Apex Legends Gundam Heirlooms: Prices, Problems, And Whether They’re Worth It

The Apex Legends x Gundam event adds two new Mythic Universal Melees – the Beam Saber and the Epyon Heat Rod whip – tied to separate limited‑time event tracks instead of the usual single heirloom collection.
Based on live store pricing and community cost breakdowns, each Gundam Mythic melee effectively sits in the 200–230 USD range (around 22,200 Apex Coins after discounts and the free pack), pushing the cost of getting both weapons close to or above 400 USD in many regions.

That high price is landing badly because players have spotted animation reuse from older heirlooms and feel like they’re being asked to pay luxury money for what looks like a hybrid of Bloodhound’s axe and the Serpent Sting universal heirloom, instead of a fully unique melee.​
If you’re a regular Apex player, the honest answer is: these Gundam Mythic melees are prestige cosmetics for whales and collectors, not sensible purchases for most people, and they’re worth skipping if you’re even slightly on the fence.

How the Gundam event works

The Apex Legends x Gundam event goes live in March 2026 as part of the Breach update and features a full Wildcard: Gundam Takeover on Broken Moon, with destroyed Mobile Suits, giant Wing Gundam statues, and a set of limited‑time Gundam‑inspired Wildcard abilities.
Alongside the mode, the event drops eight Gundam‑themed legendary skins for specific Legends and multiple weapon skins, including a Kraber “Buster Rifle” and R‑301 “Aerial 301”, that directly reference classic Mobile Suits.

The two Mythic Universal Melees – Beam Saber and Epyon Heat Rod – sit at the top of this event.
They’re not tied to a traditional collection where you buy a fixed set of 24–36 items once; instead, each weapon has its own limited‑time event packs and reward ladder, with its own hard cap and pity structure.

How much do the Gundam heirlooms really cost?

EA’s official blog confirms that both the Beam Saber Event Packs and Heat Rod Event Packs are the only way to get their respective Mythic melee during the event window.
You can earn a small number of packs via play and free rewards, but the bulk will come from buying event packs with Apex Coins.

Community number‑crunching from trusted Apex economy trackers estimates the cost for one Gundam Mythic melee at about 23,200 Apex Coins minus a free pack, which works out to roughly 22,200 coins spent.
Converted through standard store bundles, that lands in the 200–230 USD range for a single melee, depending on platform and local currency pricing.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

For context, earlier heirloom or prestige‑style events typically cost in the 150–260 USD range to fully clear, including cosmetics plus the featured heirloom or prestige skin.​
The Gundam collab doesn’t radically break that ceiling, but it doubles down on the idea that a single melee skin can be priced like a console.

Animation reuse and why players are so angry

Reddit and YouTube creators quickly noticed the Beam Saber’s animations look very close to a mix of Bloodhound’s Raven’s Bite and the Serpent Sting universal heirloom, from swing arcs to inspect motions.​
Frame‑by‑frame clips highlight specific recycled sequences, such as over‑the‑shoulder spins and idle spins, which strongly suggests Respawn reused parts of existing animation sets rather than building a completely new kit.

For a 20 USD skin, that would barely be a talking point, because reuse is normal in live service development.
At a 200+ USD tier, though, players expect something that feels handcrafted – unique animations, bespoke flourishes, and a strong identity that matches the Gundam fantasy, not a recognizable mash‑up of older heirlooms.​

One practical insight from long‑time players is that this isn’t about the saber looking bad in isolation; it’s about what it represents.
When the most expensive cosmetics in Apex lean on animation reuse, it feels like the game is asking you to pay more for less effort, and that’s where trust starts to crack.​

Dual milestone structure: why it feels worse than a normal collection

Instead of one collection event where completing the set guarantees a single heirloom, the Gundam collaboration splits its Mythic rewards across two separate event tracks – one for the Beam Saber and one for the Heat Rod.
Each track has its own event packs, its own cap, and its own high‑spend path to a single Mythic Universal Melee, effectively doubling the number of “finish the track or miss out” funnels.

This mirrors earlier milestone‑style events where you’re not gambling in the traditional loot box sense but are effectively on a spending ladder: every pack buys progress toward a guaranteed Mythic, but only within that event’s ecosystem.
Psychologically, that feels less like opening random Apex Packs and more like signing up for a short‑term payment plan on a cosmetic, especially if you’re eyeing both weapons.

At the same time, Gundam as a brand brings in anime fans on top of existing Apex collectors, so there’s extra pressure to complete the set before it disappears.
Combine that with the perception of recycled animations and the price tag, and you get the wave of “this is just whale farming now” sentiment that’s been dominating Reddit and social feeds.​

Are the Gundam heirlooms worth buying?

If you’re a free‑to‑play or light‑spending player, the answer is almost certainly no.
For the cost of one Gundam Mythic melee, you could buy multiple premium games or a full season’s worth of reasonably priced bundles and battle passes, and none of the stats or gameplay power in Apex is tied to these Mythic Universal Melees.

The only players who might find them “worth it” are:

• Dedicated Gundam collectors who value the crossover above all.

• Apex whales who already own multiple heirlooms and see cosmetics as a personal hobby.

• Content creators who can justify the cost as part of their channel or brand.

Even then, you’re accepting the trade‑off: very high cost, some visible animation reuse, and the possibility that future events could offer more unique or better‑received Mythic items for a similar price.
For everyone else, the smartest play is to skip the packs, enjoy the free event rewards and LTMs, and wait to see if Respawn adjusts future pricing or animation standards based on backlash and sales performance.

How heirlooms normally work (and better ways to spend)

Outside events like this, you can still get traditional heirlooms by opening regular Apex Packs until you hit Heirloom Shards, which now officially drop at a 0.045% rate per pack, with a guaranteed shard drop by your 500th pack if you haven’t seen any.​
Those 150 shards let you pick any available Mythic from the in‑game Mythic store, which is a much slower but far more cost‑controlled path than chasing every limited‑time milestone or crossover track.​

If you’re looking to spend money on Apex in a more sane way, you’re usually better off prioritizing:

• Battle passes you know you’ll finish.

• Occasional 20 USD bundles or skins you genuinely love.

• Saving for a specific legend‑tied heirloom through shards instead of chasing every universal Mythic.

That approach gives you more cosmetics, more variety, and less regret than dropping 200+ USD on a single saber that might not feel as special as the price suggests.