MeinMMO spoke with the development team at Respawn about the new legend “Catalyst” in Apex Legends. We discussed her development process, her abilities, and we asked the developers about the best strategies in gameplay.
On November 1, the new season “Eclipse” begins in Apex Legends. As part of this, the new defensive legend Catalyst, whose full name is Tressa Crystal Smith, will be introduced. She is also the first trans woman to compete in the Apex Games.
Players got their first glimpse of Catalyst’s personality and backstory in the trailers: The legend is determined to defend her home Cleo and uses her ability to control ferrofluid in battle.
MeinMMO conducted an interview with the developers of Catalyst and asked questions about the new legend. The interviewees were:
- Ashley Reed – Lead Writer
- Chris Winder – Lead Legend Designer
“I would describe her as a kind of big sister. She lets nobody dictate to her.”
MeinMMO: Let’s start right with the trailers, where Catalyst appears as the latest legend. We’ve already gotten a glimpse of her character traits and who she is as a person. But can you give us more details about how you would describe her?
Ashley Reed: I would describe her as a kind of big sister. She lets nobody dictate to her. She doesn’t really have patience for someone who isn’t doing what they should be doing.
But she is caring when you get to know her. She cares a lot about the people close to her. She looks after her group, makes sure they are doing well, but she doesn’t do it in a very nice way. She admonishes them like this: “What are you doing?! Stop it!” Kind of like: “Don’t get yourself into trouble.”
She can be introverted, a bit reserved. She is definitely home more often, sitting in a room, drinking tea, and watching TV series, but she has a goal here: She participates in the Apex Games to earn money for her family, which had to move because of the Apex Games.
Catalyst has to leave her comfort zone, but she is competent through and through. She has a lot of experience working in this environment. In her job, she regularly dealt with ferrofluid, which she now also uses in combat.
Catalyst as the first trans woman in Apex Legends
MeinMMO: I know that Apex Legends is a game where diversity and representation matter, and that this is also a focus of yours. What was important to you therefore when you worked on a trans woman as the latest legend?
Ashley Reed: Well, authenticity was definitely important to us. We wanted to ensure that we portray a character with an authentic experience that resonates with people – particularly trans individuals and especially trans women.
So we made sure to cast a trans woman for the role. We talked with trans developers throughout the production to make sure that we wouldn’t accidentally enter problematic areas or rely on stereotypes. We did this all the way through, from the beginning to the launch.
We also worked very closely with GLAAD. […] We worked with them to get consulting to ensure, with their media experience, that we wouldn’t use unpleasant stereotypes. Ultimately, it was really important for us to show an authentic, effective character that people could identify with.
This is who Catalyst is particularly well-suited for
MeinMMO: […] Regarding gameplay, what type of players or playstyles would you recommend her [Catalyst] for?
Chris Winder: From a surface level, she is very good at taking control and building barricades. Therefore, she is someone who likes to control a space where people will play. We can imagine it similarly to a Caustic or a Watson setting up an area where they have the upper hand. It can become very difficult for teams to penetrate this area in any way.
Her ultimate ability gives her a new focus that other characters sometimes lack, which is really good, and this wall gives her the ability to control the space in a much larger and extended way.
When you send out a wall that blocks the player’s view and gives them the option to rotate or escape. There are a whole variety of ways to use this, but it’s a similar style of creating a space to your advantage.
But it is then up to the player to figure out how they want to use it and for what purposes they leverage the advantage.
Here you can see Catalyst’s abilities in the character trailer:
What to do when you encounter an enemy Catalyst?
MeinMMO: And if I am now on the opposing side and Catalyst uses her abilities, are there any tricks or legends that are particularly good at overcoming her abilities?
Chris Winder: The wall has a specific shape. It is long, it is high to a certain degree and then it stops. Legends that can gain height in any way, like a Horizon or a Pathfinder, could jump over the wall – although you don’t really know what’s on the other side of the wall. So you might not want to put yourself in that situation at all. However, such a situation has never stopped a Pathfinder or Octane.
But such legends can deal with it. You can also shoot at the spikes and sort of carve a way over there when you need to break through to that space.
A Maggie is generally a good character for breakthrough, able to throw the ball and interrupt situations, pushing a team out of a space it is trying to control.
Especially the passive ability is extremely strong
MeinMMO: Is there a fun fact you can tell us about Catalyst […]?
Ashley Reed: I think we can both tell one, probably my fun fact will be different from yours.
Chris Winder: […] I don’t know if this is a fun fact, but I would say her passive ability, which locks doors – reinforces the doors as well, including doors that were previously destroyed. That’s a kind of “sleeping ability” that you would say: “Ah, that’s kind of interesting”.
The ability is actually extremely strong, especially for players who truly understand it, who have played a lot of Catalyst, so they know when and how to use the ability. And they can also apply it quickly.
Similar to how players already use doors: When they run into a building, they close the door behind them and then block the door, or they know how many kicks the door can take before they might be able to push back. I think there will be similar gameplay scenarios around Catalyst and the reinforcement of doors, which makes her really powerful in those scenarios.
Ashley Reed: My fun fact is: she tries to do what the other legends do and be very theatrical, saying: “I’m here and I’m the best!”
She will try to do a Mirage and make jokes, but it just doesn’t work, and so there are a few lines. There is a moment in the trailer, they edited it perfectly, but the actual line is: “Let’s rock, baby… Oh that was bad.” So she’s really trying.
Here you can see the trailer with the shortened line:
We thank Ashley Reed and Chris Winder for the interview and wish them continued success in developing new legends for Apex Legends.
What do you think of Catalyst? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
We have previously talked with the developers of the legends in Apex Legends and asked for tips and the best strategies for Vantage.
