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The subject of this article appears in Titanfall 2.
The subject of this article appears in Titanfall: Assault.
The subject of this article appears in Apex Legends.

Due to your inability to contain the security breach, I have been forced to scuttle the entire complex. Some of you may consider this overkill - it is. I suggest you evacuate immediately.
— Ash, to IMC soldiers over the PA system of the IMC Dynamic Testing Facility, while triggering the self-destruct sequence

Dr. Ashleigh "Ash" Reid is a Simulacrum Pilot and the quaternary antagonist of Titanfall 2. She reappears in Apex Legends, first as a non-playable character whose head must be rebuilt in a story event, later serving as the announcer for Arenas mode, and finally released as a playable Legend in Season 11.

As a human, Ash was once a scientist and collaborator on important experiments before Kuben Blisk hired her to the Apex Predators mercenary unit and made her into a double agent on her projects. When her cover was exposed, she was mortally injured in a scuffle, and her mind was transferred to a robot body to save her identity. As a simulacrum, she openly worked for the Predators and received Pilot training. As one of Blisk's lieutenants, Ash was given command of an IMC battalion stationed at the IMC Dynamic Testing Facility on Typhon during what would be known as the Battle of Typhon. After her mortal defeat on Typhon in a Titan duel at the hands of rookie Militia Pilot Jack Cooper and his Vanguard Titan BT-7274, she was rebuilt by Vinson Dynamics to serve their interests; no longer with the Apex Predators, she served as the corporation's field commander and primary liaison for mercenary Pilots in Titanfall 2's multiplayer. At the time, she claimed to have business with the Remnant Fleet, as she believed they may have insight to her existence and purpose. Some time after the Battle of Typhon and her tour of duty with Vinson Dynamics, a series of events saw Ash reassembled and reawakened from her fugue state, reuniting with her former employer Blisk and serving as a collaborator with him on his Apex Games before becoming a regular competitor herself. Through roundabout means, Ash (technically) and Blisk are the last two surviving members of the original core Apex Predators outfit.

Biography[]

Human[]

Born in the Frontier, Dr. Ashleigh Reid learned early that the only person who was going to look out for her was herself. She became Horizon's apprentice, and as part of "The Group" working on Project Iris, she became one of Pathfinder's creators. Through her work, she comes to know Darion Che and Eduardo Silva when they are kids running around the Peck Labs. However, she was secretly working with the Apex Predators to take the Branthium, and had infiltrated and psychologically manipulated the researchers for years.

Reid often came to blows with Dr. Amélie Paquette, the resident geologist. Initial tests of branthium as a power source repeatedly failed. On January 2, 2658, the reason for this was discovered: the refinery chamber used to process the element required constant calibration, and the conditions inside are too inhospitable for a human to operate the controls. While brainstorming a solution, Reid suggested that the Group repurpose a MRVN for the task. The other scientists agreed, and Reid offered to reach out to her connections at Hammond Robotics for suitable components. Construction and modification of the MRVN components lasted for just over a month, and finally concluded on February 4, resulting in the “birth” of a MRVN that the Group christened as “Pathfinder.”

She then departed with Horizon on a dangerous mission to prove the existence of Branthium. After successfully extracting the Branthium from a black hole, Reid betrayed Horizon and left her to die in the black hole.

After betraying the rest of the Group on December 25, 2658 and trying to take all of the Branthium for herself, she was stabbed by Amélie Paquette. However, contrary to what is known, she is merely mortally wounded, and at her request was made into a simulacrum.

Typhon[]

By the time of the Battle of Typhon, Ash was a successful mercenary Pilot in the Apex Predators, piloting a customized Ronin-class Titan. Following the initial assault by the 9th Militia Fleet, Ash would deploy with the Predators into battle. Eventually, the group would come across the Vanguard-class Titan BT-7274, Piloted by Tai Lastimosa. Ash would use her Titan's Phase Dash to sneak up on BT, ripping several Batteries out and causing the Vanguard to be severely damaged. Believing the threat taken care of, Ash would then retreat to the Dynamic Testing Facility.[1]

Ash 2

Ash's personalised Ronin.

The following day, BT-7274, now piloted by Jack Cooper, would arrive in the facility after having defeated Kane. Ash would soon capture BT in the claws of a manipulation arm used for construction. As Cooper pursued the Titan, Ash would proceed to taunt the Pilot, while often commemorating his dedication compared to those of the troopers placed under her command.[2]

Eventually, Ash would lead Cooper into a simulation dome, wanting to test the Pilot's skills against the newly-constructed Reaper. However, against Ash's expectations, Cooper would survive and escape the confines of the Dome. This would lead to Blisk berating Ash for wasting time instead of simply killing the Militia Pilot, leading to Ash activating the facility's self-destruct. However, Ash would confront Cooper and BT to prevent the duo's escape, resulting in a fierce battle. Ultimately, Ash would be 'killed' after BT ripped open her Titan's chest and pulled her out, before crushing her in the palm of his hand.

Vinson Dynamics[]

Following her supposed death at the hands of Jack Cooper, Ash would be rebuilt by arms manufacturer Vinson Dynamics and contracted to lead their own military force.[3] It is unknown as to whether Ash and Vinson Dynamics were familiar before the events on Typhon, or whether Vinson Dynamics was able to retrieve what remained of her body and 'brain' before the planet's destruction. Likewise, it is unknown as to whether her memory loss stems from conversion to Simulacrum form and/ or Regeneration prior to the events of Titanfall 2, or whether the reconstruction by Vinson Dynamics caused this amnesia. In any case, Ash continues to believe that the truth of her existence can be found with the Remnant Fleet, and so she leads field ops on behalf of Vinson Dynamics in hopes of discovering the truth about her.

Apex Games[]

Season 5[]

Sometime after the Battle of Typhon and some years before the Apex Games took place, Ash's head was thrown by Kuben Blisk into some kind of blue energy mass, seemingly as a last-ditch effort for some kind of plan. What this energy mass was is unclear, but it caused Ash's head to be transported into an alternate dimension where it was then broken into 9 pieces and scattered across King's Canyon. Around the year 2730, Hammond Robotics made a contract with Loba Andrade - in exchange for a rebuilt Ash, Hammond would give Loba the coordinates of the facility holding Revenant's source code. Loba recruits the other legends to help her with this task, in exchange for help with their own personal problems. After some difficult excursions into a prowler-infested Kings Canyon, Ash's head is rebuilt and installed on what remains of her body, in the ruins of a facility underneath Slum Lakes in the main dimension's Kings Canyon.

Sometime later, Pathfinder discovers her lying in a dumpster behind a Hammond building. All Ash could remember was her name, and the fact that Hammond had extracted codes from her memory banks. Pathfinder takes Ash back to his warehouse home. Later, he invites Rampart and Mirage over to meet Ash, whom he addresses as his "girlfriend." While talking to Ash, Rampart seems to trigger the sudden return of Ash's memories, including memories of the Legends reassembling her head (whether this occurred because of a code word or simply due to the possible proximity of Rampart's patron, Blisk, is unknown). Immediately after this flashback she is secretly contacted by Blisk, who later arrives to meet Ash while nobody else is around. After clearing up a misunderstanding that he tried to kill Ash, he tells her that an "old friend" of hers has resurfaced (seemingly Horizon), and they leave Pathfinder's home together.

Ash soon starts to run her own underground deathmatch arena, and eventually Blisk enlisted her to run the Arenas under the Apex Games.

Season 10[]

Horizon had a dream where Lillian Peck spoke the same words that Ash mentioned. Believing Ash held the access codes to Olympus, Horizon worked to release Ash's original personality. However, during their encounter, Revenant attacked Horizon, fracturing Ash's faceplate. Ash's original self, Dr. Ashleigh Reid, briefly regained control, blaming her docile side for past failures. Ash regained control and suppressed Reid's personality.

Personality and Traits[]

Due to the trauma of her “death” and the process of being made into simulacrum, Ashleigh's personality fractured into two: Ash, her cold, calculating, perfectionistic, and power-hungry side of Dr. Reid, represented by her robotic visage; and Leigh, her more vulnerable and intelligent side, represented by her human visage. In addition, she lost years of human memories.[4]

Cold and calculating with a relatively monotone voice, Ash rarely exhibits empathy for her enemies, seeing them merely as playthings to be used in experimentation and testing. When not on assignment for Blisk, she spent the majority of her time at the IMC Dynamic Testing Facility creating new combat simulations, often using captured Militia soldiers as test subjects. Despite this, she is shown to have at least some sense of honour, sticking to her word when promising she would not kill Jack Cooper before his testing.

Like all Apex Predators, Ash often laments the lack of motivation in the IMC security forces given to her command, and frequently comments on their ineffectiveness. She is shown to have no qualms with killing hundreds or thousands of IMC personnel, and destroying billions of dollars' worth of assets when scuttling entire bases just to kill one enemy Pilot.

As a field commander for Vinson Dynamics, Ash maintains her cold and calculating presence, but she is much more generous and appreciative towards those Pilots under her guidance, noting their performance in the field with her thoughtful commentary. She is quick to remind that she and her Pilots work on behalf of Vinson Dynamics, whom she insists are "grateful" for their effort. She speaks matter-of-factly and moves with mechanical precision.

Since her proverbial return from the dead and joining of the Apex Games, Ash's personality appeared to have changed little, although she more regularly has clashes with her multiple egos.

Titanfall: Assault[]

Ash was added to Titanfall: Assault as a deployable Pilot in the 2.1.1 patch.[5] As a Simulacrum, Ash uses a modified Vortex Shield that both blocks incoming damage and takes control of enemy Robotics (Spectres, Reapers, Stalkers, sentries, drones). Killing Ash releases her control over enemies.

Ash's Vortex Shield prevents all damage from enemies targeting her from the front, but it does nothing to stop attacks from behind her or damage from AoE effects that do not target her. Periodically, she will briefly drop her shield to fire an energy bolt, then resume protecting herself.

Ash's attack hits all targets, flying and grounded, in a modest area. All targets struck are momentarily stunned; however, all robotic targets struck (except for Titans and Pilots but including Drones and Depots) are instantly hacked and will proceed to fight on Ash's side until destroyed (that is, they are or she is). They behave like normal units of their type, just, for the other side.

Apex Legends[]

True mastery can't be programmed.
— Ash

Background[]

Incisive Instigator[]

Born in the unforgiving Frontier, Dr. Ashleigh Reid - still very much a human - learned early that the only person who was going to look out for her was herself. One day, she was hired by a mercenary group for a delicate job: steal an experimental fuel source being researched in the Outlands city of Olympus. It was the perfect job for Reid, who infiltrated and psychologically manipulated the researchers for years. When the lab self-destructed, she died.

And didn’t.

Her brain was put in a simulacrum shell, but in the process, she lost years of memories, and the trauma of her “death” caused her personality to fracture. Ash is the embodiment of the cold, perfectionistic, power-hungry side of Dr. Reid. But behind that confident façade, something sinister is simmering. After an encounter with Horizon that overrides Ash’s simulacrum programming, the framework that kept the vulnerable--yet intelligent--Leigh personality dormant has begun to crack. Ash joins the Games to prove she has transcended all humanity. Leigh’s determined to prove her wrong.

Tactical Ability Passive Ability Ultimate Ability
AL Ash Tactical
Arc Snare
AL Ash Passive
Marked for Death
AL Ash Ultimate
Phase Breach
Throw a spinning snare that damages and tethers the first enemy that gets too close. Ash's map shows the location of recent deathboxes. Press ⧄ on a deathbox to mark surviving attackers (once per box). Tear open a one-way portal to a targeted location.

Customization[]

Ashleigh "Ash" Reid/Customization

Gallery[]

Images[]

Videos[]

Apex Sidestories[]

Trivia[]

  • Defeating Ash in the mission Into The Abyss unlocks the Dust to Dust achievement.
  • Ash's mask is based off porcelain "death masks", taken as a cast of the deceased's face in some cultures around the world. As artist Joel Emslie describes, "We were thinking she wears a death mask from her past human self on her current robot body." [6]
  • Ash appears to practice martial arts or yoga, even as a simulacrum. One of her multiplayer introductions is giving a Chinese palm-to-fist salute and bow to the Pilots on her dropship, while another shows her performing the tree pose (Vrikshasana) or the "invisible chair" exercise before opening the dropship's hatch.
  • When taking her down with an execution at the end of the fight against her at the end of the mission Into The Abyss in Titanfall 2, she will be crushed by in BT's hand and what appears to blood will be sent flying out. This could possibly be some red colored lubricant to keep her systems from overheating, or merely a technical oversight. With the release of "Ashes to Ashes" Stories from the Outlands, canonically BT only crushed her torso.
  • Between the events of Season 5 and Season 6 in Apex Legends, Ash acquires a sword.
  • Ash has a pet rat, which has no name in lore, as Ash doesn't show affections or care about naming her rat. Nonetheless, it still shows how Leigh leaks through and betrays her vulnerability and human side. As Lead Writer Amanda Doiron stated, "Training and controlling the rat, on some level, is Ash showing the control she maintains over her fallible humanity who she fights, at all times, to keep down."
  • In the Weekend Warriors final episode, it is revealed that Leigh had a younger brother who died at some point under unknown circumstances.
  • It is also revealed that the Strongest Link nunchucks or nunchaku Ash uses as her Heirloom melee weapon originally belonged to Horizon's son Newton, who tricked his godmother into buying them for him after seeing Leigh train with a pair of the weapon at the gym.

References[]

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