Catalyst changes in Apex Legends

Catalyst gets a broad buff: spikes come back faster, stand taller and hurt on a direct hit, doors reinforce themselves on placement, and the wall goes up faster without slowing or blinding allies.

• Barricade (Passive): Catalyst is no longer immune to other Catalysts’ abilities.
• Piercing Spikes (Tactical)
• Now automatically reinforces or rebuilds doors if colliding with a valid door or doorway on placement.
• Cooldown 20s → 15s
• Increased Spike Height, meaning that players can less easily jump over them.
• Hitting enemies with the projectile will now deal damage to them.
• Dark Veil (Ultimate)
• Significantly decreased firing time, making it smoother to deploy and raise the wall.
• Allies are no longer slowed or blinded when passing through the wall.
• Upgrades
• Sole Piercer (Level 2) has been removed.
• Hidden Spikes has been moved from Level 2 to Level 3.
• Resilient Veil and Ferro-Door have been moved from Level 3 to Level 2.
• Ferro-Door (Level 2): Now also increases max reinforced doors from 4 to 6.
• Resilient Veil (Level 2): Now also decreases Ultimate Cooldown from 150s to 120s.
• NEW: Ferro-Frenzy (Level 3): Your max Spike count is increased by 1. Spikes are 50% smaller, but deal faster tick damage.

Catalyst can reinforce more doors and hold more spike traps that reach farther, cover more ground and hurt sooner, and the wall is longer, can go horizontal and builds through doors and domes, though Dark Veil lasts less time.

Abilities: Barricade (Passive): Can now reinforce up to 4 doors (was 2)

• Abilities
• Barricade (Passive): Can now reinforce up to 4 doors (was 2)
• Piercing Spikes (Tactical)
• Flattened the trajectory, slightly lowered the pitch, and increased the overall range
• Increased size by roughly 50%
• Reduced the delay before spikes can deal damage (was 2s, now 1s)
• Can now have 3 traps maximum (was 2)
• Activation radius reduced by 20%: This is how close you have to be before the spikes stand up and the core is vulnerable
• Dark Veil (Ultimate)
• You can now toggle to deploy the ultimate horizontally
• Length increased by 5m
• The wall can now build up through standard doors, Lifeline’s D.O.C. Halo, and Gibraltar’s Dome of Protection.
• Can now be placed on steeper angles
• Reduced Dark Veil duration when enemies walk through (was 7s, now 5s)
• Upgrades
• Level 2
• Hidden Spikes: The spike pool is now hidden to enemies while inactive
• Sole Piercer: Spike traps activate 50% faster and deal 5 more damage per hit
• Removed Sister Spikes and Long Veil

TipFour doors and three traps is enough to cover a second entrance. Spend the extra on the route you plan to leave by rather than doubling up where you stand.

Catalyst's spikes come back faster and throw farther by default, Dark Veil is longer, and the new Ferro-Door upgrade lets the passive fully rebuild and reinforce missing doors.

Piercing Spikes: Cooldown 25s → 20s

• Piercing Spikes
• Cooldown 25s → 20s
• Long Cast upgrade integrated into base Tactical
• Dark Veil length 40m → 45m
• Upgrades
• Long Cast: removed
• Long Veil: moved to Level 2
• NEW Ferro-Door: fully rebuild and reinforce missing doors with Passive.
• Breakout: Level 2
• Sister Spikes: Increase max number of active Spikes by one.
• Long Cast: Increase Spike throw range by 40%.
• Upheaval: Level 2
• Long Veil: Increase Ultimate length by 15m.
• Sister Spikes: Increase max number of active Spikes by one.
• Breakout: Level 3
• Resilient Veil: Increase Ultimate lifetime by 5s
• Long Veil: Increase Ultimate length by 15m
• Upheaval: Level 3
• Ferro-Door: Fully rebuild and reinforce missing doors with Passive.
• Resilient Veil: Increase Ultimate lifetime by 5s.

TipSpikes available sooner for sustained pressure; tactical covers more ground; fortify doors with your passive.

Catalyst's Dark Veil wall lasts less time and is shorter.

Dark Veil: Lifetime 25s → 15s

• Dark Veil
• Lifetime 25s → 15s
• Length 55m → 40m

TipReposition more frequently since walls disappear faster and cover less space; don't rely on them for extended area denial.

Catalyst's Piercing Spikes no longer block bullets, fewer can be out at once and they can be thrown about half as far, and Dark Veil lasts less time and its cooldown only starts after the wall comes down.

Piercing Spikes: Core no longer blocks projectiles, allowing bullets to pass through

• Piercing Spikes
• Core no longer blocks projectiles, allowing bullets to pass through
• Max in-world count 3 → 2
• Throw range decreased by about 50%
• Dark Veil
• Cooldown now starts after the wall comes down
• Lifetime 30s → 25s

TipCatalyst is much less effective for area denial; place walls more strategically near cover since they're fewer, shorter-range, and can't stop projectiles.

Scan highlights and diamonds no longer show through Catalyst's Dark Veil, so you can no longer see them on the other side of it.

Dark Veil: Scan Highlights & Diamonds are no longer visible through the Dark Veil