Apex Legends Conduit Guide: Abilities, Tips, And Lore

The launch of Apex Legends Season 19: Ignite brought with it the introduction of Conduit, the 25th legend to join the massive roster of playable characters in Respawn's hit battle royale. Conduit's launch trailer showed off some of her abilities, including her shield-regenerating tactical ability. In the trailer, this shield-regen skill allowed Conduit and her team to run through Bangalore's Rolling Thunder ultimate ability and come out on the other side entirely unscathed.

Legend abilities always look larger than life in Apex's pre-season trailers, but once you're actually playing the game, it's easy to feel slightly overwhelmed--even frustrated--especially when you're unfamiliar with the best way to utilize a new legend's skills. But whether you're struggling to master Conduit's abilities or simply want to refine your skills on the battlefield, we've got you covered. Keep scrolling for a breakdown of everything there is to know about Conduit, including how best to use her abilities to carry your team to the win.

Abilities

Conduit's kit is, naturally, based on Titanfall 2's Monarch Titan. The Monarch is known for her Upgrade Core, which allows her to boost her combat abilities during a battle, depending on the choices made by her Pilot. Monarch can also siphon power from enemy Titans and use this power to recharge her shields, or those of other friendly Titans. Monarch is the only Titan in Titanfall 2's multiplayer mode that can gain shields without needing a battery, and Monarch's influence on Conduit's battlefield skills is obvious when looking at her abilities, which are listed below.

Passive: Savior's Speed

Conduit gets a speed boost when running towards squadmates who are outside the range of her tactical ability.

Tactical: Radiant Transfer

Conduit blasts a squadmate with energy, temporarily topping off both her ally's shields and her own.

Ultimate: Energy Barricade

Conduit deploys an array of shield-jammers which damage shields and slow enemies who are hit with it (or walk over it).

Class Abilities: Access Extended Supply Bins and Craft Ally Banners

As a Support-class legend, Conduit has access to two additional abilities. Access Extended Supply Bins does exactly what it sounds like, granting Conduit access to the secret compartment hidden in special blue Supply Bins scattered across the map. These compartments will always contain large healing items (Med Kits, Shield Batteries, Phoenix Kits) and at least one Survival Item (Heat Shield, Mobile Respawn Beacon, Evac Tower) for Conduit and her squadmates to loot as needed.

The second Support-exclusive ability, Craft Ally Banners, is wildly powerful. It allows Conduit to use a Replicator to craft the Banner Cards of fallen teammates--even if their respawn timer has run out. Given the fact that players now respawn with the same armor and weapons they had prior to being killed, Craft Ally Banners makes respawning a much less laborious (and risky--endeavor.)

Tips

Once you've familiarized yourself with Conduit's abilities, it's time to put them to the test. Use the following tips and tricks to get the most out of Conduit's versatile skill set.

Watch your shields

It can be easy to reflexively smash the tactical button when combat gets intense, but Conduit's Radiant Transfer tactical is worth saving. Activating it when Conduit or her squadmates are already fully healed is a bit of a waste, so when playing as Conduit, you'll want to keep an eye on both your own shields and those of your squadmates.

Use the ultimate game-changer

Conduit's Energy Barricade ultimate ability makes for decent area denial and is very powerful on its own. But knowing when to use it can sometimes mean the difference between life and deathbox. Most legends' ultimate abilities are designed to be used in the heat of combat, allowing players to apply more pressure at just the right moment, make a hasty escape, or provide a momentary distraction. Using Conduit's ultimate when surrounded by enemies is quite useful, but its enemy-slowing effect is rather mild compared to that of other legends with serious stopping power (like Ash). The Energy Barricade's nodes can be destroyed with relative ease, which can sometimes make them a mere inconvenience for the enemy, rather than a deadly trap.

If you find yourself frustrated with the way Conduit's ult is performing, change the way you use it. It's extremely effective in cramped areas like buildings, and when used in combination with Wattson's Perimeter Security fences, Caustic's Nox Gas Traps, Catalyst's passive Barricade ability, or Ash's Arc Snare, Conduit's Energy Barricade really packs a punch, and can provide you with a few precious seconds to finish off an enemy who has been cornered and immobilized.

But Energy Barricade also works surprisingly well as a diversion. Rather than waiting until you're face-to-face with the business end of a Peacekeeper, coordinate the plan of attack with your teammates, and fling Conduit's Energy Barricade at enemies while staying out of sight. This isn't too hard, as the Energy Barricade can be placed from roughly 45 meters away. Because of this, using the ability in a stealthy manner can yield very effective (and often amusing) results. With no idea where it came from, enemies will often focus on destroying the Energy Barricade's individual nodes, distracting them and creating the perfect opportunity for an ambush, even when the enemy team is out in the open rather than packed together in a building.

Speaking of ambushes, Energy Barricade is also great for third-partying, or for finishing off the surviving members of a squad that just barely survived another squad's attack. If you come across two enemy squads fighting it out, you may wish to toss Conduit's ult at them, damaging enemies from both squads. But since Energy Barricade can be flung from so far away, you might be better off waiting until one squad has just finished off the other one. Throw Energy Barricade before the surviving squad members get a chance to revive their fallen or heal themselves, then attack when the time is right.

Timing is everything

Speaking of time, it's worth mentioning that Conduit's tactical Radiant Transfer ability is very time-sensitive. It takes roughly 21 seconds to charge between each use, and, once activated, it lasts for 30 seconds. This sounds simple in theory, but things get more complicated in practice.

Though it's active for 30 seconds, the first 6 seconds are spent slowly charging up Conduit and her allied teammates' shields, and can temporarily refill up to three EVO Shield slots, making it a great way to completely restore a completely destroyed Rare-tier EVO Shield, or, top up a damaged Epic-tier, Legendary-tier, or Mythic-tier EVO Shield. Once the temporary shield is in place, it will continue to provide protection for the next 24 seconds, after which it will quickly begin to drain, eventually leaving players back where they started. If a player takes damage during the initial 6 seconds the ability takes to charge up, it will take a full second for the shield to start charging up again, cutting into the total time it remains active.

Because of this, it's usually a good idea to hit squadmates with Radiant Transfer when their shield is damaged and they're quickly approaching a second firefight. Avoid waiting until they're already in the middle of said firefight, if possible, as Radiant Transfer can be next to useless when a player takes damage before the temporary shield has completed its 6-second charge-up.

Heal up

While an active Radiant Transfer shield can certainly make pushing enemy squads while injured a bit less risky, it can also prove useful when taking a less aggressive approach. If your squad is low on shields and bullets are flying left and right, find a hiding place, activate Radiant Transfer, and then start repairing your shields. You can use Shield Cells and Shield Batteries to restore your permanent EVO Shield even when Radiant Transfer is active, and doing so will give you an extra boost. If, for instance, you have a Mythic-tier EVO Shield (5 shield slots) that is completely damaged, Radiant Transfer will refill 3 of those 5 slots. But if you use a Shield Cell while Radiant Transfer is active, the refilled shield slot will appear immediately, leaving you with a total of 4 out of 5 shield slots filled. Conduit's tactical is certainly useful for aggressive plays, but it's just as useful in chaotic multi-squad engagements that leave you no choice but to crouch in a corner, inhale healing items, and pray to the Allfather that Bloodhound doesn't show up and turn you into a deathbox before you get a chance to heal up.

Watch your squad's back

All support-class legends are meant to be team players, but Conduit gets a special reward for watching her squadmates' backs--literally. When a squadmate is out of the range of Conduit's tactical, she'll get a temporary passive speed boost if she looks at that squadmate while running towards them. The boost is very similar to the one Bangalore receives when under fire, and really comes in handy when a squadmate has run off without you (or when you're struggling to keep up with them). Speed boosts are never a bad thing in a game as unpredictable as Apex Legends, so take advantage of her passive Savior's Speed ability whenever possible.

Be iconic

It can be hard to keep track of Conduit's abilities--and how best to use them--when you're in the heat of battle. Thankfully, just taking a look in the general direction of your squadmates reveals loads of helpful tactical information. An icon will appear on their bodies letting you know whether or not they're in need of a shield boost, so you don't have to worry about constantly glancing at the lower corner of the screen to assess the state of their health bar. An icon will also appear when they're far enough away to activate Savior's Speed, so be sure to aim your reticle at them when running to keep up, and generally try to keep a close eye on the little shield and distance status icons that appear when you're looking at them

There's also a useful icon that appears on Conduit's HUD when using her tactical ability. When Radiant Transfer is activated, a green shield icon will appear on the lower left side of the screen, just above the spot where your currently selected healing item is displayed. The inside of the shield icon will fill up during the 6 seconds it takes to fully charge a shield, and the outline of the shield itself will slowly disappear as the Radiant Transfer's duration runs out. Finally, after 30 seconds, the inside of the shield will quickly drain as the temporary shield progressively decreases in strength until it's entirely depleted.

Craft it up

Because of her status as a Support-class legend, Conduit doesn't need to enter risky situations to retrieve fallen allies' Banner Cards. Instead, she can simply head to the nearest Replicator and craft a Banner Card from scratch. Each Banner Card costs 30 Crafting Materials to replicate, so it's a good idea for Conduit to keep at least 60 Crafting Materials on her person at all times, just in case she ends up in a position where she's the only surviving squad member. It's also a good idea for Conduit to keep a Mobile Respawn Beacon on hand for late-game respawns, which can be difficult to pull off, as the final ring will often close around an area that either has no accessible Respawn Beacons, or Respawn Beacons that are unusable after being activated by a different squad.

But perhaps the strongest feature of Conduit's class-exclusive Banner Card-crafting ability is that it's actually not exclusive. Like all Support-class legends, Conduit's presence on the squad automatically grants her other two squadmates the ability to craft Banner Cards as well, even if Conduit herself has been taken out and is sitting in a deathbox, waiting to be respawned. This is a good thing to keep in mind whether you're playing as Conduit or simply playing with one on your Squad.

Talk it out

Apex matches aren't won by skill alone--it's teamwork that makes the dream work in Respawn's often punishing battle royale. But the best way to increase your chances of surviving all the way to the winner's circle is to communicate, especially when playing Conduit. Be sure to plan your moves ahead of time and inform your squad of your plans. If you're planning to trap a squad in a building while Valkyrie has opted to try luring them out and Octane has decided he's going to run in guns blazing, things will not end well. Apex's ping system makes nonverbal communication a breeze, but with Conduit in particular, a little verbal direction often goes a long way.

Be sure to plan out each squad member's position prior to an ambush, let them know before you go flinging Conduit's Energy Barricade into the middle of a five-squad firefight, and make sure your entire team keeps an eye on their health and shields. Most importantly, make a point of letting squadmates know when you plan to manually retrieve their banner card versus crafting it at a Replicator. Many players, especially in non-Ranked matches, have a tendency to quit within seconds of getting turned into a deathbox, so tell them when you still plan to Respawn them, especially if their Banner Card retrieval timer is about to run out.

With a little practice (and perhaps some experimentation in the Firing Range), one can quickly master Conduit's skill set and become a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Stick to our guide and you'll be downing baddies and shielding squaddies left and right. Just try not to get too cocky--at least until your Radiant Transfer shield has finished charging up, anyway. Stay tuned for more Apex Legends news, and don't forget to check out our guide to Apex's legend classes for more info on the additional passive abilities each legend has access to.

Lore

• Name: Rowenna Valentina Coffey Divina
• Callsign: Conduit
• Age: 27
• Homeworld: Nexus (a neutral planet, one of the few that has not yet joined Syndicate Space)
• Legend class: Support

Rowena is of Filipino descent, and grew up on the planet Nexus, taking care of her siblings seemingly on her own, as Respawn has shown players nothing to suggest that either of Rowena's parents are in the picture. But Rowena's oldest sister, Diwa, ultimately took on the full caretaking role for her younger siblings. In Conduit's episode of Stories From The Outlands, a slightly younger Rowena can be seen cowering with Diwa as their home is destroyed by a cadre of Pilots--powerful, highly-trained combatants that pilot the enormous combat mechs seen in Respawn's Titanfall series.

But when all seems lost, a helping hand appears: A Pilot in a Monarch-class Titan. Luring the enemies away from Rowena's settlement, the Monarch Pilot made the ultimate sacrifice: allowing their Titan to explode, taking down all of the enemy Titans and their Pilots. Unfortunately, this meant that both the Monarch and its nameless hero were also lost in the blast. (Despite the fact that Monarch-class Titans are IMC-made, Respawn confirmed during previews that this particular Titan was one of several Monarch-class Titans the IMC lost track of during the Frontier War, and that its pilot was a pro-Nexus rebel--not an IMC-aligned soldier who had a sudden change of heart mid-murder spree.)

Things calmed down, the settlement was rebuilt, and all was well… until it wasn't. One day, while Rowena was playing a frankly adorable mock Apex match with her siblings (who were LARPing as some of the legends from the Apex Games, cosplays included), Diwa returned home after what appeared to be an extended absence, with her arm clearly injured. Respawn confirmed to GameSpot that Diwa left to take on difficult, dangerous contract work to keep food on the table for her and her siblings. But an on-the-job accident resulted in one of Diwa's arms being crushed by heavy machinery, and the injury was severe enough that it appears her hand had to be amputated at the wrist. After seeing Diwa sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing over a stack of overdue bills, Rowena decided to take her family's financial fate into her own hands.

Later that night, she snuck into the fenced-off site of the Monarch Pilot's sacrifice, salvaging the remains of the Monarch to create her own bite-sized combat rig in much the same way that Rampart helped Valkyrie turn her father's Northstar Titan into a high-flying, missile-launching jetpack. Rowena began competing in local tournaments, and eventually made it to the Apex Games. Still, her newfound abilities came with a price. There's a very good reason the site of the Monarch's sacrifice was fenced off: Even years after the battle, the entire area is extremely radioactive.

After managing to pull her family out of poverty and finally achieving her dream of joining the other legends in the Apex Games, Rowena is all smiles. But behind her bubbly personality lies a dark secret: The nuclear fallout from the converted Titan battery she wears is slowly killing her, and though most of her friends and family back home are thrilled for her, Diwa has realized where Rowena's armor came from, and the lethal price she will one day pay for it. In one of the Season 19 battle pass's transition screens, Conduit can be seen standing over Ash's lifeless body, livestreaming her battlefield prowess to her friends and family back home. Everyone on-screen looks thrilled for her, but a closer look at Rowena's phone screen reveals that Diwa is there, too, but is seemingly unable to even bear watching her younger sister play.