A Caustic Guide: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Tips for Optimal Play.
It’s time to get the Caustic guide over with. I’m reluctantly making this guide not because Caustic is bad and doesn’t have playmaking ability (shoutouts to Respawn for giving every legend some form of unique playmaking), but because Caustic is pretty much the opposite of my playstyle. I enjoy being aggressive and have escape strategies when things go awry. Caustic is also who I consider being the worst of the 8 legends currently available (yes, I’ll explain why through this article).
Before Caustic mains out there start hating on me, I want to say that I don’t think Caustic is bad. I just think he’s the worst of the eight because he’s not as universally good as the rest. Characters like Bangalore can use abilities that allow them to be effective regardless of the environment. Caustic finds himself mostly useless in completely open environments like the desert or burnt forest. But, in the right situation, he suddenly feels like one of the strongest characters (if not strongest) in the game.
Caustic lacks the consistency you would need in a Battle Royale that already has enough random chance factors like loot drops, zone placement, and enemy rotations. Much like my last two guides (Wraith’s and Pathfinder’s) and all future guides, I’d like to cover the abilities to fully explain Caustic’s strengths and weaknesses.
Tactical: Nox Gas Trap
These traps are actually one of the most strategy-intensive abilities in the game. During my time with Caustic for my quest to get 100+ kills on every legend, I had to get really creative with using these traps. On a basic level, you place a trap that releases Caustic’s “Nox gas” when either an enemy walks nearby or the trap is shot. Seems simple enough until you realize the traps block hinged doors from opening and act as barricades players can’t get past.
I want to explain what the gas does before covering creative ways to use the traps. The gas clouds vision almost like Bangalore’s smoke (though it’s not as tall of a cloud), disorients any non-Caustic legend while inside the gas (even teammates while enemy Caustics are also immune), and causes increasingly higher Damage over Time (DoT) to any non-caustic enemy player caught inside. The gas does a lot and makes anyone caught in it a sitting duck (except Caustic because…gas mask? But…Bloodhound has a gas mask too? I don’t understand. It is what it is).
Using the traps to block doorways to buy time makes Caustic stellar in the early game in places like Skull Town, Slums, and Bunker. Tight quarters with plenty of doors to control. You can also pick a trap back up if you ever decide to exit through a doorway you previously blocked. Traps are also one of the only offensive tactical abilities you can damage enemies with. Pathfinder’s grappling hook and Bangalore’s smoke are technically offensive, but not on the level of the trap’s damage output. Trap control makes Caustic a terror in the early game.
Ultimate: Nox Gas Grenade
While the traps have a decent throw distance, they also have a relatively small Area of Effect (AoE) compared to the gas grenade. The traps also require time to deploy while the gas grenade is an instant detonation. Throwing this grenade at an enemy’s feet is essentially a death notice. The DoT and AoE of this ult are fairly significant and is really the only tool Caustic has in an open area for a fight. Using the ult as cover to maneuver is Caustic’s one real escape strategy. Perfect placement on an enemy (or entire team) suddenly makes the fight almost a guaranteed win, but this is difficult to pull off with the risk being an almost certain death if you miss. This ult excels within close quarters when it’s easier to land the ult on the enemy and natural cover can be used if things go wrong.
Passive: Nox Vision
This passive is incredibly straight forward. Caustic can see enemies inside his gas. When someone is stranded in the middle of your ult or in your labyrinth of traps moving slowly, virtually blind, and taking DoT already, they’re easy targets like a day at the range.
Strengths:
When Caustic is successful, he seems unstoppable. Baiting an enemy into your gas or finding them in a small building makes for the easiest squad wipe you’ve ever executed. His highs are extremely high with ultimate control over close quarter combat. Thinking about all of the ways of using traps to control doorways and lock down small environments actually makes me want to play him again. I saw TimtheTatMan make a great clutch the other day showcasing exactly how traps + doors is an incredibly strong combo.
Weaknesses:
This section is what brings me back to reality. The lows are incredibly low for Caustic. If you’re ever caught in an open environment, you’re essentially as much of target practice for enemies as they would be for you in close quarters caught in your gas.
The gas can be triggered or baited from a safe distance with proper movement and shots at the traps. Simply challenge the Caustic after the gas clears out and he’ll just be a meatball with a gun. You can also shoot the bottom of a trap before it’s triggered to destroy it without any gas being released.
Digital Threat sights can see targets through the gas as well as Bloodhound’s ultimate activation. Even Mirage’s decoy can trigger a trap from afar to not only get the trap out of the way sooner but also reveal Caustic’s location. Wraith can also warp through or out of the gas.
Caustic also shares a very large character model with Gibraltar. While Gibraltar can drop a dome shield or use his arm shield for protection when caught out, Caustic can only clumsily throw traps and a gas cloud and hope he doesn’t get shot through them. Because of the large size, he’s not only an easier target to shoot, but strafing also serves virtually no purpose in an exchange of bullets. Characters like Wraith can spam rapid left/right movement to dodge a lot of shots, but Caustic might as well be standing still. He has the same HP/shield value as all other legends too, so you’re best being behind cover at all times waiting for enemies to get caught in your gas or to follow up on your team’s actions.
Works Well With:
You can be successful with aggressive play if you have characters like Wraith or Pathfinder to help your lack of mobility or Bangalore to provide more smoke cover for your escape/approach. Also, Bloodhound’s ult and tactical revealing targets through the gas is both a counter to Caustic and a good resource for team synergy. For an ultimate “wombo combo”, you can ensnare enemies in your gas (easiest with a great grenade throw) and drop a Gibraltar ult onto them. Not only with they take the DoT from the Caustic ult, but they’ll also be slowed to be pummeled by Gibraltar’s.
You can also use Mirage to send clones to bait enemies to run into your traps around a corner or use Mirage’s ultimate to cause confusion in a room while Caustic come in with an ult to make it even worse for the enemy while then setting traps to make it difficult or impossible for the enemy to escape.
Summary:
I usually credit Pathfinder as a high risk/reward character, but he’s second to Caustic. Caustic is fairly reliant on ideal drop locations as well as end game fight locations. If he’s caught in transit, he’s dead. If he fights indoors, he’s godlike. If you enjoy keeping a roof over your head and play baiting games while controlling your environment, Caustic is a great choice. Just don’t expect to successfully go full aggro on the nearest fight you hear (that’s better left to legends like Wraith).
