If you’ve ever stared at the Apex Legends character select screen, tempted by a shiny new legend with flashy abilities but hesitant to drop 12,000 Legend Tokens to unlock them, you’ve probably asked: can you test legends in Apex before you commit? You’re not alone. Thousands of players skip trying new legends entirely because they don’t want to waste weeks of earned currency on a character that doesn’t fit their playstyle. This guide breaks down every official and unofficial way to test legends in Apex, no currency required, plus pro tips to make your practice sessions count.
Official Ways You Can Test Legends in Apex Right Now
If you’ve ever wondered can you test legends in Apex without spending money, the Firing Range is your first stop. Respawn added full legend access to the Firing Range a few seasons back, so you don’t have to own a character to test all their abilities there. You can mess around with their passive, tactical, and ultimate skills as much as you want, test how they interact with different weapons, and even practice ability combos against moving dummies. All legends are permanently accessible in the Firing Range, regardless of whether you’ve purchased them with tokens or real money.
Beyond the Firing Range, you can also test legends during limited-time modes (LTMs) that unlock the full roster for all players. Events like Legends Unleashed, annual anniversary celebrations, and even some mid-season patches often let you play any legend you want for the duration of the event, no unlock required. New season launches also usually let all players test the new legend for free for the first 7 days, so you can try them out in live matches before you decide to spend tokens to unlock them permanently.
How to Make Your Legend Test Sessions Actually Useful
Testing a legend isn’t just about spamming their tactical a few times and calling it a day. To get an accurate sense of whether a character fits your playstyle, you need to structure your practice sessions to mimic real in-game scenarios as much as possible. Many players take short breaks between test runs to reset their focus, especially if they’re trying to master a tricky ability like Horizon’s gravity lift or Wraith’s portal. If you’re looking for a quick, low-stakes distraction to reset between practice rounds, you can load up Rummy77 for a 5-minute casual game that won’t throw off your muscle memory or focus.
Once you’re back to testing, focus on these key areas to get the most out of your session:
- Ability cooldown timings: Test how long you have to wait between tactical uses, and how long your ultimate takes to charge with normal loot vs. ultimate accelerants
- Movement synergy: Practice sliding, jumping, and climbing while using abilities to see if they slow you down or give you an edge in close-quarters fights
- Team play utility: Bring a friend into the Firing Range to test how your abilities interact with their picks, like pairing Bangalore’s smoke with Bloodhound’s scan
- Weakness testing: Try to counter your own abilities to see where you’ll be vulnerable in real matches, like shooting through Catalyst’s walls or outrunning Octane’s stim damage
Most players only test a legend for 2 or 3 minutes before deciding they don’t like it, but spending 15 to 20 minutes running through these checks will give you a far more accurate picture of whether you’ll enjoy playing them long-term. Never judge a legend’s viability based on a single 2-minute test run. Some abilities feel clunky at first but become second nature after a little practice.
Common Myths About Testing Legends in Apex, Debunked
One of the most common questions we see from new players alongside can you test legends in Apex is whether those test results are accurate for real matches. There are a lot of false claims floating around about what you can and can’t do when testing characters, so we’re breaking down the most common myths here. First myth: You have to buy a legend to test their abilities in real matches. That’s not true. If a friend on your squad owns the legend you want to try, you can ask them to swap with you in the character select screen in unranked matches, as long as no one else has locked that legend in. It’s a little-known feature that most players don’t take advantage of.
Second myth: Firing Range testing doesn’t translate to real matches. While it’s true that the Firing Range doesn’t have the pressure of real enemy players shooting back at you, it’s still the best way to build muscle memory for ability timings and movement combinations before you jump into a live game. Swapping legends with a friend in unranked is the closest you can get to testing a legend in live play without buying them. Third myth: You can only test new legends during season launch events. The Firing Range’s full legend access is permanent, so you can test any legend at any time, even ones that released three or four seasons ago. You don’t have to wait for a special event to try out Vantage or Seer if you haven’t unlocked them yet.
What to Do After You Test a Legend and Decide to Unlock Them
If you’ve done your testing and you’re sure the legend fits your playstyle, there are a few ways to unlock them faster than grinding for Legend Tokens through regular play. First, keep an eye out for limited-time sales on legends during in-game events. Respawn often discounts older legends by 20-30% for Apex Coins during holiday events and anniversary celebrations, so if you’re willing to spend a small amount of money, you can pick up the legend you want for less than the normal price.
If you don’t want to spend real money, focus on completing daily and weekly battle pass challenges to earn XP faster. Each level you earn gives you 600 Legend Tokens, so you only need to level up 20 times to earn enough for a new legend. Prioritize battle pass challenges if you want to earn Legend Tokens 2x faster than normal play. Once you unlock the legend, don’t jump straight into ranked matches with them. Spend 5 to 10 unranked games getting used to how their abilities work in real combat situations, against real players who are actively trying to counter you. Even pro players spend time practicing new legends in unranked before bringing them into competitive play, so you don’t have to rush to prove yourself with a new pick right away.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you test legends in Apex is a resounding yes, no matter if you’re a new player who’s just unlocked their first few legend tokens or a long-time player looking to shake up their playstyle. You don’t have to waste hard-earned currency on a legend that you’ll end up never playing, thanks to permanent Firing Range access, LTMs, and squad swap options in unranked matches. Take the time to test abilities, practice movement, and see how each legend fits your preferred way to play, and you’ll end up with a roster of characters you actually enjoy using, instead of ones you regret buying.