If you’ve sunk dozens or hundreds of hours into Apex Legends, you’ve probably hit a point where you’re leveling up slower and slower, and started wondering: can you prestige in Apex Legends? Most live service shooters have some form of prestige system to reward long-term players, so it makes sense to want to know if Respawn’s battle royale has the same feature. I’ve been playing Apex since its launch, hit level 500 twice, and have run this exact search myself a few years back, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know about the game’s endgame progression system, rewards, and whether it’s worth your time to grind.
So, Can You Prestige in Apex Legends? The Short Answer
The short answer is yes, Apex Legends has a fully functional prestige system that launched back in Season 14, after years of player requests for more endgame progression options. Originally, the game’s level cap was stuck at 500, with no way to earn extra rewards once you hit that threshold, which left long-time players with nothing to grind for outside of event challenges and ranked ranks. The prestige system fixed that gap entirely.
I’ve seen so many new players panic when they first see the prestige pop-up, worried they’ll lose their Wraith heirloom or their ranked Predator badge, but that’s never the case. You don’t lose any of your earned content when you prestige in Apex Legends — all your legend unlocks, weapon skins, event rewards, rank progress, and crafting metals stay completely intact. The only thing that changes is your displayed account level resets back to 1, and you get a special prestige badge to mark the achievement.
Right now, there are 3 total prestige tiers available in the game, meaning you can reset your level 3 times total. Your total account level is tracked in the background the entire time, so once you complete all 3 prestiges, your total accumulated account level will be 2000 (4 full runs from level 1 to 500).
What Rewards Do You Get for Prestiging in Apex Legends?
The prestige system was designed to reward players who put in hundreds of hours into the game, with both cosmetic and functional rewards that make the grind feel worth it for most players. Unlike some other games that only give you a tiny badge for prestiging, Apex gives you tangible benefits that you’ll actually use during gameplay.
All core prestige rewards are listed below:
- Unique numbered prestige badge for each reset, displayed prominently on your account banner for all other players to see
- Full set of Apex pack level rewards for each 1-500 run, drastically increasing your odds of earning heirloom shards or premium limited-edition skins
- Exclusive animated prestige banner frame after completing all 3 resets (total level 2000), one of the rarest cosmetic items in the entire game
- Permanent account prestige tracker that shows your total accumulated account level to other players, even when your displayed level is low after a reset
You’ll also get access to the same daily and weekly challenge rewards as normal, with no restrictions after you reset your level. Special animated prestige banner frames are especially sought after, as only a tiny percentage of active Apex players have put in the thousands of hours needed to hit total level 2000. I’ve only completed one prestige so far, and the extra packs I earned gave me enough crafting metals to unlock the limited edition Bangalore aviator skin I’d been wanting for over a year, so it was more than worth it for me.
Is Prestiging in Apex Legends Worth the Grind?
Whether prestiging is worth it depends entirely on your playstyle and what you want out of your Apex experience. There’s no universal right answer, and plenty of players who have thousands of hours in the game have never chosen to prestige, which is completely valid.
For players who play regularly (5+ hours a week) and want to get more skins or heirloom shards, it’s almost always a good call. Each 1-500 run gives you roughly 45 Apex packs, which is a huge boost to your collection odds, and you can grind levels while playing ranked or event modes without any extra effort. Casual players who don’t care about rare cosmetics can skip prestiging entirely with no downside — you won’t be locked out of any new content, events, or game modes if you choose to stay at level 500 forever.
But if you’re the type of player who only logs on to play with friends once a week, you could take 6 months or more to hit 500 once, so prestiging might feel like a chore more than a fun goal. The only minor annoyance of prestiging is that your displayed level will be 1 right after reset, so new players will often assume you’re a beginner until you drop 10 kills on them in the first circle, which is honestly a pretty fun flex most of the time. You can choose to not prestige even after hitting level 500, so you can take as much time as you want to decide if the grind is right for you.
How to Prestige in Apex Legends Step by Step
Prestiging is a super simple process that takes less than a minute once you hit the required level, and you don’t have to jump through any hidden hoops to unlock the option. The first thing you need to do is grind your account up to level 500, which you can track on your main menu banner or in your account settings tab.
Once you hit level 500, you’ll get an immediate pop-up notification when you log in, asking if you want to reset your level to 1 to claim your prestige reward. You can accept or decline the offer right there, and if you decline, you can come back and activate the prestige at any point in the future through your account settings. So if you’re on the fence, you can wait months to accept the prestige offer if you want to show off your level 500 badge in lobbies for a while first. I waited 3 months after hitting my first 500 before I reset, just because I liked seeing the level 500 pop up next to my name when I loaded into matches.
After you accept the reset, your displayed level will drop back to 1 immediately, your prestige badge will be added to your inventory, and you can start earning XP to level up again as normal. You can only prestige 3 times total as of the latest update, so after you hit your third reset, your level cap will stay at 500 permanently, but your total account level will keep tracking in the background for your own personal reference. If you want to speed up your prestige grind, focus on playing ranked or limited-time event modes, which give out 20-30% more XP per match than standard quick play if you finish in the top 10 teams.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you prestige in Apex Legends is a clear yes, and it’s a totally optional feature built for players who want to keep progressing long after they hit the initial level cap. You don’t have to grind for prestige if you don’t care about extra packs or rare badges, and you won’t miss out on any core game content if you skip it entirely. Whether you’re a casual player who just wants to mess around with friends or a hardcore grinder chasing the 2000 level animated frame, the prestige system fits whatever playstyle you prefer.