Apex Legendsdiffers from otherbattle royales likeFortniteandWarzonefor two primary reasons: its class-and-ability-based team compositions, and its inclusion ofthreemaps (not one) that rotate in and out of play each season. While every legend is relatively balanced, with no one choice reigning supreme over the others, each map benefits particular legends more than others. The hard-to-climb areas of Olympus benefit Pathfinder more than the wide-open fields of World’s Edge, for example.
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King’s Canyon is the oldest map inApex Legendsand has had quite the resurgence in popularity in the community after fans have mostly turned on Worlds Edge. While most of the map is contained (as the name might suggest) in various canyons, the areas themselves are complex and huge. Enemy squads can see combat from miles away and will ambush out of absolutely nowhere. The open layout of this map benefits legends who can keep the squad alive long enough to outlast their attackers.
Updated July 28, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: As King’s Canyon has changed with map updates and events, so too has the Kings Canyon meta. The best legends for King’s Canyon tend to be the game’s most balanced as the map has a good mix of open and tight spaces that don’t particularly favor one playstyle over another. The best Kings Canyon legends are good on offense and defense, and can typically get out of trouble quickly - the map is particularly prone to third parties, after all. These eight legends are the best characters for Kings Canyon in the current Kings Canyon meta, though ultimately every Legend is perfectly usable on this classic map.
8Fuse
One of the key geographical features of King’s Canyon is its mix of tight canyon spaces and wide-open battlefields. Fuse’s Ultimate is a huge advantage in these situations - in tight spaces it’s nearly impossible to escape the Motherload’s wall of flame. In open areas, right-clicking zooms in a ridiculous amount and can lead to amazing long-distance plays.
Fuse lacks mobility, but he makes up for that with raw damage output. He thrives in tight spaces where enemies can’t avoid his knuckle cluster or ultimate, so if you’re the jumpmaster head to areas with lots of corridors and walls to make the most of this legend.
7Valkyrie
Since her introduction Valkyrie has consistently been one of the highest-picked Legends inApex Legends. On the King’s Canyon map her ultimate comes particularly in handy, and the verticality of some areas aretrivialized by her passive ability.
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As the name implies, King’s Canyon is home to a lot of canyons – and that means a lot of tall cliffs walling players into chokepoints. With Valkyrie’s Ult, you can leap above most of these tall stone walls and navigate around the map much easier.
6Ash
Ash is a character originally seen inTitanfall 2,brought back toApex Legendsboth to reference the FPS and continue her storyline. A fan favorite, Ash has abilities that are innately tied to mobility. Her tactical ability traps foes in place, while her Ult can zip you out of an overwhelming situation (or get you into one).
Similar to Valkyrie, Ash’s strength on King’s Canyon is her Ult’s ability to go through walls and surfaces. There are a lot of thin canyon walls in King’s Canyon that this can take advantage of, and lots of buildings and features that Ash’s tactical works amazingly with.
5Revenant
Revenant is a terrifying champion whose very presence on the team is usually accompanied by character-to-character dialogue about the specter-assassin. Revenant’s strengths are best used in team battles, where shutting down multiple enemies and giving teammates a second chance can turn thetide of the fight instantaneously. He’s good both offensively and defensively, and his passive is very useful for quickly navigating the cliffs' tricky terrain stealthily.
Revenant’s tactical ability Silence deals a small bit of damage and prevents enemies from using any abilities for a few seconds. This is especially useful against legends with combat-centric abilities, like Horizon, Fuse, and Gibraltar. Fellow players can interact with Revenant’s Death Totem, which will respawn them at the totem upon death with half health. On King’s Canyon, it’s extremely common to suddenly find oneself in the middle of an all-out multi-squad brawl – getting a second chance in those situations can easily overwhelm enemies.
4Wattson
King’s Canyon is full of points where areas and common paths merge together, which inevitably means lots of action. Grenades are great in team fights, particularly when the enemies are all bunched up together. This has been especially truesince the addition of Fuse(who can carry twice the normal amount of grenadesandthrows them faster and more accurately), and the use of ordnance is becoming more of a factor in the game.
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Wattson’s ultimate ability Interception Pylon is one of the best in the game. It’s kind of like a fusion between Gibraltar’s shield and Lifeline’s healing, but instead of blocking bullets or restoring health, the Pylon blocks grenades and restores shields. In the current meta, defending against incoming projectiles and enemy abilities (e.g. Horizon and Fuse) is crucial, and Wattson comes in clutch against these exact tactics.
3Gibraltar
Speaking of great defenses, Gibraltar is perhaps the best defensive legend inApex Legends. He takes less damage than other legends because of his passive, and his abilities are the perfect tools for establishing a defense and walling off enemies from specific areas. King’s Canyon is a very open map with lots of places for enemies to stake out and strike from far away. Gibraltar’s tactical Dome of Protection is theperfect answer to distant enemies, as it provides cover both for the incoming shots and for a quick getaway.
Gibraltar’s strength is not just his defensive capabilities. His ultimate Defensive Bombardment is perfect for wrecking cornered enemies or for walling off an area from escape. Hypothetically, say the ring is closing near the middle of the map, there will be multiple small paths that lead to the central canyon, all of which can be bombarded to block it offas an option for enemies. It’s especially useful towards the end of the game when enemies are much closer together and the threat of the ring is at its highest.
2Lifeline
Lifeline is an all-around good champion for any squad thanks mostly to her passive ability which lets her use her drone to revive teammates while she continues a fight. King’s Canyon is an open map where players have a broad view of the battlefield at most times. Her ultimate ability Care Package is easily visible to other players on this map for this reason, andshould be used sparingly; unless that is, someone wants the attention.
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Lifeline is particularly useful on King’s Canyon for her unparalleled ability to support a team on her own. Even if the rest of the squad goes down in a sudden ambush, a smart lifeline can revive their teammateswhilecontinuing the fightandget them back to full health. Her tactical ability is very useful for a squad trying to recover after an assault, and her passive iseasily the most usefulin the game. However, be careful when using Lifeline’s ultimate on King’s Canyon specifically.
1Bangalore
Despite her appearance as a front-line fighter, Bangalore is actually a veryevasive and even stealthylegend to play. King’s Canyon is a map that favors squads who can make use of the high visibility, but Bangalore’s tactical Smoke Launcher is a great way to trick enemies and block their line of sight. Bangalore’s smoke can be used to dupe an enemy into thinking that an assault is coming from a different angle than actually intended, in addition to its defensive uses.
Bangalore’s ultimate Rolling Thunder is an ability with two main uses: to quickly respond to an enemy ambush and to block off routes of travel from enemies. Rolling Thunder summons explosives to the targeted area much faster than similar abilities like Gibraltar’s Bombardment. Additionally, its speed makes it great for controlling the movements of enemy squads who won’t suspect the incoming explosives until it’s too late. It is perfect for trapping enemies who are trying to get away from the fight.
