Apex Legends Ordnances explained

An Ordnance is nothing but a throwable gadget in Apex Legends. These items come in various shapes and sizes, some being exclusive to certain Legends.

Universal Ordnances appear as ground loot or are found inside Supply Bins and are available for everyone’s usage. For Legend-specific Ordnances, they appear as abilities. Let’s take a look at all of them.

All Universal Ordnances in Apex Legends

There are three types of Universal Ordnances in the game:

• Arc Star
• Frag Grenade
• Thermite Grenade

The Arc Star has three sharp arms that deal arc energy damage after a 3-second timer. It sticks to any surface upon contact and players within its radius will lose their their shields and will be stunned for five seconds, reducing your movement and aim sensitivity. Players also use this throwable to break doors, especially when an enemy is blocking for a quick shield up. An Arc star deals 70 unshielded damage and 15 piercing damage.

Frag Grenades, like any other video game, work similarly — by dealing explosive damage. Unlike the Arc Stars, this Ordnance explodes after four seconds and doesn’t stick to surfaces. Frag Grenades have a larger radius than an Arc Star and can deal a maximum of 100 damage.

Thermite Grenades after exploding create a horizontal 3-meter wall of fire. Unlike the previous two throwables, it deals 25 damage in total over 3 seconds. Most players use Thermite Grenades to stop an enemy team from pushing, to secure the kill of a knocked-out enemy, or to break doors.

All Exclusive Ordnances in Apex Legends

Four characters in Apex Legends have special abilities that are basically Exclusive Ordnances. Here’s a rundown of them:

Bangalore

• Smoke Grenade: This is Bangalore‘s signature ability where she deploys 3 canisters that cover a large area with smoke. It acts as the perfect tool to block clear lines of sight or escape a third party.
• Creeping Barrage: Bangalore’s ultimate ability, Creeping Barrage, calls an artillery strike that when hit can deal 100 damage and stun enemies, reducing visibility and movement.

Caustic

• Nox Gas Grenade: This is Caustic’s ultimate ability where he releases a compressed and highly concentrated Nox Gas grenade. It quickly engulfs an area with a dense green gas cloud and players trapped within it get their movement and visibility reduced. Caustic mains use this ability when they are holding a space during end games and comes in handy when the circle shrinks.

Fuse

• Knuckle Cluster: This ability launches a cluster bomb that continuously expels airburst explosives on impact, forcing enemies to move out of that space, making them vulnerable in the open.
• The Motherlode: Fuse’s ultimate ability launches a bombardment that encircles a target area in a wall of flame. It comes in handy to keep a check on enemies as they get highlighted in red as long as The Motherlode is active.

Gibraltar

• Mortar Bombardment: Gibraltar’s ultimate ability functions similarly to Bangalore’s Creeping Barrage. Mortar Bombardment calls in a strike that deals heavy damage, slows down movement, and reduces visibility. You can use this to stop enemies from pushing you or during late games when teams are out in the open and can barely take cover to protect themselves.