Apex Legends features a varied cast of characters that bring their own unique set of skills to the intense battle royale. Though many of these heroes fall into the same archetypes you would expect from familiar online shooters, each character’s abilities have a special twist to them that can open up some interesting strategies and dynamics within the squad. With every match yielding their own situational encounters and tense gunfights, you’ll need to know the ins and out of your character to survive, while also knowing what to do should you cross paths with them on the field.
In this quick guide, we’re taking a look at the cunning, but somewhat insecure Mirage. His peculiar skill-set can create some bizarre encounters where you’ll see double, allowing him and his squad the chance to get the upper hand. Though these skills seem basic at first glance, they can create some interesting opportunities for you and your squad, which can open the pathway to becoming a champion.
For more breakdowns of different characters, and along with our full review and other guides focusing on some of the best weapons in the game, check out our further Apex Legends coverage on GameSpot.
General Overview
Known as the Holographic Trickster, Mirage is one of the two unlockable characters in Apex Legends, the other being Caustic. He brings with him advanced holographic technology that can create false-duplicates for tactical purposes. On the surface, many of his skills appear a bit too situational and unorthodox, however, in keeping with the gameplay loop of a battle royale game, Mirage is the type of character that knows how to mess with his enemy’s focus–which can mean all the difference in an intense fight.
With his slate of holographic skills, Mirage can disorient enemies and create additional pressure during fights. His primary tactical skill, known as Psyche Out, allows Mirage to create a holographic clone that runs ahead of him. At first glance, this double is indistinguishable from the real thing, which can cause other players to open fire. Mirage’s decoy also display intelligence as well, and they act different depending on where they’re deployed to. For instance, using one near a supply box will have the decoy perform an animation where they try to open it. Though many of these skills require certain circumstances to truly be effective, they are at their best when used in situations where you’re uncertain of what lies ahead, or when you need to help your squad out by drawing fire away from enemies. However, it may take some time getting used to his abilities. With this in mind, here’s a quick breakdown on how to his skills effectively.
Mirage’s Abilities
Passive Skill: Encore – Automatically drop a decoy and cloak for 5 seconds when knocked down.
If all else fails and you get got, Mirage’s passive skill Encore will kick in. Once you get knocked down, you’ll instantly turn invisible and a decoy will drop in your place, who performs an overly dramatic death animation. This will buy you some time to crawl away to safety. However, the skill won’t last long. If you’re still out in the open and an enemy is nearby, then you’re a prime target to get gunned down.
Tactical Skill: Psyche Out – Send out a holographic decoy to confuse the enemy.
Mirage’s tactical ability Psyche Out is a skill that has a surprising number of uses. In addition to drawing enemy fire in certain hot spots, allowing you to flank or get a bead on where a foe is hiding out, it’s also a great skill to use for playing mind games. For instance, during the initial jump, you can send out decoys to landing spots, confusing enemy players into the thinking they’re more active than they actually are.
Ultimate Skill: Vanishing Act – Mirage deploys a team of decoys to distract enemies, while he cloaks.
The Ultimate ability Vanishing Act is essentially a combination of Mirage’s Passive and Tactical skills. When activated, Mirage will turn invisible and let a team of holograms distract the enemy for him. The skill is a great way to confuse enemies, who will likely lose track of which Mirage is the real one. This can be especially handy during tough fights in crowded spaces. Some of the best uses of Vanishing Act come when used to bail on fights that your squad is outmatched for or when you need to get the jump on enemies during a fight. However, there is a certain clue that can help enemy players keep track of the real Mirage. When you turn invisible, you’ll leave a silhouette and can take damage. If the enemy can stay focused on any sudden movement, then they can still hit you with their shots.
Tips To Play
Mirage’s greatest strength in battle is his ability to disorient enemies and shake up a fight. With his holographic skills, he can easily disrupt a fight by using his holograms, which also gives him and his squad some time to breathe. Right at the beginning of the match, once you and your squad make the jump, he can pull off some interesting tricks on other teams. While dropping from the ship, Mirage can send out up to two different holograms on the field. This can cause other teams to panic while in mid-flight, changing their course in order to avoid any possible fights when they’re on the ground.
Once you make it to the ground, Mirage is best used when keeping his skills close to the vest. Unlike other support characters, his abilities aren’t handy with only his squad around. However, once things start to go down, when you inevitably cross paths with an enemy team, this is where Mirage can shine. If you get the sense that an enemy team is nearby, you can send out hologram to act as a probe, provoking any gunfire from enemies. While in the moment, it’s difficult to tell what’s the real Mirage or a hologram, and they’ll likely open fire on-sight.
Just like every other character, Mirage can carry his weight in a fight with any weapon he can get his hands on. However, given his trickster oriented skill-set, you may be better off using weapons that focus on long-range, such as the Longbow or Triple Take sniper-rifles. Once you toss out a decoy, you’ll likely see enemies fire at the hologram, which will either give you a clue as to where they are–or if you’re lucky–an opening if they decide to come run out to investigate.
Mirage has a pretty peculiar skill-set, but in the hands of a patient, and decisive player, he can be an effective squadmate to have. Even before touching the battlefield, he can cause panic amongst the enemy teams, which can make for an impressive start for matches.
