Apex Legends is a competitive multiplayer game in the 21st century, so naturally, it features its own form of loot boxes called Apex Packs. These Packs feature 3 randomized cosmetic items each, from character skins through to new banners and kill animations. In pursuit of the game’s rare Heirloom items, one unfortunate player wound up sinking $500 into these Apex Packs. Inevitably, they have wound up disappointed.
Detailing their experience with Apex Packs on Reddit, user BAE339 described how his lapse in judgment could “happen to anyone,” even a 24-year-old adult who had previously never been tempted by other similar gambling methods such as scratch-offs and lottery tickets.
BAE339 explained how despite knowing the odds were against him, he still desperately wanted to acquire Apex Legends‘ Wraith Heirlooms, to the point where he had eventually invested $500 into the game.
“What got me with Apex Crates was the guaranteed “pity timer”. If you open 500 crates you are guaranteed a heirloom bundle,” BAE399 explained. “To top it off, the only heirlooms in the game right now are for Wraith (my main) and I wanted to secure them before new ones dropped, lowering my chance to ever [sic] luck out and receive them.”
BAE339 added that the reasoning behind his continued pursuit of the Heirlooms was as a result of him watching friends and streamers acquiring the items.
“At least 3 of my friends have gotten the Wraith heirlooms in only a few crates, all the streamers have them, surely it wouldn’t take me the whole 500 crates right?” he wrote. “Wrong. I bought bundle of coins after bundle. Each time thinking to myself, “The heirlooms will come this set of packs”. I knew from the very first crate that I would be entering into a serious sunk cost fallacy but I still couldn’t stop. I opened up crates until I reached #500, the guaranteed Wraith heirlooms.”
Apex Coins are used to purchase Apex Packs, with these Coins purchasable using real money. Apex Packs can also be obtained by way of leveling up, though as you reach higher levels in the game, your chances of receiving a Pack reduce. As such, higher-level players are encouraged to invest cash into the game in order to receive the Packs.
BAE339 concluded that he hoped his story would “resonate” with people, to discourage them from making the same mistake that he did.
“I can tell you it wasn’t worth it,” he said. “I now own every single blue rarity item in the game, along with countless legendaries for almost every gun and legend in the game, none of which I really care for or wanted. All in the hunt for a set of items that has a less than 1 percent chance of dropping.”
While Apex Legends‘ Apex Packs remain cosmetic-only, meaning that they have no effect on its gameplay, the battle royale game’s reluctance to award higher-level players with the Packs has been criticized. This decision seems purpose-built to encourage the game’s more dedicated players to spend more cash, which can result in many spending far more cash than they intend to.
