Respawn Entertainment Finally Addresses Pay-to-Win Skins in Apex Legends

Since the launch of Apex Legends, hundreds of weapon skins have been added to the game and it has led to divided opinions on the addition of “pay-to-win” skins in the game. Some iron sights can feel better than others when using certain skins.  The Heat Sink skin for the Flatline is the most notable one.

Some skins also reduce the gun model size in some cases, which can allow players to have a less restricted view of the enemies in front of them. Respawn Entertainment is taking a look at these weapon skins which the community considers to be “pay-to-win” and some changes are being implemented to them.

Changes incoming for Apex Legends skins

Respawn clarified in a recent blog post that competitive integrity is and always will be the core pillar of Apex Legends. It revealed that the iron sights are designed to push players to obtain optics but when skins become a part of the functionality, it becomes a problem. Some skins end up offering iron sights similar to the 1X HCOG.

The Heat Sink reactive skin has been adjusted in the new update and more skins will be looked at in the future. But this does not mean that skins will only be “nerfed” in the future. Respawn also tweaked the Flatline “Revelations” skin from the Gaiden Event. The developers felt that the side fins were creating larger blindspots than intended, so they reduced them to improve the visibility when aiming down sights.

Respawn stated, “We believe that any competitive edge in Apex Legends should be gained by honing your skills and not due to any perceived advantages from buying gun skins.  As our good friend Kuben Blisk puts it: ‘You kill me, you're better. I kill you, I'm better.’”

The developers did not mention which other skins are being looked at for future tweaks but players should now reconsider purchasing skins based on perceived competitive advantages. With the Heat Sink skin being released as a battle pass cosmetic, a number of players did not have access to the skin which led to frustration within the community over the skin’s advantageous iron sight. But there are Wingman and R-99 skins that offer similar advantages and they are likely to be looked at in future patches.