He’s the best kept secret you thought you knew about
Mirage has always been an “off-meta” pick in Apex Legends. My teammates will often groan, “Oh great, a Mirage,” into their mics when I lock him on the legend selection screen. Even the Apex devs see Mirage as a challenging hero to use, admitting in the latest patch notes that “our bamboozler-in-chief is a hard legend to keep relevant.”
Mirage is challenging because his utility is based in mentally and optically confusing the enemy. Most other legends’ abilities enhance their mobility, loot or damage, while Mirage’s kit plays mind games that…sometimes work.
The drawbacks to choosing Mirage are obvious, but what are his strengths? Well, Mirage works with a range of playstyles, but I use him when I want to scout and aggressively push teams. I’ve been able to rack up over 8,000 bamboozles, over 1,400 kills and over half a million damage on him since I started casually playing Apex on PC earlier this year.
And then there are streamers like Abusing_R2, who, with over 137,000 kills using only Mirage, prove that our favorite goofball isn’t a throw pick — you just have to learn how to use him correctly. As a seasoned Apex Predator with a lifetime KDR of over 6.65 and a seasonal KDR of 8.2 so far, R2 is, as most players would put it, insanely cracked.
“Playing Mirage, you have to rely on gun skill and positioning,” R2 says.
Because Mirage’s abilities don’t do damage, it’s up to the player to aim and shoot effectively. You also can’t rely on increased mobility for an easy out like you can with Pathfinder, Horizon, or Octane. So how can Mirage’s abilities make life easier for you and your team? Let’s dive into what our Holographic Trickster is all about.
Source: Kotaku Australia.
The Tactical: Psyche Out, aka the Twin Bro Decoy
Mirage’s tactical ability is the creation of a single holographic twin bro, which he calls a decoy. This decoy will run in the direction you tell him to go until he hits an object or eventually fizzles out. If you press H on PC, you can control this decoy and he’ll crouch, swap guns, and run around as you do, mimicking your moves. Controlling your decoy is something Mirage players don’t do enough, and it’s this natural movement that confuses enemies still to this day despite the feature being added back in Season 5.
I use my twin decoy to scout out potentially dangerous buildings and open areas to check for snipers. I also use my decoy as a double running parallel to me when I need to cross a dangerous area if I don’t have my ultimate charged yet. With the Season 7 patch, decoys now have 45 health, confusing enemies for just a little bit longer. Mirage’s tactical is essentially a budget Bloodhound scan because when someone shoots your decoy, their location will be
The Ultimate: Life of the Party, aka Decoy EXPLOSION
“[Mirage’s] ultimate can be used to cross safely in open fields,” R2 explains. “And by the time you’re in close range combat, you have the ult ready to use again.”
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Just like how a herd of zebras create an optical illusion in numbers, Mirage’s explosion of, well, Mirages creates a visual chaos that, when deployed at range, leaves the enemy unsure of who to shoot first. While Mirage’s ult is currently quite effective, its primary downfall is that a clever enemy at close range will know to listen for footsteps — and only the real Mirage will have footsteps.
Because Mirage’s ult charges in 60 seconds, it can be used liberally in a host of situations. But there is a slight activation time, so be careful using his ult in the open if you’re already being shot at. That being said, you can use Mirage’s ult to engage in a fight to confuse enemies and take less damage, mid-fight to cover your teammates and at the end of a fight to help you and your teammates escape safely, especially if there’s a third party coming and you need to retreat.
Mirage’s ult can also be helpful if you’re returning to an ongoing fight and need a distraction to retrieve a fallen teammate’s banner. Mirage’s ult won’t compensate for bad positioning, as crossfire will still destroy you, but it can be used to help reposition yourself if you end up getting third or fourth-partied. I use Mirage’s ult both aggressively and defensively — the only time I wouldn’t recommend using his ult is if you’re trying to revive a teammate under the radar, because enemies will see a handful of mirages in the revive animation and that will tip them off that you’re reviving someone nearby.
The Passive: Now You See Me, aka INVISI-REZ
Mirage’s passive ability allows him to go invisible while reviving and respawning teammates. While this sounds great on paper, the audio is still detectable — enemies will be able to hear the sound of Mirage reviving someone if they’re close by, and you’ll see some dirt moving on the ground.
Here’s an example of catching a cloaked Mirage in the act:
In this clip, I hear the revive audio, see dust on the ground and immediately know it’s an enemy Mirage reviving a teammate. So Mirage’s passive can be useful if all enemies are out of earshot, but if anyone’s close by, revive at your own risk.
Overall, Mirage is still incredibly useful and adaptable to a range of playstyles. He excels on aggressive teams and can be incredibly slippery, able to sneak out of even the toughest of situations. Ultimately, you can be successful with any legend as long as you have mechanical gun skill, but with a bit of strategy, Mirage has the ability to baffle even the most experienced players.
