Bloodhound Backstory Revealed in Apex Legends 'The Old Ways' Short

Respawn Entertainment revealed Bloodhound's backstory as a young hunter in "The Old Ways," a "Stories from the Outlands" short released Thursday afternoon.

In the animated short, Bloodhound appears as a younger version of themself, hunting with their uncle Artur on the frozen remains of The World's Edge after a cataclysm covers the world in frost. Bloodhound and Artur are members of a tribe that abhors technology for causing the frost in the first place, and the two are sending Bloodhound out on an initiation rite to hunt a creature on their own.

Artur gives Bloodhound their heirloom, Raven's Bite, and sends them off to hunt.

On the hunt, Bloodhound stumbles upon the ruins of the technologically advanced building that began the freeze. Inside, they find first a Charge Rifle and second a massive beast. Bloodhound shoots the monster with the Charge Rifle and believes it dead, claiming its horn as a trophy and returning to their tribe.

Unfortunately, Artur's pet raven witnesses the kill and tells Artur about the Charge Rifle. He rejects Bloodhound's offering and exiles them from the village.

While on their way out of the village, Bloodhound sees the beast come to reclaim its horn. They warn the village, and Artur comes forth to fight the monster, but it mortally wounds him. Bloodhound's Charge Rifle breaks in the scuffle, but they manage to pull out the battery and throw it at the beast, hurting it badly enough that it flees.

Artur forgives Bloodhound for using advanced technology and passes Raven's Bite on to them before dying. Bloodhound then returns to the beast's lair and kills it by cracking open pipes full of the freezing gas. They manage to don a gas mask, but not before the gas scars their face.

The short ends with Artur's Viking funeral, the raven joining Bloodhound, and Bloodhound placing a monster's skull on their head as a helmet, essentially donning the outfit they wear in-game.

The short refrains from showing Bloodhound's full face, as they wear goggles even before putting on the gas mask and skull.

Apex Legends fans expect Respawn Entertainment to reveal a Bloodhound Town Takeover event in the near future, tying in with the new short the same way Wraith's "Voidwalker" short corresponded with an in-game event. Teasers for the Bloodhound Town Takeover appeared in the game earlier this week, but Respawn has yet to officially announce it.