Apex Legends Wattson guide: abilities, tips, and character background

Since Apex Legends Season 2 has crashed into Kings Canyon and brought both Leviathans and thieving airborne dinosaurs to the arena, who could be more useful than someone who can create electric fences? 

If you fancy creating your own Jurassic Park, Wattson is an interesting new defensive character who can contribute a lot to a team. Here's who she is, and how best to use her abilities.

Looking for tips on another Legend? Here's our guide to all the other Apex Legends characters.

Who is Wattson?

Natalie “Wattson” Paquette grew up in the shadow of her father, the Apex Games' lead electrical engineer, going on to become a skilled engineer herself. So skilled that she created the Modified Containment Ring that the Apex Games uses. Sadly, her father didn’t live long enough to see the Ring in action, dying on the very day it was revealed, though he did leave behind a touching letter to his daughter.

Wattson's abilities

Passive: Spark of Genius

Spark of Genius is pretty straightforward. It turns any Ultimate Accelerant from the standard 20% recharge on your cooldown into an instant full charge ultimate. It also makes it so that your Tactical recharges faster when you’re standing near one of your Interception Pylons. 

Tactical: Perimeter Security

Perimeter Security will allow you to place down little electric fences to impede enemies. Here’s the facts on how they do (and don’t) work:

• You store up to 4 charges of it at once, similar to how Caustic stores his barrels.
• The fence posts can be destroyed, so it’s best to hide them from fire. 
• You can have up to 12 out and active at the same time. 
• You can pick them back up after placing them to regain a charge, much like Caustic does with his barrels. 
• They deactivate briefly when you or an ally pass through them. 
• Enemies who pass through the field will take damage and be slowed. 
• When someone passes through the field, it’ll notify your team.

Ultimate: Interception Pylon

Interception Pylon can be manually placed when activated, and then starts projecting a field that does a few things:

• The pylon will zap down any grenades thrown in a large area around it. Do note that this includes friendly grenades and both Bangalore and Gibraltar’s ultimate grenades. 
• In the same area, it will provide shield regen to you and your team. 
• Being close to the pylon will make your tactical ability recharge faster, helping you set up faster or replace destroyed fences quickly. 
• You can have up to three at the same time.

What is Wattson good at?

Wattson shares some of the same DNA as fellow defensive Legend Caustic, but excels in different scenarios. While Caustic is great at punishing players in enclosed areas, Wattson is good at protecting those same areas. Laying down electric fences at choke-points and then using her ultimate to stop grenades from flushing your team out is the goal.

With no movement abilities or special protections, however, Wattson is far more suited to a slower-paced and thoughtful playstyle. Communicating with your teammates and picking where you’ll fight are important when you don’t have anything to help you get out of trouble at a moments notice. Unlike some other Legends, as the round goes on and the ring gets smaller, the potential contribution of your abilities goes up.

Who combos best with Wattson?

Wattson’s playstyle and strengths are best paired with characters who emphasize those same strengths. Bangalore can be a fun choice, simply because of her smoke grenades. Running into electric fences you couldn’t really see in a smoke cloud is something enemies won’t soon forget, but just like Gibraltar, you won’t make any friends if you waste their ultimate. 

Wattson can provide protection for a Lifeline by setting up fences to prevent people from rushing her while she picks up a teammate, and a clever Wattson can hide a fence post or pylon behind her indestructible supply drop. 

Caustic is a given, adding further domination of small areas with his gas traps and grenade ultimate, and he wants to be static just as much as you do. But don’t overlook Pathfinder, with his passive letting you scope out future ring locations, you can strategize where to defend in advance, and his zipline can help you set up in some really advantageous high grounds, which is a potential lights out combo with Wattson.

Who is Wattson's voice actor?

Wattson is voiced by Justine Huxley, who has also contributed voices to Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 NPCs.

Wattson tips

• Since the posts of your electric fences are vulnerable, always try to hide them from the angle of approach. Put them out of sight on either side of doorways, or behind boxes and other obstructions. 
• Don’t be shy about using your tactical ability. Perimeter Security carries multiple charges, and they can be picked back up if you have time. 
• It’s critical to communicate where you want to set up, and when you’re going to use your ultimate, especially since you can cancel out teammates grenades and even ultimates. 
• When choosing weapons, remember that you want inventory space for ultimate accelerants (and that you’ll be limited in how you can use grenades). 
• Your Interception Pylon needs to be sheltered from direct view if possible, as it’s vulnerable to being shot and won’t last long in the open. 
• Don’t neglect that you can use Wattson to punish players trying to bunker up. Drop your fences on the outside of the doors, and if they don’t have their own Wattson you can drop a bushel of grenades down the chimney. 
• Be aware that Mirage’s clones can reveal your location when hitting one of your fences.