Respawn reveal major Heirloom changes coming soon in Apex Legends

Developers Respawn Entertainment have announced a new Heirloom Shard system in Apex Legends, which will be implemented as part of the upcoming System Override Collection Event.

Heirlooms are undoubtedly the rarest and most coveted cosmetic items in Apex Legends, mainly because of how scarce and difficult they are to obtain.

Outside of special events, during which the items are a lot easier to get, Heirlooms can only be nabbed by opening regular Apex Packs. The way the current system works, players are guaranteed to get one every 500 packs they open – which, needless to say, can be quite expensive and/or time-consuming.

One of the biggest criticisms leveled against these ultra-rare cosmetics is that when you do actually get one, it might not be one that you wanted or were even remotely interested in, which means you’ll have to go through up to 500 more packs for a chance at another one.

• Read More: Apex Legends System Override event details & schedule

However, Respawn took a major step towards addressing that issue by introducing new Heirloom Shards on February 27, which will totally shake up the current system.

“We’re changing up the Heirloom system to make it easier for you to acquire the heirloom you want. Instead of an entire Heirloom set dropping at once, you’ll now receive Heirloom shards. You can then use those shards to pick the exact Heirloom set you’d like. The shards will have the same drop rate as the previous system so that after 500 Apex Packs, you will have enough Heirloom Shards to obtain an Heirloom set from the Heirloom shop. And don’t worry, your existing progress towards the 500 Apex Packs will carry over with the switch. Remember that once a player owns all of the Heirloom sets, the player will not be eligible to receive more shards until more Heirloom Sets are added to the game.”

How do these new Heirloom Shards work?

As you open Apex Packs, you will, from time to time, receive these new Shards that will go into your inventory. Once you have enough Shards, you can trade them in for the Heirloom of your choice – assuming it’s one that you don’t already own.

This change effectively eliminates the randomness factor and the chance of getting a set you don’t want.

• Read More: New Evo Shield coming to Apex Legends

That said, it does not make Heirlooms any less rare, since the number of packs you need to open to get enough Shards will stay at about 500. The only difference is that you’ll be able to choose one that you’re interested in, instead of having to settle for whatever the game decided to give you.

When does this Heirloom Shard system start?

This news came as part of a larger announcement for the upcoming System Override Collection Event, which kicks off on Tuesday, March 3.

Respawn did not specify whether these Shards will be going live effective immediately or upon the start of that event, so at the latest, they’ll be in the game starting on that date.

• Read More: How to Wall Run in Apex Legends

New Octane Heirloom set announced

This Shard system was not the only new Heirloom-related news announced on February 27; Respawn also officially unveiled Octane’s brand new set that’ll be launching on March 3.

The premier item is an incredible-looking butterfly knife that players will be able to twirl around their fingers as they zip across the World’s Edge map.

In order to unlock the Heirloom, you’ll either have to collect all 24 event-exclusive cosmetics or get it by trading in Shards, once you have enough.