Apex Legends quest may have just confirmed Titanfall 2 character return

So, has everyone that hasn’t played this week’s quest hunt ducked out? Yes? Okay, let’s get into it ⁠— Titanfall 2 simulacrum Ash has just been referenced again in Apex Legends, and this time it’s a real doozy.

This isn’t the Vinson Dynamics creation that has appeared in the battle royale ⁠— leaks in March this year already revealed Ash is set to become a weapon bauble soon — but it is the first time it’s been a planned reveal.

This time around, Respawn meant to unveil this particular tidbit, which comes at the end of the ‘Return to Ghost Town’ Broken Ghost hunt. Each week Apex Legends players have been rewarded with a small artifact for completing each quest.

Titanfall 2 villain teased in Broken Ghost quest

Week 7’s was a robotic head, which may be the centerpiece for the ‘Broken Ghost’ we seem to be building. The real kicker is in the helmet’s detail though: Apex data miner Shrugtal pointed out a single, faded word on the side: “Ash.”

Now, the head itself doesn’t really look like Ash’s did in the Titanfall 2 campaign, even putting aside the fact the last time we saw her in-universe was when Cooper and BT killed the villain during a showdown at the World Foundry.

It doesn’t seem likely Respawn would simply slap “Ash” on the side of an artifact not at all related to the Titanfall 2 character and call it a day. The Apex Legends devs love to weave story and narrative into their battle royale world.

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That means this reveal is planned; it could even point to what we’re building at the end of the questline ⁠— Ash herself. Considering she was destroyed 30 years before Apex Legends began (in-universe, that is) she may be in need of a few repairs.

Respawn Entertainment

Apex Legends players could be rebuilding Ash thirty years after her final showdown with Cooper and BT in Titanfall 2.

The timeline also makes sense. The pieces we’ve been digging up throughout the Broken Ghost quest have been called “artifacts”. If Ash has been rotting beneath Kings Canyon for the past 30 years, it would be fair to call her an ‘artifact.’

This certainly lines up with another leak that data miner Biast12 unveiled last week. He found a near-full model version of Ash in the Apex code, suggesting we may see the simulacrum in all her glory in-game before season’s end.

Does this mean Ash is the Season 6 Legend?

Unfortunately, just because Ash looks to be getting teased rather heavily doesn’t exactly mean she is a lock for the Season 6 legend slot. Kuben Blisk, who she served in the Apex Predators in Titanfall, is a frontrunner for that honor.

• Read more: Titanfall 2 arriving on Steam is perfect time to try Apex prequel

Blisk served as a primary antagonist in both Titanfall titles. After he was left alive by Cooper at the end of the sequel’s campaign, he founded the Apex Games ⁠— Apex’s in-game name for the battle royale ⁠— and leads The Syndicate.

Respawn Entertainment

Kuben Blisk may return to the Apex Legends storyline if players uncover his old lieutenant Ash in the Broken Ghost quest.

Another option for the Season 6 character slot is Rampart, who has had teasers pop up left and right recently. Just last week, a Spitfire hop-up branded with his signature ‘R’ was found in the code, suggesting he may be up next release-wise.

At this stage, however, the next Legend is anyone’s guess. Another potential debutant, Valk, was recently renamed to “Nova” in the code, and had her Legend icon added. It could even be Ash herself, considering all the teasers.

All this Ash talk points in one direction too; it’s the perfect time to play Titanfall 2 again. It’s just arrived on Steam and is currently on sale, so make sure you scoop it up, give it a whirl, and find out just why Ash arriving is so dang hype!