Apex Legends: How To Play Octane Effectively

Updated:

04 Jul 2023

Octane is one of the highest-picked Legends in the game and for good reason. This character is so insanely fun and easy to play for most, but he does have some ways to get more out of him. Despite being insanely easy in the eyes of many, you can get more out of Octane with the right tips and of course, practice.

Octane falls into the Skirmisher class of Legends, meaning he can see what is in care packages before they even land. This is insanely useful for loot-hungry players, or ones who just want as much information as possible. Whether you come across a purple shield, golden knockdown or the coveted Kraber, it's a great passive to have.

His actual passive is very important to his kit. Octane will passively regenerate health at a slow rate. This sounds pretty great already, but it makes more sense when you get to his tactical ability.

Even when being shot normally, Octane will start to regenerate health after not being damaged for a few seconds. Similarly to Wattson, it saves you from using those extra healing items so you can get moving quicker.

Speaking of movement, that's what Octane is all about. His tactical ability is the reason for this, as Octane can pull out a stim syringe to boost his speed at the cost of a little health. Octane will heal that health back, but if you stim too much, you'll be on 1 hp in no time.

Don't worry though, as Octane cant down himself with his stim, no matter what you will end on 1 hp, even if you stim past it.

This speed boost is integral to Octane’s playstyle and is why so many people play him. It's just so insanely fun to run around the map at the speed of sound, but sometimes it can become your downfall.

Octane’s ultimate is also another movement ability, as he can throw down a jump pad. This pad will launch anyone in the direction they landed on it. So if you run towards it or slide into it you will move forward, and if you jump on it with no momentum, you'll be launched into the air above you.

This is already good for rotating around the map, into and out of fights or just moving around, but it gets better. Once launched from the pad, you will be able to jump a second time.

Octane has some incredibly powerful abilities, but he still has his downsides. Some Octane players use that stim a little too much and get caught off guard with low health. That's why someone like Lifeline or Newcastle is great to pair up with Octane. You could also pair him with another movement Legend like Pathfinder to get around the map even quicker than you already can.

Now you know how great Octane is, let's discuss how to play him better.

How to Play Octane Effectively:

15. Stim as much as you want

Despite the downsides of losing health, realistically you should stim whenever you want. There is a limit to this, as you should only stim when you need to move a distance or get into a fight etc, but honestly stim whenever you feel like it. Octane heals quickly enough or you can med kit if you need to.

14. Stim into a fight

One of the best ways to stim is as you enter a fight so you can catch your enemy off guard with your insane speed. It puts people off as they cant track Octane as easily compared to other Legends.

13. Stim during a fight

Another way to put off your enemy is to stim whilst fighting them. If you increase your speed out of nowhere, they might miss those crucial shots, letting you kill them before they even land another shot.

12. Stim out of a fight

Next, make sure to stim when you want to leave an engagement. Octane can get away super easily with his tactical and his ultimate, but better players know to save a stim for their exit as enemies ain't catching up to you.

11. Throw your pad in front of you

One thing Octane mains forget about is throwing your pad in front of you. Make sure you are in front of your team as well if you want them to get the benefits. Throw it far in front so it has time to fill with air.

10. Stim after you land not before

Another thing you can do to get more out of Octane is to stim after you land from your jump pad, or as you land. If you stim before you get on it, it does nothing. You don't go farther or move quicker, therefore stim as you land to get that massive boost to get into a fight or away from one.

9. Use the pad to cover a large distance

The pad has many great uses, but one is to move across a large distance. Find yourself near a field on World’s Edge or an open area on Broken Moon, then throw that pad down to cover the distance super quick. It will make noise though, so beware of enemies around you.

8. Use the pad to enter or exit a fight

The pad is mainly used for entering and exiting a fight. Remember you can use the pad multiple times, so throwing it in a place you can get into the fight and then out of will get the most use out of your ultimate.

7. The pad cant block doors

One thing some Octane players think they can do is block doorways, and you kinda can. You cannot block an actual door as just opening the thing will destroy the pad, but placing it in a doorway will stop enemies from exiting or entering easily as they will bounce and fly.

6. Loadout options

Just like any other Legend, I recommend using an assault rifle like the R-301 or even the Volt SMG for medium to long range, then having an R-99 or Peacekeeper for those close-range engagements. It's better to be prepared for every situation.

5. Movement techniques

Octane is a movement Legend, so getting used to those movement techniques like tap strafing, super gliding and wall bouncing is a must to make him more effective. Remember, the speed boost applies to these techniques, so a glide will go much farther than a normal character.

4. Jump to advantageous positions

Other than entering a fight, covering distance or leaving an area, the pad can be used to get a better position. Use it to gain the high ground, get a position behind your enemies or just a good position overall. It's the best way to use it and separates the dumb and aggressive Octanes from the smart and tactical ones.

3. Initiate a push with your team

Octane is a Legend people hate as most players just run away from their team because of the speed boost. The thing is though, he is a fantastic Legend for team play. Make sure to talk to your team or mark to initiate a push with your pad. It can make a massive difference if your entire team pushes on a pad at once, rather than separately.

2. Don't fear the ring

Octane is super fast, and the ring can sometimes be scary. The thing is, because of his speed, you can hang around in the ring if you want. The storm won't be that bad if you can just run through it to the ring. Make sure to keep track of your health though as Octane does lose health as he stims!

1. Charge shields first

The final tip to get the most out of Octane is one people always forget about. When healing up, charge your shields first as his health heals on its own and you will take shield damage first anyways. It's such a great tip and one that will get you the most out of this speed demon.