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


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 was 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.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.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.