Apex Legends: Everything you need to know about Bloodhound

"The place between life and death is where I feel most alive"

Johann and Brigida were two engineers stationed at the New Dawn industrial plant on Talos. They had a child together. When the Meltdown happened, it caused a flash freeze that caused many casualties. Sadly, Johann and Brigida were among those casualties and their child was there to witness their death. Johann’s brother, Artur, took the child in after the incident and taught the child the ways of the Norse gods of planet Earth. He taught the child how to hunt, how to track and he also taught the child that nature is everything and technology is to be rejected.

The child grew up to become Blothhundr, one we know as the Bloodhound. Not feeling any belonging towards any identity other than being the ultimate hunter, Bloodhound refrains from revealing any information about themselves. The few things we know about them are that they’re non-binary and they have adopted Artur’s belief of Norse gods.

Artur shows the way. (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

The Old Ways

“You will return as one of us, or return not at all” -Artur

During the years they spent with Artur, Bloodhound learned the ancient ways of hunting, the importance of nature and preserving it, and a hatred of modern technology they just couldn’t come to terms with. Artur’s belief was “the easy glory of a trigger” meant nothing in the court of the gods and a true warrior should face their enemies with a weapon of the old ways. Bloodhound, on the other hand, felt the old ways’ teachings were about courage and being able to face your opponent fearlessly.

When they were old enough, Artur sent Bloodhound (who wasn’t called Bloodhound yet) on a rite of passage. The child would return with glory, or not return at all. Bloodhound faced a monster called Goliath by the villagers. Having seen their trusty hatchet not helping much against the creature, the child picked up a Charge Rifle they found on the ground and defeated the monster with it. After delivering its tusk to Artur, the child expected to be blessed because nobody managed to defeat a Goliath before. Instead, Artur immediately figured out how the child took the monster down and deemed the offering worthless in the eyes of the gods for neglecting the old ways and “resorting” to the modern ways.

Bloodhound with Artur’s hatchet, Raven’s Bite. (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

Disappointed, the child walked towards the forest, when the Goliath made a surprise appearance. Apparently, the shot from the Charge Rifle wasn’t enough to take it down and it was very angry for having its tusk stolen. The child warns the villagers of the danger at the risk of their own life, which prompts Artur and other villagers to come and help them. During the fight, Artur is mortally wounded and the Charge Rifle is shattered by the Goliath. The child picks up the Rifle’s core and throws it at the monster, scaring it away. At his last breath, Artur admits to the fact that the old ways might not just be about the weapons one uses. He entrusts his hatchet to the child and gives them his blessing, his belief that the child will defeat the monster and become the first Blothhundr. 

The child, armed with newfound courage to face the Goliath, once again seeks it; only to find themselves in a dire situation again. Just at that moment, Artur’s raven flies in and shows the child a way to defeat the monster. The child, working with the raven, blows off one of the coolants, which freezes the monster. To be able to breathe in the freezing air, the child quickly puts on a mask they found on the ground. Along with the goggles they always had on, the child’s face becomes completely obscured. After putting on the mask, the child proceeds to shatter the monster and officially becomes the first Blothhundr.

After Artur’s Viking funeral, Bloodhound puts on a skull-hat and adopts Artur’s raven to become the Bloodhound we know today. Bloodhound’s past contains much pain, but the lessons brought with that pain are what keep them going.

The New Ways

"For my love, for Boone, I assure we will meet in the halls of Valhalla."

Later in their life, Bloodhound met a man named Boone. Boone was a renowned hunter, looking for an elusive creature known as óséður (unseen) and his path soon crossed with Bloodhound’s. Hunting together for a long time, the two became very close, to the point of Bloodhound calling Boone their lover. Bloodhound’s signature scanning device is something they made for Boone to help find the óséður, which he gifted them back as a show of gratitude.

 "I fall only when the gods will it." (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

But when Bloodhound learned that Boone intended to capture the beast in hibernation for the Thunderdome, they had a big fight in which Bloodhound forbade Boone from doing such a dishonorable thing. Despite Bloodhound’s warnings, Boone secretly captured the beast and left the planet.

Later, Bloodhound found Boone in Thunderdome, with the awakened óséður. Shortly after their encounter, the beast killed Boone, to Bloodhound’s dismay. Since Boone dishonored himself and tainted his death, he’d be forbidden from entering Valhalla. Bloodhound joined the Apex Games in Boone’s name, to attain glory to clear his name in the court of Odin so that his soul can gain passage to Valhalla.

Bloodhound’s abilities

Passive: Tracker

 "Someone was wounded here. They survived."

While there’s a lot of recon Legends in the game, Bloodhound still shines as the best tracker of all. They are able to track almost every movement on the battlefield and communicate them to their teammates via signals. From footprints to abilities that don’t leave visible marks after being used such as Caustic’s gas traps, Bloodhound can see everything on the battlefield’s history and how much time has passed since they happened.

Bloodhound’s passive, Tracker, can even track Mirage when he goes invisible with his passive ability. One of the very few things Bloodhound can’t actively track is Wraith using her Void. While Bloodhound can see where Wraith entered the Void and where she got out, Wraith’s movement during the phase is not trackable since it’s not even in this dimension.

Recent tracks are shown in red, while older tracks are shown greyed out. So keep in mind that red tracks mean there might be opponents close by.

 "Have you prepared for your end? I have." (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

Tactical: Eye of the Allfather

"Allfather give me sight!"

Bloodhound scans in a 125° cone in front of them, revealing all opponents, traps, clues, and even loot ticks. Scanned opponents are also revealed to Bloodhound’s allies. The scan has a range of 75 meters and will show the number of scanned hostiles. If the number of scanned hostiles is more than 10, it will show “10+ HOSTILES” instead of specifying. Opponents are revealed for 3 seconds, while traps and loot ticks remain revealed as long as they exist.

The scan also sends a visible trail that can be seen by your opponents, revealing your position. So make sure to be able to engage after you use it because a lot of times it will just cause your opponents to move towards you, hoping to strike first. When Bloodhound’s ultimate ability, Beast of the Hunt, is active; Eye of the Allfather’s cooldown is reduced to 8 seconds from 25 and its cast time is reduced to 0.9 seconds from 1.8 seconds. 

Scanning opponents after a friendly Bangalore uses their smoke on them is a great way to set up an ambush, even in an open field. 

 "I honor those who've risen, not those who've fallen." (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

Ultimate: Beast of the Hunt

"I bathe in the blóð!"

Bloodhound unleashes their rage to become the ultimate hunter for 30 seconds, literally seeing red. When Beast of the Hunt is active, Bloodhound’s vision becomes black and white while highlighting opponents in glowing red and allies in blue. Bloodhound gains 30% movement speed for the duration of the ability and while the ability is active, the duration is extended every time Bloodhound downs an opponent. Keep in mind that Beast of the Hunt will also highlight opponents’ footprints in red, which will make it easier for you to find them.

Beast of the Hunt will also reveal opponents through Bangalore’s and Caustic’s smokes, which makes Bloodhound a great teammate for those Legends. 

Just like the Eye of the Allfather, Beast of the Hunt gives away your position by making a loud noise when activated. While releasing their rage, Bloodhound lets out a warcry which can be heard by nearby opponents.

Perk: Recon

Just like all Recon class Legends, Bloodhound can scan the Survey Beacon to learn the next Ring’s location.

Bloodhound’s Trial is a challenge for every Legend. (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

How to play bloodhound

"The masks we wear are part of who we are."

Bloodhound is not one for much sneaking, due to their abilities giving away their position. But in turn, Bloodhound can track anything and anyone on the battlefield to their and their team’s advantage. When coupled with—or even against—vision-blocking Legends such as Bangalore, Bloodhound’s ability to track opponents becomes invaluable.

In Apex Legends, quickly evaluating your situation and coming up with a resolution is key. Bloodhound solves the quickly evaluating part and the rest is up to your skills.

While playing as Bloodhound, you should always keep an eye on the tracks your passive is providing and communicate them with your team. With the number of Legends who can track opponents increased, Bloodhound is seeing some competition. But the pick rates say Bloodhound is still the most trusted tracker in the Outlands.

Don’t forget to scan the area after entering a new zone, to make sure you’re not being watched. This, of course, will alert your opponents to your presence. But this way you’ll also know where they are, with pinpoint accuracy.

When using Beast of the Hunt, be ready to push aggressively and use the ability’s mobility and vision advantages. Each takedown extends the timer of your ultimate ability, which will help you get even better results the longer the fight goes. Also, while the warcry will alert your opponents to your presence, it will also induce the fear of a fast and agile Bloodhound about to hit them. Use that panic moment to storm in for maximum slátra.

World’s Edge, Bloodhound’s home. (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

Bloodhound’s background

"I am the hunter the gods have sent."

Bloodhound is voiced by the amazing Allegra Clark. Clark’s work includes Genshin Impact, Aggretsuko, and Star Wars: Squadrons. Clark is a huge fan of Apex Legends and regularly streams on Twitch to talk about Apex Legends, Bloodhound, and gender representation in video games. Be wary, though, Allegra claims to have the mouth of a sailor.

World’s Edge is Bloodhound’s home, so they make many comments about its past and current state while on that map. You can also find the Bloodhound’s Trial in World’s Edge and if you’re playing as Bloodhound, they will make additional commentary on the trial.

Bloodhound is shown to be friends with Fuse, sharing a common sense of honesty and claiming their own destiny. Bloodhound also mentions Fuse reminding them of Boone, both in appearance and in demeanor. They don’t seem to have a personal vendetta against any of the Legends, presumably as long as they respect nature.

Bloodhound with Artur (Image: Respawn Entertainment)

Conclusion

 "If the gods will it, we vinna."

Bloodhound is one of the original Legends, but they have a skill set that will never become obsolete in Apex Legends. There are scenarios where some Legends might become less useful or at disadvantage, but Bloodhound is definitely not one of them. They can work both in aggressive and passive playstyles. You can stay back and plan and then switch to super aggressive mode without relinquishing usage of your abilities. With their mobility and tracking abilities, Bloodhound really is the ultimate hunter. So utilize them to achieve victory and slátra.

See you on the hunting grounds, Legends.