Apex Legends Crypto guide: how to play the reworked recon Legend in Season 31

The drone now runs on a 25 second battery and marks enemies through walls, so the old habit of hiding in it all match is gone, and Crypto has to fight with his team.

If you have ever played with a Crypto, you know the problem. For years the best information in Apex Legends came from a player who spent much of the match standing still behind a rock, flying a drone, while his squad took the fight without him. EA says it plainly in its Cipher patch notes from Monday 2 November 2026: Crypto is a very difficult Legend, but “a lot of the time he’s camping in his drone instead of fighting with his team”.

Season 31, Cipher, which went live on Tuesday 3 November, rebuilds him around that problem. The drone now has 25 seconds to work before it comes home, it scans in a full 360 degree circle, and it marks enemies for 8 seconds. The EMP can be fired with one button press without ever entering the drone. In its Designer’s Notes EA also admits that Crypto “has had a very low pick rate for multiple seasons”, and the rework is the attempt to change that.

This guide explains what changed, how every part of his kit works now, how to play him in Ranked and public matches, which teammates and weapons suit him, how to beat him, and how often he is actually picked after the rework. The rest of the patch is in everything new in Season 31.

Crypto in Season 31 at a glance

What the rework changed: before and after

EA’s own summary is that the rework changes how he plays without “removing” anything from his kit. In practice almost every number around the drone is new.

The trade off is visibility. EA made the drone faster and easier to handle, and to balance that it also made the drone more visible to enemies. A fast drone that everyone can see is a different tool from a slow one parked on a ceiling.

Crypto’s abilities explained

Passive: speed boost towards teammates

The Ally.MoveTo boost, which used to be a level 2 upgrade, is now part of his base kit, a little weaker than the upgrade version. When you run towards a teammate, you move faster. EA’s reasoning is simple: with less time in the drone, Crypto needs a quick way back to his squad. Use it every time you recall the drone, because the moment you come out of it is the moment you are most likely to be alone.

Tactical: Surveillance Drone

This is where the rework lives. Deploy the drone, and from then on you have 25 seconds before it is recalled. The recall itself takes 6 seconds, and after that you can send it out again with no cooldown. The handling and speed are better, and getting into the drone is faster than before.

The drone scans in a full circle around itself now, not only where you point the camera, and it no longer lights up doors and loot bins. Enemies in the drone’s line of sight can be marked:

• Automatic marks. While the drone is out in the world, it tries to mark the enemies it finds on its own.
• Manual marks. While you pilot it, the shoot button fires a mark at enemies in a zone. The marking has a 4 second cooldown.
• Marks stay. A marked enemy has an icon over their head for 8 seconds, visible through walls, and the mark stays even if your drone is destroyed or recalled. You cannot re-mark an enemy who is already marked.

Picture a team holed up in a building on Storm Point. In Season 30, a Crypto would fly in, look around and sit there. In Season 31 the right play is a quick pass through the building, marks on the people inside, and then out: the team you are about to push carries an 8 second mark that shows through walls, and you are on your feet with your squad.

Ultimate: EMP

The EMP works from three states:

1. Drone stowed. Press the ultimate button, and the drone deploys and sets off the EMP after a short delay, all from one press.

2. Drone already out in the world. Press the ultimate button, and it fires from where the drone is.

3. While piloting. Ultimate button on PC, or the weapon swap button on console. The shoot button is now used for marks.

The big tuning change is line of sight. Enemies who can see the drone take full shield damage and a heavier slow. Enemies hit by the blast but out of the drone’s line of sight take only 50 shield damage and a lighter slow. EA’s stated aim is to make placement matter, so an EMP thrown blindly over a wall is now much weaker than one fired from a doorway with the whole team in view. Crypto does not damage himself with his own EMP, which makes it safe to fire on top of your own position when a team pushes you.

Upgrades

These are the two new options. EA’s notes list only these two swaps, so the other upgrade on each level is the same as in Season 30. Got Eyes On You helps a squad that likes to push, because the mark lasts through a longer rotation. Charged Up is the choice when you want more time to scout in the late game, when the ring is small and every second of information matters.

How to play Crypto in Season 31

The short version: treat the drone like a quick scouting run rather than a second body. Send it, gather marks, bring it home, and fight.

In Ranked

• Scout the next zone, not the whole map. A 25 second battery is enough for one clear question per flight: is the building on the edge of the next ring empty, or who holds the high ground you want. Ask it, then rotate.
• Check the Stronghold before you commit. The new Stronghold airdrops in the Round 2 closing hold one Care Package weapon, three Gold guns, three Amps and two Corrupted attachments, and capture only moves when one team holds the zone alone. A drone pass tells you how many teams are already on it before your squad walks in.
• Save the EMP for the push. The full shield damage only lands on enemies who can see the drone, so fire it as your team swings the door, not after the fight has started on the other side of a wall.
• Bans. In Diamond and higher lobbies, two Legends are banned every match. With a 1.9% pick rate in Diamond he is not one of the Legends lobbies are lining up to remove, so he works as a reliable pick when your main is gone. Our guide to Legend bans explains how the vote works.

In public matches

Pubs are where you learn the new rhythm. Fights come faster, teams land on top of each other, and there is rarely time for a long drone flight anyway. Use the one press EMP from the stowed drone when a team pushes you in a building, and use the marks to call how many enemies are left after a knock. If your team plays fast, Got Eyes On You is the better level 2 pick.

His role in the squad

Crypto is your squad’s eyes, not its entry. Your job is to tell the team where the fight is, start it with the EMP and then add damage with your gun. The speed boost exists so you are never the last player arriving.

Best teammates for Crypto

Crypto creates the opening, so he wants teammates who can take it quickly:

• Revenant. The big winner of the Cipher patch: his tactical cooldown dropped from 20 to 15 seconds and his ultimate from 180 to 150 seconds. A Shadow Pounce onto a team that has just lost its shields to an EMP is exactly the kind of fight this rework wants.
• Pathfinder. The most picked Legend on apexlegendsstatus among all players, in Diamond and in Master and Predator. His grapple gets the squad to the spot your drone just cleared before the enemy can reset.
• Octane. The jump pad turns your marks into a fast third party, and stim lets him reach a slowed team first.
• Lifeline. Her tactical cooldown fell from 25 to 15 seconds, and the new Revive Shield protects her during revives. She gives a squad sustain while you spend your tactical on information instead of a fight.

Where every pick stands for this season is in our Apex Legends tier list, which ranks Crypto in A tier, up from B.

Best weapons for Crypto

Since the rework keeps him in the fight, he needs guns that punish the window after an EMP. Our weapon tier list for Season 31 has the full ranking; these four fit him best:

• Hemlok Burst AR. Back with Burst and Single fire, 21 body and 29 headshot damage, and one of the two permanent Replicator weapons. A good mid range answer when your marks show a team behind cover.
• R-99 or Alternator. For the close push straight after an EMP, when the enemy shields are already damaged.
• Akimbo Wingman. The new Heavy ammo Wingman pairs well with the Hemlok, because both now share the same ammo.
• Peacekeeper. Its fire rate went up in the patch, and it is the best floor shotgun again for the moment you go through the door.

Weaknesses and how to counter Crypto

The rework fixed his biggest problem, but some weaknesses stay, and some are new:

• The drone is easier to see. EA made it more visible to enemies. Shoot it down as soon as you spot it.
• He is exposed while piloting. For as long as the drone is out, Crypto himself is standing still somewhere. Find him and he is an easy knock.
• The battery has a timer. After 25 seconds (35 with Charged Up) the drone comes home and takes 6 seconds to recall. If you see the drone pull back, that is the window to push.
• Break line of sight with the drone. If you hear the EMP coming, get behind cover from the drone itself. Out of its line of sight you take 50 shield damage and a lighter slow instead of losing all of your shields.

Crypto’s pick rate after the rework

Here is how often Crypto is played on apexlegendsstatus.com on Thursday 12 November 2026, nine days into the season. The change compares his pick rate with seven days earlier.

The numbers tell two stories. Among all players, Crypto is a top 10 pick, though the first week’s rush is settling. In the top ranks he is still a niche choice, but his pick rate there more than doubled in a week, which suggests the high level players are now putting him into their squads. The site itself warns that the sample for Master and Predator is small.

For context, EA’s own chart in the Designer’s Notes shows Crypto near the bottom of the pick rate graph for almost every week from February 2025 to October 2026. In Diamond he now sits close to the other recon Legends: Vantage on 2.5%, Seer on 2.3% and Sparrow on 1.8%.

FAQ

Is Crypto good in Apex Legends Season 31?

Yes. The rework gives him a 360 degree scan, marks that show enemies through walls for 8 seconds and an EMP that can be fired with one press. We rank him in A tier for Season 31, up from B.

When was Crypto reworked?

In Season 31, Cipher, which launched on 3 November 2026. EA published the changes in the Cipher patch notes on 2 November 2026.

How long does Crypto’s drone last now?

25 seconds per flight, or 35 seconds with the level 3 upgrade Charged Up. After that it is recalled, which takes 6 seconds, and it can be redeployed with no cooldown.

How much damage does Crypto’s EMP do?

Enemies in the drone’s line of sight lose their full shields and get a heavier slow. Enemies out of its line of sight take 50 shield damage and a lighter slow. Crypto does not damage himself with his own EMP.

What are Crypto’s new upgrades?

Got Eyes On You at level 2, which makes marks last 4 seconds longer, and Charged Up at level 3, which adds 10 seconds of drone battery. They replace Ally.MoveTo and Hackathon.

What is Crypto’s pick rate in Season 31?

On 12 November 2026, apexlegendsstatus.com listed him at 3.7% among all players (ninth of 28) and 1.9% in both Diamond and Master/Apex Predator.

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