Apex Legends’ season four hasn’t kicked off just yet, but it’s coming with a heavyweight reinforcement. Respawn revealed that Forge is the next character to join the Apex Games in the next season, called “Assimilation.”
There’s still a great deal of secrecy surrounding Forge. Despite announcing that he’ll be the next legend released, both the developer update and the official website are fairly scarce in terms of details about the fighter. His official bio defines him as “confident yet humble” and says that Forge uses “his size, strength, and heavy-duty Shatter Gauntlets to batter his opponents into submission.” His description, word choice, and concept art point to a melee-oriented legend.
The reveal confused some players who were expecting Revenant to join the fray, however. Respawn officially teased the legend in a trailer and he even hosted a limited-time mode in Apex’s Halloween-themed Fight or Fright event. Most of the evidence pointed toward his debut as the next legend.
Forge was an overwhelming surprise, but players who looked over each suspected leak may have heard of him. Earlier data-mining efforts showcased bits of the legend’s kit and concept art and gave us an approximate idea of what to expect from him.
Who is Forge?
Game writer Tom Casiello described Forge as a “brawler” who “gets up close and personal” and has “a mean left hook.” The five-time hyper fighting federation champion has a “big personality” and wants to conquer the Apex Games because his successful fighting career wasn’t enough of a challenge.
He’s sponsored by Titanfall’s Hammond Robotics, who may be responsible for some of the upcoming map changes for Assimilation. The company’s (fictional) website defines it as “the premier design house in the highly competitive field of advanced robotics” and the company is behind a series of technological developments in the franchise.
Forge’s character art shows gigantic mechanical implants in his left arm and it’s likely that these are one of the sources of his strength. It’s unclear if they were designed by Hammond Robotics or if Forge’s relationship with the company is purely financial. He also wears a symbolic medallion that likely has some emotional value to him and could be added to the game in the form of a gun charm.
Unofficial information
Forge was uncovered by earlier data-mining efforts alongside a plethora of legends. Though Respawn has been fairly sparse with gameplay information about Forge, his skillset has been dissected by data miners like That1MiningGuy and iLootGames.
Even though the leaked skills fit Forge’s brawler theme, there’s no official statement by Respawn on the veracity of the leaks and they should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s no guarantee that these skills will make their way to the final version of the legend, but they can give an approximate idea about the design and decisions behind Forge’s kit. Here’s a glimpse of his rumored skillset.
The files list an ability known as “Pull Shot,” described as a “short-range grapple that pulls enemies into you or can be used to launch yourself into the air,” according to the two data miners. The skill is followed by “Ground Slam,” which allows the brawler to slam into the ground when airborne and presumably deal damage in the area.
Both data miners also list a “K.O. Punch,” which propels the legend forward and into the air. Forge’s “One-Two” causes the legend to dash in a straight line and perform an uppercut if he hits an enemy.
Two passive skills are also listed. “On the Ropes” deals increased melee damage when Forge is at low health and grants him a temporary “overshield” when hitting enemies with melee attacks. “Victory Rush” is a skill that’s triggered by killing a player with a melee attack. It restores Forge’s health and increases his speed by 30 percent for 10 seconds, according to the data miners.
It’s unclear which combination of these skills will make their way to the final version of Forge. It’s also possible that the end-product doesn’t reflect the data-mined information at all. Based on the data-mined information, however, Forge seems to be a brawler-type character with a heavy focus on melee attacks and close combat. Some of his skills can launch him into the air and start combos, which can be ended with a ground slam. Connecting with melee attacks may also give him an “overshield” and make him sturdier as the fight goes on.
Although there’s plenty of speculation about Forge, players likely won’t know the full details until season four reaches the server. Forge’s release is scheduled for Feb. 4, Apex’s one-year anniversary, and will be accompanied by the launch of a new sniper rifle, changes to ranked modes, and an overhaul to World’s Edge.
