How Apex Legends And Titanfall Really Connect
Despite officially being part of the Titanfall universe, the incredibly popular Apex Legends doesn't rely too heavily on its ties to the mech-filled franchise. In fact, Apex Legends opted to forego the namesake Titans in favor of pursuing a game within the battle royale genre that kept things balanced. Despite this, developer Respawn Entertainment has opted to include a few surprises within the shooter to keep fans of the core series appeased. These are as simple as off-hand mentions in the game's lore or as obvious as reoccurring Easters eggs that players first discovered within Titanfall.
There are quite a few links for gamers interested in seeing how the pair of franchises tie into one another. With all that said, how do Apex Legends and Titanfall really connect? Here are a few of the most prominent ways that the pair cross over that fans have found.
Kuben Blisk lives
Those that have played through Titanfall will be all too familiar with the ruthless IMC-hired mercenary Kuben Blisk. Appearing in both the original game and its sequel, Blisk's ties to Apex Legends are made clear right from the opening cinematic of the free-to-play game. As it turns out, the man infamous for his savagery on the battlefield is the same person that operates the Apex Games. It's unknown if Blisk started the games, but it's clear that he's had a major influence on them: he appears in the aforementioned cinematic, and the game's naming and imagery mirrors his old mercenary team, known as the Apex Predators.
As it stands, Blisk is the only character in Apex Legends to crossover from Titanfall. This will almost surely change as more content is added to the game, but for now he remains one of the strongest and most direct links to the original series.
The aftermath of the Frontier War
Apex Legends doesn't feature much lore within the game itself, opting instead to take an Overwatch-style approach and provide background details on characters through outside materials; in the case of Apex Legends, it arrives on the game's official website. This is likely to be the way it is handled for the time being, but these bits of information do confirm that game takes place in the aftermath of the Frontier War. Many will remember this as the ongoing conflict during Titanfall and Titanfall 2, but it's this now-shuttered war between the IMC and the militia that lead to the setting of Apex Legends.
How is this? Well, a mass exodus of residents of the Frontier worlds occurred after resources were completely depleted by the withdrawal of each warring faction. With no means to support themselves, these residents had to settle on the Outlands. It's the migration of these residents that created the environment of the Apex Games and Apex Legends as a whole.
The Loch Ness Plushie
Gamers are probably quick to blow through the tutorial of Apex Legends in order to dive right into the multiplayer action, but those willing to go off the beaten path may come across an adorable little plushie that resembles the Loch Ness Monster (or a plesiosaurus for fans more familiar with the dinosaur species). As it turns out, this stuffed monster is actually notorious amongst Titanfall players, as it has appeared in each and every map within both of those games.
After newcomers to Apex Legends began discovering the creature (along with hidden dog plushies), Respawn Entertainment was approached by Kotaku for more information about the adorable Easter egg. Brad Hilderbrand, Respawn PR manager, was happy to reply, providing the outlet with a handful of details on the creature, identifying it as "Nessie" and stating that the team adored the hidden creature in the Titanfall series and wanted to keep the legend alive in Apex. Evidently, that's exactly what Respawn did, creating yet another link between the two titles on the process.
Familiar firearms
There are a number of reasons that Apex Legends managed to stand out amongst a sea of other games at launch, but the large selection of fictitious armaments probably isn't one of them. However, the weapons in this game serve as one of the biggest connections to Titanfall for fans of the original pair of shooters. This is because a number of guns featured with Apex originate from those games.
One of the most important weapons brought over from Titanfall is the B3 Wingman. The sidearm is actually a go-to for Pilots, who in turn operate the massive Titans that are currently nowhere to be found within Apex Legends. Despite that tool failing to make the cut, the Wingman's inclusion means that a pilot can't be all that far away. For now, however, it'll be put to use by contestants in the bloodsport known as the Apex Games.
Pathfinder found a new path
As one of the funniest characters in Apex Legends, the robot known as Pathfinder has become a fan favorite. The AI with a prowess for scouting is a major asset to any team, but before everyone's robotic chum began chasing his passion, it may have been just a mindless worker for Titanfall's Hammond Robotics. The fictional company produced Mk. III Mobile Robotic Versatile Entity Automated Assistant, or MRVNS (pronounced "Marvins"), which is exactly the type of robot that Pathfinder happens to be.
While traditional bots are left to do simply tasks without any independent thoughts whatsoever, some can be "elevated" to perform more complicated things like enter a battle. In the case of Pathfinder, the MRVN was able to gain sentience, later entering the Apex Games in a bid to find his creator. Perhaps Pathfinder will do just that in the near future, but for now he stands out as the most exceptional known MRVN in Apex Legends and the entire Titanfall universe.
Bangalore was a member of Titanfall's IMC
Anita "Bangalore" Williams is one of the fiercest characters in Apex Legends, and her background clarifies exactly why. As a solider under the IMC (Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation) Armed Services, Bangalore joined the service alongside her four older brothers. Now, longtime fans of Titanfall may recall that the IMC was one of the two factions in the Frontier War from those games. As it turns out, the IMC ended up being the greater evil during the events of Titanfall 2, at least before the hero from that game, Jack Cooper, dealt several serious blows to the organization.
The Frontier War may be long since over by the events of Apex Legends, but there's no denying the shady history of the IMC and the army it employs. That doesn't necessarily make Bangalore a villain, but her continued ties to the faction during the events of Apex Legends means that they're still out there somewhere. In fact, she's only entering the Apex Games in order to save up enough money to get back to the IMC after being separated from her squad in events just prior.
Bloodhound is scrapped Titanfall 2 concept art
Bloodhound (who canonically utilizes the they/them pronouns) is a very unique character in Apex Legends, thanks to their ability to track hostile players. This skilled tracker may be capable of following their prey with ease, but the design of the Legend also helps the character stand out. It's such a cool design, in fact, that it was surprising to learn that Bloodhound is actually based on leftover concept art from Titanfall 2.
First reported on by Dextero, Bloodhound is clearly present within the art book for Titanfall 2. Why the character was ultimately never utilized in the original series is unknown, but they have since made their home within the roster of Apex. Perhaps more forgotten concepts from Titanfall will eventually emerge as other playable characters within the free-to-play battle royale game, but for now Bloodhound serves as one of the cooler designs to make the transition to Apex.