Apex Legends Octane character guide: Octane's the name, speed's the game

Apex Legends Octane has the distinction of being the first new character added to the game after launch, arriving when the initial battle pass went live. He brings the need for speed to Apex Legends, and believe us when we say blink and you'll miss him as he's seriously fast. Harnessing this velocity takes some practice though and he's not the easiest character to pick up, so if you're planning on being the fastest champion out there then follow our Apex Legends Octane character guide.

We've also got an overview of all the best Apex Legends characters, along with detailed guides for each one individually below.

Apex Legends Octane ultimate & abilities explained

Octane's passive is the first of it's kind in Apex Legends; he restores health over time. It's not quick, and if you're seriously weak with no healing items, you'll need to hide for a long time to regenerate all of your health. It can be handy when you're in a pinch though, because those few hit points could be the decider between life and death.

When you combine Octane's Swift Mend passive with his Stim tactical, you see just how well the two work together. Stim allows Octane to move 30% faster for six seconds, and it costs a small amount of health to use. This is incredible when you're trapped between a rock and a hard place or you need to escape the incoming storm. Of course, as soon as you use it, the health starts to slowly come back anyway, and it only has a two second cool down so you can stack it if need be.

Finally, Octane's ultimate is highly situational, but it can turn the tide of battle if used effectively. It's basically just a launch pad that can be placed anywhere, and it will send anyone who stands on it flying in the direction they approach. It doesn't quite give as much height as a Fortnite launch pad though, so don't expect to cross the entire map off one.

How to play Octane in Apex Legends - Tips & tricks

Using Stim won't kill you - Don't be afraid of using the tactical repeatedly if you need to maintain the speed boost. If you have 1HP, Stim won't take away any health whatsoever, so you can't die from it. Just make sure you don't get shot because that will kill you!
Be careful using Stim in the storm - If you need a speed boost to get back to the safe zone, make sure you don't use Stim too much, because the incremental storm damage could end up killing you with the extra health missing from Stim.
Use the launch pad to flank enemies - Rather than relying on the launch pad to simply get you higher or increase your speed, use it in fights. Flying over the heads of enemies then shooting them in the back while your teammates cover the other side can seriously confuse them and diverts their attention.
Don't run over the launch pad straight away - If you're sprinting along and throw down the launch pad right in front of you, it won't actually work instantly. It needs a second or two to activate after it lands, so don't rely on it throwing you forward straight away - give it a few seconds.

How does Octane's hitbox compare to other Legends?

Unlike the other Legends, we don't have the exact hitbox size for Octane, so we can't place him exactly on the scale. With that said, we do know that he's obviously much smaller than Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder, so you won't be dealing with a huge hitbox if you choose him. He also runs somewhat similar to Wraith; fast with a skinny, short frame so we'd bet he's got one of the smallest hitboxes in the game.

Octane voice actor - Nicolas Roye

Nicolas Roye is the man behind Octane's high-pitched, rapid voice lines. He's featured in numerous video games before, but most of them were as "additional voices" like in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, NieR: Automata, and Final Fantasy XV.

Rapido rapido!