Bangalore character guide - Apex Legends
Learn how to play Bangalore, Apex Legends' highly versatile attacker.
Apex Legends’ Bangalore character is an attack-type Legend that excels at area-denial. While she doesn’t offer the same aggressive playstyle that comes easily to Bloodhound and Wraith, careful management of her Smoke Launcher and Rolling Thunder abilities can lead to easy wins.
Bangalore overview
Bangalore is an attack-type character in Apex Legends that utilizes smoke canisters and artillery strikes to control the battlefield. Thanks to her passive, she can quickly reposition for a better angle or escape a fight that would otherwise turn south.
Though technically an attacker, she can just as easily be played in a defensive manner or an attack-utility hybrid. It’s entirely up to the player how they use Bangalore’s abilities while in King’s Canyon.
Bangalore abilities
Much like the other Legends, Bangalore has three primary abilities with one being a passive. Because she is considered an attacker, her abilities are slightly more aggressive than the likes of Pathfinder or Lifeline – though she can still be used defensively.
Passive: Double Time
Bangalore’s passive, Double Time, increases her top sprinting speed when taking fire. In some instances, it appears as if this procs when someone fires at her, not necessarily if the shot connects. Despite this, it’s best just to assume it’s only when she sustains a direct hit.
This passive can be used to get behind cover quickly or to press toward the enemy and potentially overwhelm them. The speed at which Bangalore moves when Double Time activates is incredible, and being on the receiving end of a super-fast player can be overwhelming. Take into account the distance from the enemy and whether or not you’re in a position to tango before deciding on the rush tactic.
Tactical: Smoke Launcher
The Tactical ability, Smoke Launcher, is one of the most versatile abilities in the game. The smoke from Bangalore’s tactical ability will completely block vision on a decently-sized area. While the smoke is out, players can move around the smoked area without being seen – except for in certain situations.
How the smoke canister actually explodes is of importance. After being fired, the smoke canister will only explode after it hits something. Once the canister connects with a wall, piece of terrain, or another player, it will drop a few feet and then explode. This means if the canister hit a particularly high wall, the smoke will hang in the air.
The smoke launcher can be used in various ways. Probably the most common use would be to block the vision of enemy players while your team moves from one point to another or to give you some mild safety while reviving a teammate.
One method of use for the smoke canister is that of a distraction. Most players assume Bangalore will run toward her smoke in a bid for cover. Use this to your advantage after breaking line-of-sight with an enemy (like when going around a corner). Fire the smoke canister off in one direction and run the other. The enemy will likely assume you ran toward the smoke and will focus that direction.
Ultimate: Rolling Thunder
Bangalore’s ultimate is Rolling Thunder, an artillery strike that carpets the battlefield in a grid formation. The shells land in the field, and then explode one row at a time, creating a “rolling” explosion effect. While the explosions don’t deal a lot of damage, they are extremely disorienting, even to allies.
After pressing the ultimate ability button, Bangalore will pull out a grenade-like flare which must then be thrown. Once the flare hits the ground, shells will fall from the sky, carpeting the area, and a few seconds later the rolling explosion will detonate.
Due to its relatively low damage, Rolling Thunder is best used as an area denial, preventing enemies from moving to a set location. This is either a defensive or offensive option, depending on whether you want to prevent enemies from pushing toward you or prevent them from escaping.
Because Bangalore’s ultimate will disorient allies as well as enemies, give your squad a heads-up when it’s going out to give them a moment to orient. Similarly, throwing out a smoke canister onto the ultimate is a kind of double-whammy, preventing enemy vision of the shells and ensuring they can’t see where you’re moving.
Bangalore tips
Bangalore’s tactical ability recharges rather quickly, so liberal use of the smoke launcher is always a good idea. However, try not to fire it off before you’ve made contact with an enemy, as chances are it will alert other players to your location. Due to its fast recharge rate, you could very well get out two or more smoke canisters per engagement, depending on how quickly you can down another squad.
As for character’s that synergize well with Bangalore, Bloodhound is an obvious choice. Bloodhound has the ability to see an enemy’s location using the Eye of the Allfather ability, which means Bloodhound can see straight through Bangalore’s smoke. If any enemy is holed up in a building, a great strategy can be to fire a smoke canister inside and then send in Bloodhound to clean them up while they can’t see. It's also worth noting that Threat Detector gun attachment work through Bangalore's smoke. Use the smoke to blind the enemy and then get on some free hits while they can't see you.
Practice will be necessary when using Bangalore’s ultimate, as the timing of the detonations can be difficult to get used to. In some cases, it can be good to throw out the ultimate pre-emptively. Try and factor in the time it takes for the shells to land and then explode in sequence, as there’s nothing worse than whiffing Bangalore’s ultimate.
Bangalore is one of the best characters currently on offer in Apex Legends. Her passive ensures she’s the fastest non-ulting Legend and her smoke canister boasts some excellent utility. It will take a skilled hand to time and place her Rolling Thunder ultimate correctly, but with enough practice it can be done. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Apex Legends game guides, tips and strategies for more character guides!
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