Apex Legends writer reveals that AI Pathfinder bots are coming

Apex Legends is soon going to have a much stronger presence of Pathfinder-like robots called MRVNs that were prominently featured in the Titanfall franchise, according to Respawn Entertainment writer Tom Casiello

It’s unclear when MRVNs are coming to Apex or how they would be integrated into the story, but Tom Casiello revealed that they were planned for Season 4 but a change of course in development delayed their appearance. That said, he did emphasize the mechanical automatons would make their way to the battle royale in the future.

Players already have reason to believe the next event will be centered around Crypto in some capacity, but the writer explained how the latest season was “almost” going to be inhabited by Mk. III’s.

Casiello revealed previous ideas that the studio had which included new voice lines for Pathfinder and his robotic brethren in the game, whenever they were in a position to interact.

“Fun fact – we almost had MRVNs in World’s Edge in Season 4, and even recorded lines for Pathfinder to say to them,” Casiello said in reply to a question asking about Pathfinder’s lore with other bots of his kind. “Plans changed for various reasons, but when those guys finally DO show up, you can bet Pathfinder will have something to say to them!”

As one of the Apex Games more chatty Legends, Pathfinder would presumably have a lot to say to his lookalikes since the reason that the Forward Scout first joined the competition to find out more about his own past.

• Read more: How to complete Apex Legends ‘The Gauntlet’ hunt for Broken Ghost quest

Casiello’s comments have spurred speculation of a possible Town Takeover for Pathfinder in the future, although he could also be hinting at a major shift in the Apex story that brings an MRVN crew to the Arena.

MRVNs could be commonly seen in Titanfall, Respawn’s studio staple before their breakout battle royale hit. They are near identical to Pathfinder, who is a MRVN unit with a heightened level of self-awareness which eventually led him to the Arena.

The connection between MRVNs, Pathfinder, and Apex Legends lies with Hammond Robotics, the company that operates in the Outlands and has, so far, played a major role in the game’s lore.

• Read more: Apex Legends kill records

Hammond created MRVNs, and subsequently Pathfinder, to perform various tasks in the background, and could perform a similar job if they were to come to Apex, although it remains to be seen how that’ll fit in the overall scope of the BR.

Time will tell how Casiello and the Apex Legends devs decide to integrate the Titanfall fan-favorite bots, but the team already knows that Pathfinder will be looking forward to their arrival with some new sets of his usually-witty dialogue lines.