows Crypto to deploy the drone and immediately exit from the drone view.
• Deploying the drone while sliding allows Crypto to keep sliding while the drone deploys. You can slide into cover and/or save time this way when moving into new areas via downward slopes.
• Although your squad can see the drone's automatic Neurolink pings, the range is very limited. Remember to manually ping the enemies you see that the drone doesn't automatically detect.
• The drone's ability to see the number of nearby enemy squads is very powerful information. Communicate this information to your squad often to make decisions about when/where to move, which fights to take, and avoid being caught by surprise third parties after winning a fight.
  • The 200-meter squad detection radius is approximately the same size as your minimap.
• You can use the drone as a decoy to distract enemies while your squad is either flanking or escaping.
• Because enemy drones appear with an orange aura, flying it outside The Ring will cause it to visually blend in with the orange ring effect and its partial opacity, making it harder for enemies to spot. The drone does not take Ring damage.
• If your squadmates have died, you can use the drone to safely retrieve your squadmates' banners. Try to fly the drone in from a different direction rather than directly from yourself to reduce the likelihood of being caught doing this. Carrying Mobile Respawn Beacons in your survival slot is naturally more valuable for Crypto.

• The Surveillance Drone can sometimes take more shots to destroy than intended despite only having 60 health. This doesn't include weapons that can one-shot it.
• Sometimes when the drone is hacking a Survey Beacon, the next ring is not revealed on the map unless you hack the beacon when facing its front, despite the hacking sound effect playing.
• The drone cannot fit through certain windows.
• Attempting to deploy the drone while crouching too close to a wall or cover can cause it to become stuck.

Neurolink

	Passive
	Neurolink
	Description	Crypto and his teammates see what the Surveillance Drone detects up to a 30-meter radius.
	Cooldown	?

• Info
• Interactions
• Tips
• Bugs

• The drone will highlight doors, supply bins, care packages, traps, and enemies with a direct and uninterrupted line of sight within 30 meters. Enemies are more noticeably marked with a triangle.
• Enemies highlighted by the drone will see 'DRONE DETECTED' on their HUD.

• Mirage cannot be detected while cloaked from Now You See Me....
• Mirage's decoys can be scanned but won't be highlighted as an enemy.
• Enemies won't be highlighted if Gibraltar's Dome of Protection comes between them and the drone.
• If Crypto is inside enemy or friendly Bangalore smoke while in recon mode your screen will start to become fuzzy.
• Enemies cannot be detected through Bangalore’s smoke or Caustic’s gas.

• The Drone EMP and Neurolink can be used even when Crypto is not directly controlling the drone. This allows Crypto to actively stay in the fight while gathering information on what enemies are doing.
• The Surveillance Drone is noisy and its automatic enemy detection will warn enemies of its presence. If you don't want them to know your squad is nearby, you can manually ping them from a distance.
• If you're struggling to find enemy squads, flying around with the drone through buildings and covers and looking through glass might cause them to be spotted by the drone's enemy detection, even if you didn't notice them.

• The drone may not highlight certain general things that are supposed to be highlighted.

Drone EMP

	Ultimate	Z/+/+/+
	Drone EMP
	Description	Charge up an EMP blast from your drone. Deals 50 shield damage, slows players, and disables traps.
	Charge time	3 minutes

• Info
• Interactions
• Tips
• Bugs

• Takes 3 seconds to charge before detonating. The drone can be destroyed before the detonation, cancelling it.
• Affects all players (and Crypto himself) in a 30-meter radius, even through walls and other obstacles. Squadmates take no shield damage but are still slowed down.
  • The slow lasts roughly 1-2 seconds.

• The following is everything that the Drone EMP will destroy:
  • Gibraltar's Dome of Protection
  • Lifeline's D.O.C. Heal Drone
  • Wattson's Perimeter Fences
  • Caustic's Nox Gas Trap
  • Mirage's Life of the Party
  • Wattson's Interception Pylon
  • Loba's Black Market Boutique
  • Rampart’s Amped Cover shield
  • Enemy Crypto's Surveillance Drone
  • Cargo Bots
• The following is everything that will take 50 damage from Drone EMP:
  • Body Shield or Evo Shield on the ground.
• EMP will deal 100 damage instead of 50 to the following:
  • Octane's Launch Pad
• EMP disables the Tridents on Olympus for 5 seconds.

• The radius of Drone EMP is the same as Neurolink's tracking radius. If an enemy is highlighted in orange, you know they'll be caught in the blast.
• You can activate EMP from where you last left the drone, even when you are not in drone view. This way, you can set the drone in one spot, leave the drone view, prepare for an ambush, activate the EMP, and push immediately.
• Keep in mind that you and your drone are still vulnerable to damage while EMP is charging.
  • The drone is easier to spot while EMP is charging. Try to activate EMP with your drone in a safe spot or while flying it around to avoid it being destroyed.
• EMP is very good for ending fights quickly and lessening the chances of your squad getting third partied.
  • Using EMP on enemies who are fighting or escaping outside The Ring can be effective as the slow effect can potentially be enough for the ring to knock or eliminate them.
  • Using EMP on large groups of enemies can rack up damage for Crypto's Evo Shield very quickly.
  • Using EMP on single enemies can be worth doing to can take them out of the fight temporarily, rather than letting their squad group up.
  • Since squadmates do not take shield damage from EMP, a risky tactic in a pinch is to activate EMP even if Crypto and his squad will be caught in the blast, giving your team an opportunity to attack or escape while the enemy recovers.
• It's very useful for Crypto to carry at least 1-2 Ultimate Accelerants to quickly recharge EMP.
• Offensive, agile Legends make good squadmates for Crypto, as they can easily hunt down enemies after an EMP.

• On Kings Canyon, using a Charge Tower when your ultimate is fully charged, then activating the EMP exactly 2.5 seconds before the charge tower activates will remove the cooldown completely after every activation until the drone is destroyed. Note: you must have a teammate to do this.

Recon

	Perk
	Recon
	Description	Scan a Survey Beacon to reveal the Ring's next location.
	Cooldown	?

• Info
• Tips

• Allows you to access the 12 survey beacons available on the map in any given match to determine the circle location after the currently marked circle.
• The interaction with the survey beacon takes 7 seconds, during which you are vulnerable.

• A survey beacon can be used again when the next round starts.
• Using Crypto's Surveillance Drone to interact with a survey beacon instantly reveals the next ring location.

Lore

Crypto specializes in secrets; he knows how to uncover them, and how to keep them. A brilliant hacker and encryption expert, he uses aerial drones to spy on his opponents in the Apex Arena without being seen.

Orphans raised on the streets of Suotamo, Tae Joon and his foster sister Mila Alexander escaped a life of squalor by becoming computer engineers, designing drones used by the Syndicate to transmit the Apex Games throughout the Outlands. But two years ago, Tae Joon and Mila stumbled upon an algorithm that could predict the result of any Apex Games match, hidden away in the Games’ own computer systems. That caught the attention of the wrong people - the next day, Mila disappeared, and Tae Joon was forced into hiding after he was framed for her murder. With his reputation destroyed, and the Syndicate after him, he gave up his identity, his face, and his family in order to facilitate his redemption.

Wanting to get closer to the people who framed him, Tae Joon planned to join the games but thought he wouldn't be able to pass the games' qualifiers. He then hacked into the games' mainframe and put himself in their records as a legend, but not before blowing up Kings Canyon's Repulsor Tower to serve as a distraction. This allowed the entry of hostile wildlife on Kings Canyon and disruption of the games.

Now joining the games as the combatant known as Crypto, he seeks justice - and revenge.

Cosmetic Items

Skins

There are a total of 62 Legend skins for Crypto; 17 Legendary, 6 epic, 23 Rare and 16 Common.

• Legendary skins
• Epic skins
• Rare skins
• Common skins

• 

  The Hired Gun
  1,200

• 

  Devil's Advocate
  1,200

• 

  The Masked Dancer
  1,200

• 

  Rising Phoenix
  1,200

• 

  Hype Beast
  1,200

• 

  Deadly Byte

• 

  Totemic Might
  10,500
  Needs The Masked Dancer

• 

  Hack Frost

• 

  Fuzzy Logic
  6,500
  Needs The Hired Gun

• 

  Whitelisted

• 

  Seeker of Knowledge

• 

  Winters Grasp
  10,500
  Needs Rising Phoenix

• 

  Midnight Cipher
  2,500

• 

  Hallowed Spirit

• 

  Awoken Fury

• 

  Nomad Overseer

• 

  Inconspicuous

Note:

Story of Crypto:

• 

  Hack the System
  400

• 

  Daemon Hunter
  400

• 

  User Friendly
  400

• 

  Heat Sync
  400

• 

  Fiber Optics
  400

• 

  Neon Winter

• 

  Bloodline
  60

• 

  Blooms
  60

• 

  Dark Web
  60

• 

  Fresh Paint
  60

• 

  Scribblers
  60

• 

  High Frequency
  60

• 

  Fishsticks
  60

• 

  Lucky Charm
  60

• 

  Molten Core
  60

• 

  Mortal Coil
  60

• 

  Self Organized
  60

• 

  Sizzle Reel
  60

• 

  Throwback
  60

• 

  Tie Dye
  60

• 

  Woodland Warfare
  60

• 

  Cyber Attack
  December 2019

• 

  Blue Steel
  Level 01

• 

  Azure Gaze
  500

• 

  Cool Operator
  1,400

• 

  Sweet Synergy
  500

• 

  Broken Syntax

• 

  Dragonskin
  July 2021

• Arctic Plates - May 2020

• 

  Original
  Default

• 

  Arctic
  30

• 

  Cardinal
  30

• 

  Clearwater
  30

• 

  Evergreen
  30

• 

  Flamingo
  30

• 

  Hydro
  30

• 

  Limelight
  30

• 

  Mandarin
  30

• 

  Midnight
  30

• 

  Orchid
  30

• 

  Rage
  30

• 

  Sahara
  30

• 

  Skyward
  30

• 

  Vino
  30

• 

  Yellowjacket
  30

Finishers

Main article: Finisher

• Asset Procurement
  Default

• Drone Scan
  1,200

Badges

See: Crypto/Badges

Emotes

Main article: Emote

• Game Over - 1,200
• Swordplay - 400
• Fistbump - Default

Skydive Emotes

Main article: Skydive Emote

• Danger Zone
  Level 46

• Hack and Slash

• Kickin' It

Holo-Sprays

Main article: Holo-Spray

• Holo-Spray Crypto Access Denied.png

  Access Denied
  1,200

• Holo-Spray Crypto I'm Watching You.png

  I'm Watching You!
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto I See You.png

  I See You
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto Let's Go Fight.png

  Let's Go Fight
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto Can't Talk. Busy..png

  Can't Talk. Busy.
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto You're So Annoying.png

  You're So Annoying
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto Cracked Your Securities.png

  Cracked Your Securities
  400

• Holo-Spray Crypto I'm Always Watching.png

  I'm Always Watching
  Level 66

• Holo-Spray Crypto Nothing I Can't Hack.png

  Nothing I Can't Hack
  Level 88

Music Pack

Main article: Music Pack

• 

  Crypto
  Level 37

Loading Screens

Main article: Loading Screen

• Loadingscreen Streets of Suotamo.png

  Streets of Suotamo
  Level 07

• Loadingscreen Books and Covers.png

  Books and Covers
  Level 71

• Loadingscreen Codename Crypto.png

  Codename Crypto
  Level 87

• Loadingscreen It Takes a Liar.png

  It Takes A Liar
  Level 49

• Loadingscreen Destination Unkown.png

  Destination Unkown
  Level 23

• Loadingscreen A Change in Character.png

  A Change in Character
  Level 65

Voice lines

See: Crypto/Voice lines

History

Patch notes 

July 19, 2021 Patch

• Fixed bugs with the Dragonskin skin.

June 29, 2021 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • (Undocumented) Can now see survey beacon icon in drone view.

May 04, 2021 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Can now scan and open care packages.
  • Can no longer be used to "hijack" a Respawn Beacon that's already in use.

March 09, 2021 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Crypto’s animation to bring out his drone is no longer skippable by throwing a Holo-Spray.
  • Reloading the Mastiff Shotgun and 30-30 Repeater will no longer be faster while in Crypto’s drone.
• Crypto can no longer teleport to a Replicator.

February 02, 2021 Patch

• Surveillance Drone: Removed the ability to stick Arc Stars to friendly drones.

January 05, 2021 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Fixed an issue with Hack consuming two Vault Keys if two keys were in Crypto’s inventory.
  • Fixed an issue with Hack getting stuck within the Trident when deployed as a passenger and the trident is on a ramp.

November 18, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone: Fixed an issue with being able to put Rampart’s Emplaced Minigun "Sheila" on the drone.

November 04, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Fixed an issue with the drone being able to drop items from Crypto’s inventory.
  • Fixed an issue with the drone not being able to fit through certain windows.
  • Fixed an issue with the drone marking friendly Mirage decoys as enemies.

October 12, 2020 Patch

• Drone EMP: Fixed issue with being unable to use weapons for some time when this ability is triggered while not in drone mode.

October 06, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Can now open loot vaults if Crypto has a Vault Key in his inventory. It consumes the key as usual.
  • Fixed an issue with the drone not detecting Wattson's Perimeter Security fences.
  • Fixed an audio issue with Survey Beacons sometimes making very little sound when using it in the drone view.
  • Fixed an issue with his drone not taking damage from directly below.

September 03, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Fixed an issue with the drone not detecting players while on a Emplaced Minigun "Sheila".
  • Fixed an issue where while the drone is in Caustic gas the whole server would hear the drone audio.

August 18, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Can now activate Respawn Beacons and Survey Beacons. Doing so is instant instead of requiring prolonged use.
  • Increased HP from 30 to 60.
  • Increased hitbox size from cube of edge length 16 to cube of edge length 24.
  • Fixed an issue with Crypto being able to use his drone while using Loba’s Black Market Boutique.
  • Fixed an issue where VFX shows false positive when hitting Crypto’s Drone.
  • Did a geo pass to help prevent the drone from clipping into walls.
• Drone EMP:
  • Now slows teammates.
  • Fixed an issue with EMP not destroying Loba’s Black Market Boutique.
• Added Recon Passive Perk: Crypto can now use Survey Beacons.

June 23, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Now takes 1.5 seconds to start controlling (was 2.5 seconds).
  • Fixed an issue with the drone flying without input if the player was sprinting with the double-tap to sprint option.
• Drone EMP: Now destroys Wattson’s Interception Pylon and Loba's Black Market Boutique.

May 12, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone: Crypto can now ping banners, while in drone view, to warn teammates of nearby squads.
• Drone EMP now affects DUMMIE in the Firing Range.

April 07, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone: Fix for cases where players would not receive assist credit when using the drone to scan enemies.

March 03, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Primary weapons will now automatically reload while in drone view.
  • Fixed players getting assist credit when using the drone on a player who is downed.
  • Fixed a bug where players could place Gibraltar's Dome of Protection on the drone allowing the Dome to be mobile while in use.
• Updated character select headshot.

February 04, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone: Dome of Protection no longer can stick to drone.
• Drone EMP: No longer destroys friendly Gibraltar Dome of Protection.

January 14, 2020 Patch

• Surveillance Drone:
  • Increased health from 1 to 30.
  • Fixed visual bug for when he first drops into game, the Drone UI reports that it is "recharging" (as if it has been destroyed pre-drop), but progress does not complete / progress.
• Drone EMP:
  • No longer affects friendly traps or deployables.
  • No longer slows teammates.

November 05, 2019 Patch

• Drone EMP: Will now damage armor that players have dropped.
• Fixed a bug where Lifeline’s D.O.C. Heal Drone couldn’t heal Crypto while he was in his drone.
• Fix for friendly Caustic gas kicking players out of his drone.

October 01, 2019 Patch

• Introduced.

Teasers

• Crypto was teased for an entire season before his official reveal:
  • Crypto's first appearance was in the trailer for Season 2, where he was responsible for destroying the Repulsor tower.
  • Crypto's logo appears in "Voidwalker" when an alternate Wraith hacks into an abandoned IMC base.
  • Crypto was the source of several "glitches" in Kings Canyon, including distorted lines from the announcer and hacked banner displays showing his attempts to get login information.
  • Crypto appeared in an inaccessible room behind glass in Singh Labs, getting info on the space elevator at World's Edge. When a player got near, he and his drone would flee.
• Crypto's logo appears on the Night Light Prowler Burst PDW skin.

Trivia

• Crypto's voice actor, Johnny Young, is an active streamer on Twitch, where he is known to do custom voice lines after the character he plays.
• When he hacked himself into the Apex Games as a competitor, he registered himself as "Hyeon Kim", from Solace.
  • Among the Legends, he has so far only revealed his real name and reasons for joining the Apex Games to Wattson, to earn back her trust after the events of The Broken Ghost left her shaken and newly aware of just how little she truly knew him.
• Crypto's age is officially listed as 31 but it was seemingly retconned to be about 22-23 via a motion comic released in Season 9. Tom Casiello refused to comment on this.
  • His real name, age, home planet, etc were labeled as [Error] until season 5.
• Only two other legends (Caustic and Wattson) currently know Tae Joon's true identity, with Wattson being the only legend Crypto has willingly revealed it to.
• Mystik is both Caustic's biological mother and Crypto's adoptive mother. This technically makes the two step-brothers.
• Crypto shows his opinions about the other Legends very clearly in coded messages/letters to Mystik, his adoptive mother:
  • He shows a strong disliking for Mirage, despite acknowledging Mystik's adoration for him. He finds Mirage to be a cocky idiot; despite that, they've developed something of rivalry/friendship over the course of the seasons.
  • He assumes Caustic is nothing more than a sociopath and seems to avoid him out of intimidation. With further reveals, it could also be due to Caustic knows his real identity
  • He thought nothing of Gibraltar, but upon closer inspection, found him to be one of the few with morals.
• As explained by writer Tom Casiello, the device around his jawline/ear alters his face, so he doesn’t look like himself from the past.
• Tom Casiello also said that the Hype Beast skin is "his innermost desires come to life. He wants to scream his identity to all within earshot. Because that would mean this nightmare is over."
• Crypto's "Rising Phoenix" and "Masked Dancer" Legendary cosmetic skins are interpretations of outfits used in the Korean (both North and South) Lion Dance, meant to rid a location of evil spirits.
• Crypto is canonically terrible at naming things. (For example, the drone is named "Hack," his Town Takeover on King's Canyon in called "Map Room," and his security system was literally called "security" before Wattson named it "Lassie," after a guard dog from earth.
• Crypto owns, and is shown with, a data knife in his banner pose "pre-kill", a tool commonly owned by Titan Pilots with the Combat Certification.
• Crypto is from Gaea, one of the two planets (the other being Psamathe) in the Syndicate Space with its own police force. It is for this reason he could be framed for murder, as it is legal to kill on other planets in the Syndicate Space.
• Crypto and Mila are the creators of the camera drones used to broadcast the Apex Games. They could have potentially made him famous if he wasn't a fugitive.

Gallery

Videos

Images

• 

  A coded message from Crypto to Mystik.

• 

  Concept art of Crypto.

• 

  Concept art for the drone.

• 

  Concept art for the drone's remote.

• 

  An early design of Crypto can be seen in the background of this Pathfinder concept art from the game's launch.

• 

  Concept art for Crypto's room during the Forever Family Stories from the Outlands.

• 

  Crypto's logo, depicting a hacker's face covered by a hood designed in the pattern of a circuit board.

• 

  Crypto and Hack at Epicenter

• 

  Crypto's Map Room on King's Canyon.

• 

  Crypto's Character Selection Icon