Catalyst Is Apex Legends' First Transgender Character

Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment's commitment to diversity is a cornerstone of its character-driven narrative. The game boasts a massive roster of characters of all ages, races, and sexual identities. While Apex has had several story arcs focusing on lesbian, bisexual, and gay characters, the game has yet to introduce an openly transgender character to the game. Today, with the release of Stories From The Outlands: Last Hope, all of that changed.

The trailer introduces us to Tressa (voiced by Meli Grant), a trans woman who appears to be a practicing witch. After Tressa finishes divining Rampart's future using crystals, Rampart asks about Tressa's past, which leads to a flashback.

The scene shows Tressa and three of her friends--all residents of Boreas, a planet that has been experiencing a humanitarian crisis since the day Seer was born--hanging out in their makeshift clubhouse and discussing the current state of affairs.

Martial law is in effect, with armed Spectres patrolling the planet at night, enforcing curfew and generally fostering a general sense of fear among Boreas' inhabitants. A female voice repeatedly declares, "HOPE IS NOT YET LOST" via a loudspeaker. Hammond Robotics has a plan to save Boreas' moon, Cleo, and everything is fine, according to the manufacturing behemoth's PR team.

Tressa and her friends--particularly Margo, who she seems to be especially close with--are concerned about Cleo's future, and with good reason, as it turns out that Hammond Robotics has no plans to save Cleo--only to mine it for its natural resources, just like they've been doing on Talos. Tressa and her friends decide they need to hatch a plan to save Cleo and Boreas, but before the conversation can continue, the nightly curfew announcement plays over the loudspeakers, and everyone gets up to go home.

Well, everyone except for Tressa and Margo, who stick around for a little post-curfew mischief. Margo tells Tressa she wants to show her something, and the two women take a short hike that gives them a stunning view of the sunset.

"It's beautiful," Tressa observes as she gazes at the sky. "So are you. This suits you," Margo replies, referring to Tressa's transition, which appears to have happened recently.

Tressa reveals that she feels like "the whole world has opened up" now that she can be herself. Margo proceeds to perform a palm-reading for Tressa, mentioning her compassion and bravery, and commending her for getting through her struggles.

"Transitioning? That was...sort of hard," Tressa acknowledges.

But the heartwarming moment is short-lived--Margo reveals that she has a plan to save Cleo. The two girls sneak into the facility, but Tressa is momentarily distracted by a strange, black substance: ferrofluid. Curious, Tressa reaches out to touch it, and the substance wraps around her palm. When it releases her, her moon-shaped pendant is levitating.

Unfortunately, things quickly go sideways. The moment Tressa looks up, she's surprised--and horrified--to discover Margo planting a bomb on the premises. Tressa tells Margo to stop, but before the conversation continue, it's interrupted by a heavily armed Spectre that immediately attacks the two girls. Margo is knocked to the side as the Spectre zeroes in on Tressa, who barely manages to escape, trapping the Spectre in the ferrofluid chamber just in the nick of time.

When she looks back, Margo is being dragged away by Hammond security personnel. Still gripping the detonator, Margo activates the bomb, destroying Hammond infrastructure and, based on Tressa's reaction, likely ending her own life in the process.When the story ends, Rampart looks horrified, and asks if "the rocks" (crystals) can tell Tressa--callsign Catalyst--what happened to Margo. Catalyst says they can't, and explains that investigating Margo's fate is part of the reason she's returned to her homeworld, further implying that players will have a new map to look forward to in Season 15.

More information about the upcoming season will be revealed when the Apex Legends Season 15: Eclipse launch trailer debuts on Thursday, October 20 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM PT. In the meantime, make sure to snag your Golden Ticket so you don't miss out on your chance to get a sneak peak at the new Divided Moon map.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available for download on Android and iOS devices.