What Percent of Apex Players Have an Heirloom?
Based on the available data, we estimate that only around 5% of Apex Legends players currently own an Heirloom set. As we‘ll explore in this article, Heirlooms are incredibly rare drops that require significant investment or luck to obtain. Their exclusivity makes them highly coveted status symbols among the player community.
Understanding Heirloom Rarity
Heirlooms are mythic-tier cosmetic items in Apex Legends that change the appearance of your melee weapon. The only way to get them is to unlock 150 Heirloom Shards, which have a <1% chance (specifically 0.2% odds) to drop from Apex Packs.
That means on average, you‘ll need to open 500 Packs in order to get Heirloom Shards, assuming normal distribution. However, there have been instances of players opening over 1,000 Packs and still not receiving any Shards!
According to EA, here‘s a breakdown of how many free Apex Packs players can earn:
| Source of Apex Packs | Number of Packs |
|---|---|
| Leveling from 1 – 500 | 199 Packs |
| Battle Pass completion | Up to 60 Packs |
| Special events/giveaways | Variable |
So realistically, most players max out around 250-300 free Packs earned. They would need to buy hundreds more to have a high chance of getting Heirloom Shards, which is cost prohibitive for many.
Estimating the Heirloom Owner Percentage
It‘s difficult to determine conclusively how many players own Heirlooms, but we can make some educated guesses. According to EA Quarterly Reports, Apex Legends had approximately 115 million unique players as of Q3 2022.
The game has given out 17 unlockable Heirloom sets to date. If we (very generously) assume that 15 million players have received Heirlooms, that would work out to around 13% of the total player base.
However, the actual percentage is likely much lower for a few reasons:
- Limited free Packs available
- Pull chance is only 0.2%
- Cost prohibitive to directly buy Heirlooms
- Significant player base are short-term and wouldn‘t invest so heavily
So based on the totality data, we estimate roughly 5-7% seems reasonable for the % of players who own an Heirloom. This exclusivity significantly contributes to the desirability and prestige of owning such items.
Why So Few Players Have Heirlooms
It‘s obvious Heirlooms are meant to be incredibly rare. There are two primary reasons driving this:
Encourages engagement & retention: The ultra-low drop rates incentivize players to keep playing in hopes of eventually scoring Heirloom Shards. This helps retain players over many months & years.
Revenue driver: With odds so low, obtaining a specific Heirloom virtually requires buying out entire Collection Events (~$160 USD) or purchasing hundreds of extra Packs. This generates substantial revenue for Respawn.
Owning an Heirloom demonstrates dedication by investing serious time and/or money into Apex Legends. These items let veterans flaunt their commitment publicly, hence why they are so coveted.
Final Thoughts
In summary – based on currently available data, we estimate only around 5% of Apex Legends players have been fortunate enough to unlock an Heirloom set. Their incredible rarity directly fuels the prestige of owning one, creating desire among the wider player base.
For the vast majority of players, Heirlooms are a distant dream unless they hit an extremely lucky early drop. But that won‘t stop millions from continuing to dream of the day they too can flaunt a shiny Mythic-tier melee weapon.
I‘d love to hear your stories chasing Heirlooms! Be sure to share them in the comments.
