Apex Legends' New Weapon, Nemesis, Was Stolen From Rampart

Apex Legends Season 16: Revelry launched yesterday, and with all of the game's new features--including TDM, a new legend class system, and a firing range makeover--it can be easy to miss the little things. But a detail in one of the transition screens from the Season 16 battle pass provides an interesting look at the history of Apex's newest weapon: the Nemesis.

The Nemesis is an assault rifle that uses energy ammo and has a unique spin-up mechanic that increases the rate of fire the longer you shoot. But unique gameplay features aren't the only feature that makes the weapon stand out--it's also got an interesting backstory that ties into Rampart's past. Even more curious is the fact that according to certain in-game hint, the weapon's design was stolen--not an original creation. But to understand the full story of the Nemesis, you have to take a look at previous events.

Before she joined the Apex Games in Season 6, Ramya "Rampart" Parekh was a member of The Sisters, a gang underground of weapon-modders. Presumably operating out of Gaea (homeworld of Rampart, Caustic, Crypto, and Storm Point), The Sisters gang is run by a crime boss known only as Big Sister. But as seen in Rampart's episode of Stories From The Outlands, it appears that Rampart eventually left the gang, choosing instead to open her own weapon modding business.

Unfortunately, things didn't last long. The last time we heard from The Sisters, they were attacking Rampart's shop, setting it ablaze and completely destroying it. But for reasons unknown, they didn't kill Rampart. Instead, they knocked her out. Oddly enough, Apex Games commissioner (and Titanfall baddie) Kuben Blisk just so happened to be hanging around, saving Ramya, complimenting her fighting style, and ultimately presenting her with an invitation to the Apex Games. Unaware of the fact that Blisk himself may have been behind the attack, Rampart took the invite, setting up a new mod shop in Mirage's bar, The Paradise Lounge.

Rampart's mods have historically played a significant role in Apex Legends lore--and its gameplay. Ramya is the creator of the Rampage LMG, but her skills go far beyond simple firearms--in Valkyrie's episode of Stories From The Outlands, Ramya can be seen modifying a heavily-damaged Northstar titan, turning the massive mech into the small, missile-firing jetpack Valkyrie is known for. Rampart is also the mind behind Olympus' map-traversal system, a sort of hovercar called a Trident. It's here where we get our first clue regarding the Nemesis: A transition screen from Season 7 implies that Hammond Robotics and/or the Syndicate contracted Rampart to modify the Trident specifically for use in the Apex Games, but she drove such a hard bargain that Hammond no longer wishes to partner with her. In the transition screen's description, Hammond Robotics legal eagle Cheryl Amacci admires the quality of Rampart's work, but also makes it clear she wants the partnership to end there.

"In all my years practicing law, nobody has proven to be such a challenge in negotiations," Cheryl says in the message before adding, "It was lovely to have met my match. May our paths never cross again."

Enter the Nemesis. A new transition screen from the Revelry battle pass explains that Rampart hasn't refreshed her inventory in over a year, claiming this is the reason Hammond has partnered with The Sisters for the creation of the Nemesis.

But Rampart herself suggests this isn't exactly the truth. When playing as Rampart, picking up a Nemesis results in a new line of unique dialogue from Rampart: "Ugh, nicking my design and callin' it the NemeSIS? Bloody evil…and bloody brilliant." Upon pinging the Nemesis, Rampart will again assert herself as the rightful owner of the Nemesis' design, saying either, "Nemesis here. Great design nicked by a complete donut, by-the-by," or, "Nemesis here. Big Sis is gonna catch hell for stealing my design." It's not clear if the Nemesis design was looted from Ramya's original shop when The Sisters attacked her, or if it was something she created while still working for the mysterious gang, but one thing's for sure: Rampart is the weapon's true creator.

There's no telling where the Big Sister arc will take the game's narrative, but Rampart isn't the only legend dropping lore breadcrumbs this season. Season 16's transition screens also give players a lore update regarding some of the other legends. Revenant, for example, appears to be running low on spare bodies. According to Hammond personnel, he's growing more unstable with each death. Additionally, Season 16's transition screen text reveals Octane is still feeding information to his grandfather, Torres Silva, who recently took over the Syndicate with the help of Lifeline's mother, Cherisse Che.

Respawn has seemingly chosen to devote more focus to the game's expansive narrative this season, adding a Lore Hub to help new players parse the game's complicated past (and perhaps give them a taste of what's to come). The developer recently stated it wants Season 16 to serve as an on-ramp for new players who may be unfamiliar with both the game's lore and Apex's gameplay itself.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available to play on Android and iOS devices, but will be sunset on May 1.