If you’ve spent any time scrolling through Apex Legends cosmetic showcases or watching your favorite streamer show off their flashy character-specific melee skins, you’ve probably wondered can you buy heirlooms in apex legends directly. These ultra-rare items are some of the most sought-after cosmetics in the entire game, with unique animations, voice lines, and finishers that make any legend feel one-of-a-kind. Most players spend months hoping to get their hands on their main’s heirloom, and there’s a ton of misinformation floating around about how they actually work, where you can get them, and if any shortcuts actually exist. I’ve been playing Apex since its launch, and I’ve unlocked three heirlooms over the years, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know to avoid wasting your money or time on fake hacks.
Can You Buy Heirlooms in Apex Legends Directly?
The short, straightforward answer is no, you cannot purchase individual heirlooms directly from the in-game store with Apex Coins, Crafting Metals, or any other standard in-game currency. Respawn has intentionally designed heirlooms to be ultra-exclusive rewards, so they’re never listed as standalone items for regular purchase at any point. That said, there is one exception to this rule that pops up every few months during limited-time collection events. When a new heirloom is released for a legend, it’s usually tied to a 24-item collection event. If you purchase or unlock all 24 items in the event collection before it ends, you will automatically receive the new heirloom as a bonus reward. This is the only scenario where you can effectively “buy” an heirloom outright, but it comes with a very high price tag, usually between $160 and $180 if you purchase all items with Apex Coins. It’s important to note that this option only exists for the specific heirloom tied to that active collection event – you can’t use this method to get an older heirloom for a different legend, even if you’re willing to spend the money. I’ve seen a ton of new players waste time looking for a direct buy option in the permanent store, so don’t feel silly if you checked there first too.
Legitimate Ways to Unlock Heirlooms Without Event Purchases
If you don’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on a limited collection event, your only other option for unlocking heirlooms is earning Heirloom Shards from Apex Packs. Heirloom Shards are an ultra-rare drop that you can get when opening any standard or event Apex Pack, and you can exchange 150 shards for any heirloom of your choice from the permanent Heirloom Store. The drop rate for Heirloom Shards is set at 1 in 500 Apex Packs, meaning you are guaranteed to get at least one set of shards every time you open 500 packs, no matter how lucky or unlucky you are. You can track how many packs you’ve opened since your last shard drop in the in-game lobby settings, which makes it easy to plan for when you’ll hit that guaranteed drop.
There are a few free and low-cost ways to earn more Apex Packs faster to speed up your shard progress:
Common Heirloom Scams to Avoid at All Costs
Because heirlooms are so rare and desirable, there’s a huge market of scams targeting players who want to get their favorite heirloom fast. I’ve lost count of how many messages I’ve gotten from new players asking if a third-party site selling cheap heirlooms is legitimate, and the answer is always no. Any site or person claiming they can sell you a standalone heirloom code, add an heirloom to your account for a small fee, or use a hack to unlock heirlooms for free is lying, and engaging with them can get your account permanently banned or steal your personal information. Respawn never distributes heirloom codes outside of official, publicly announced promotions, so any code you see for sale online is either stolen, fake, or will never be delivered.
Another common scam is people selling pre-made accounts with heirlooms unlocked. While these accounts might actually have the heirloom, buying or selling Apex accounts violates Respawn’s Terms of Service, and you will lose access to the account the minute the original owner recovers it through their linked email or platform account. It’s never worth the risk, even if the price seems too good to be true. I’ve had friends lose hundreds of dollars and years of progress buying these accounts, so it’s always better to earn your heirloom on your own main account.
Tips to Get Your Favorite Heirloom Faster
If you’re grinding for a specific heirloom, there are a few small tweaks you can make to your play routine that will speed up your Apex Pack earnings without making the game feel like a chore. First, prioritize completing your daily and weekly battle pass challenges first every season, as these give the most consistent XP to level up your pass and earn free packs. Even 30 minutes of play a day is enough to finish most weekly challenges if you focus on the ones that match your playstyle. If you play with friends, make sure to take advantage of the 5% XP boost you get for playing in a squad, as that adds up quickly over the course of a season.
If you are willing to spend a small amount of money, buying the premium battle pass each season is the best value for earning extra Apex Packs – most premium passes pay for themselves in Apex Coins you earn as you level up, so you only have to buy it once if you keep up with challenges. I’ve bought the premium pass every season for the past three years, and I’ve never had to spend extra money to renew it, plus I’ve earned almost 100 extra packs from it that I wouldn’t have gotten with the free pass. You should also keep an eye on the Heirloom Store rotation, as older heirlooms come back to the store every few months, so you can save your shards for when your main’s heirloom is available if you don’t see it right away.
At the end of the day, there’s no secret shortcut to getting the heirloom you want, and it’s important to go in with realistic expectations about how long it will take. We’ve covered the answer to can you buy heirlooms in apex legends, the legitimate ways to earn them, scams to avoid, and simple tips to speed up your grind. Heirlooms are meant to be a fun, rare reward for dedicated players, not something you have to drop hundreds of dollars on to enjoy. Take your time, enjoy the game, and you’ll have that shiny melee skin for your main before you know it. Never risk your account or personal information for a cosmetic – it’s just not worth losing all the progress you’ve built up over time.