Apex Heirloom Bug Puts Ash Players At A Disadvantage, Prompting "Pay-To-Lose" Complaints

Apex Legends players were thrilled that the “pay-to-win” Splash Zone Flatline skin was fixed via a patch released earlier this week, but the celebration was short-lived, as it soon became clear that another cosmetic item from the Sun Squad Collection Event had unintentionally nerfed Ash: her Heirloom Set.

The artificial assassin’s long-awaited Heirloom Weapon, the Strongest Link, was initially met with praise when it was released as part of the Sun Squad Collection Event. But it’s now clear that something is amiss, as players have begun noticing Ash’s movement is significantly louder with the nunchaku-like weapon equipped. Some players are referring to the pricey weapon as a “pay-to-lose” cosmetic.

Apex Legends is no stranger to audio issues, especially when it comes to footsteps. But this bug marks the first time a Heirloom Weapon has ever caused significant audio issues. Players testing the bug have posted the results on Reddit, with one poster even uploading a video to demonstrate the issue.

Ash is one of the quieter characters in the game when it comes to movement. Her untraditional feet means players are unlikely to make a loud ruckus unless they’re sliding across concrete/metal or splashing through water. When crouched, Ash moves almost silently, and even when moving normally, she’s between five and eight decibels quieter than the other legends.

But with the Strongest Link equipped, Ash’s footsteps become much louder. The effect is present even when moving through grass or sand, which tend to be the quietest types of terrain players encounter in the game. Even worse, the audio bug is still present even when Ash is crouch-walking–an activity that, under normal circumstances, makes all legend footsteps significantly quieter.

The bug was not resolved in this week’s 16.1.1 patch, and Respawn has yet to publicly address the issue, leaving fans to wonder how long they’ll have to wait to make use of Ash’s Heirloom Weapon without putting their squad at risk of an ambush. For now, the only solution seems to be unequipping the Heirloom entirely–a move that many players don’t want to make due to the charm of the weapon itself. In addition to being one of the few Heirloom Weapons in the game with a unique door-break animation, the Strongest Link also comes with several other animations that players have grown fond of, including one that features an appearance from Ash’s unnamed rodent companion.

For now, the best option may be to save the rat-feeding for the Firing Range until Respawn can address the audio issues.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available to play on Android and iOS devices, but will be sunset on May 1.