She traveled to a black hole with a fellow scientist to collect a new element they thought could help, but things didn’t go as planned. She was betrayed by her partner and pushed into the black hole. This broke the promise she had made to return to her son and family on Olympus. Though she modified her robotic vacuum companion to escape, time had warped, and she found herself 87 years in the future.
Bringing brains and tech with her to the Apex Games, she now uses her mastery of gravity and gadgets to turn the tide in her favor with the hopes of funding her research and finding a way to travel back in time to her son. Let’s take a look at playing Horizon in Apex Legends, and what makes her such a viable character.
The Abilities of Apex Legends’ Horizon
Spacewalk
Horizon passive ability allows her to more easily direct her movement while falling and sliding. She has increased air control and a reduction in fall impact integrated into her custom spacesuit. Horizon can get the edge in certain movement situations, becoming a hard-moving target or being more evasive when escaping.
The reduction means she can start moving more quickly than other Legends after falling, while the increased air control also gives her the ability to make quicker turns in mid-air or while sliding. This gives Horizon good synergy with abilities like Octane’s jump pad. She can more easily maneuver through the air than some Legends. Another benefit to her passive is if you’re falling down a shaft with a zip line, you do not need to grab the zip line to avoid a fall stun.
Gravity Lift
Horizon’s best ability comes in the form of a device that reverses the flow of gravity. Upon throwing this device on the ground, it will lift players standing on it upward, boosting them outward at the top upon exiting.
The cooldown time for Gravity Lift is 20 seconds. The lift stays active for 10 seconds, while the cooldown will start after 10 seconds when used. This lets Horizon frequently use Gravity Lift. It will lift a player about 30 meters off of the ground. This is great for taking the roof of a building, gaining a line of sight, or making enemies adjust their line of sight. Players exit after two seconds of staying at the top. One of the better tactical abilities in Apex, use it from helping move knocked teammates, to disorienting the enemy by throwing it at their feet.
Be mindful of where you place Horizon’s tactical, as Wattson’s pylon can destroy it. Also note that it may bend the trajectory of other ordnance. It can be useful when blocking doors as well, so keep in mind that it doesn’t always need to be a Legend themselves using it. If you’re looking to mess around a bit, try mixing a Gravity Lift with a Trident for a bit of fun.
Black Hole
For her ultimate ability, Horizon utilizes a device she calls N.E.W.T., creating a micro-black hole which pulls players in towards it. After throwing the device, it takes two seconds to activate after landing, with a duration of 12 seconds. N.E.W.T. has 175 health and a charge time of 180 seconds, so carrying an ultimate accelerant isn’t a bad idea. Once activated, it will even pull enemies that are behind obstacles, such as doors and walls, towards the device. Opponents positioned behind the visual cue of N.E.W.T. will be highlighted.
As with many Legends’ ultimates and abilities, the placement of Black Hole is key. Wattson’s pylon and Crypto’s drone can both destroy the black hole. Throwing Caustic’s gas grenade near the black hole will cause the grenade to change speed and trajectory.
Image Credit: Electronic Arts
How to Play Horizon in Apex Legends
When using Horizon in Apex, practice and focus on using her passive ability in fights, mainly for dropping from height or sliding from cover to surprise enemies. With her ability to control micro-movements and her quicker recovery time after falling, turning or starting a sprint, you should be able to get the movement edge in combat against almost all Legends; Valkyrie is the exception. Her passive is also useful for escaping when the time comes, especially on maps like Storm Point, if you’re running away downhill. Gravity cannons are great for Horizon too. Being able to change her position more easily in mid-air means you can adjust your landing spot and super glide out of them.
Gravity Lift should be used frequently, with an emphasis on making aggressive plays or moving your squad. It also has defensive value for the team. This makes her tactical one of the more versatile amongst Legends. There is no accuracy penalty while in Gravity Lift, so shoot at players from above, making it harder for them to hit you. You don’t need to go all the way to the top either. You can use the Lift to get great redirects while pushing a squad, or catch people off guard.
Other than attacking, use Gravity Lift for healing and defense. Pop meds in the lift while moving around, then continue while falling and sliding out to be evasive and move more quickly. It’s also great at avoiding damage ultimates like those of Gibraltar, Bangalore, Caustic and Fuse. You can also use Gravity Lift to disorient teams by blocking doorways, whether it be from them entering or using the visual cue to distort their vision.
As with her tactical ability, Black Hole is both offensive and defensive. Use it as early and as often as you can, and look to start fights with it. Get enemies bunched together and concentrate damage on one area, or pull enemies out of cover. Pair her ultimate with grenades for some real damage when you can pull teams together this way. If needed, block pathways and doorways with N.E.W.T. to direct opponents. The black hole can be great for creating protection during reviving, and can cover sound cues as well.
Advanced Tips for Horizon in Apex Legends
- Mastering bunny hopping and wall jumping with Horizon will open up a new level of movement, giving you a great advantage.
- In some locations, you can land earlier by bumping off of a wall during the initial jump into the game. This will let you fall to the ground faster and with control to do some early looting. This can help you get the jump on opponents.
- Double-ride Gravity Lift to extend its use. Reconnect with the lift at the bottom after falling out to go up again right away. Make your enemies try to aim up and down to throw them off.
- Coordinate with Black Hole to break doors and surprise enemies. Put N.E.W.T. on the roof of the door, or throw it high up into the air for a delay. Slide through the door as the black hole activates, as it will break the door.
Image Credit: Electronic Arts
Best Loadouts in Apex for Horizon
Being able to shoot at enemies while moving and at least 30 meters up in the air is a must. A lot of the time, using Horizon will get you in closer range to your enemies. You’ll want to pair a mid-range weapon or even a marksman rifle with a close-range weapon when using Horizon. For example, use her tactical to float in the air, deliver a couple of hits with a Repeater or Flatline, then slide out towards the enemy to finish them off with your R-99 or C.A.R. SMG.
Best Legends to Pair With Horizon
The best Legends to pair with Horizon in Apex are any legends that deal big damage with their ultimate abilities, such as Gibraltar, Fuse, Caustic, Bangalore, and Rampart. Activating their heavy-hitting ultimates and concentrating the fire on a black hole can help deliver a lot of damage fast. Legends that are great at oppressing or poking at Legends with their tactical abilities work well too. Revenant and Valkyrie both have tactical abilities that can stun or immobilize other Legends’ abilities while delivering small damage. Use these pairings to quickly surprise and finish enemy teams.
It’s clear to see that Horizon sits closer to the top when we discuss which Legends are good or bad. Being 7th in pick rate for the 18 Legends is a proud stat for Horizon to boast. When we look at the versatility of her abilities, as well as the value. It’s easy to notice how well-rounded her kit is in general. Horizon has a lot of offensive potential, but can still provide defensive value for your team. When playing Horizon, you should be more proactive in your mindset, planning pushes and being the aggressor with her abilities when the time is right. Now that we know how to use Horizon’s kit, let’s put them to use. As she says, “time for experimentation, evaluation and a wee cuppa tea!”
