Apex Legends is a textbook live-service multiplayer game in many ways. It’s constantly balancing the need to keep the game competitive and fair in its PvP environment, while also constantly releasing new skins and cosmetics for players to purchase, showing off in-game.
That can sometimes create something of an issue since players soon discovered the existence of “pay-to-win” skins. While all Legendary weapon skins in Apex slightly alter the model of any given weapon in ways that the other rarity tiers do not, none of these changes are supposed to affect competitiveness. That said, several Legendary weapon skins change each weapon’s iron sights, and a few skins have gained a reputation for having better iron sights than others.
If you’re gaining a less-cluttered view of the battlefield in front of you while you’re ADSing, that’s a competitive advantage. And even if that advantage is a slim one, it can still win you a fight or two here or there. Respawn has even acknowledged this fact publicly by nerfing one of the game’s most famous pay-to-win skins, the Heat Sink and Heavy Metal Flatline skins that came as rewards for completing the season four battle pass.
And while those pay-to-win skins may no longer exist, there are still a few more weapon skins in the game that can give you a leg up on the competition, however slight. If you see any of these skins pop up in a store rotation, or already have them unlocked, go ahead and equip them and see if you can tell the difference.
Best pay-to-win skins in Apex Legends
Zero Point R-99
Outlands Avalanche R-99
The Unloader R-99
The Kill Switch R-99
Totally Gnarly R-99
Cutting Edge R-99
Revolutionary R-99
The default iron sights on the R-99 come with a full circle forward sight and a dot in the middle, alongside some brackets on the side. While some of these skins differ slightly, they all take off the top of the circle on the forward sight, clearing up your field of view a bit more. Several of these skins also slim down the gun’s model along the barrel (particularly the Zero Point). Some of these skins may be more difficult to come by than others but all of them can be lumped into the pay-to-win category.
The Death Ray Wingman
Merciless Wing Wingman
The Dismantler Wingman
Red Rocket Wingman
The Sunburst Wingman
Brass Beast Wingman
All of these Wingman skins are either base Legendaries or their recolors but are some of the most popular pay-to-win skins in the game. The barrel of the gun is noticeably slimmer, not obstructing your peripheral vision, and the sight itself is given longer, slimmer brackets, with a bit more space beneath the circular reticle at the end for a better view of the battlefield.
The Last Spartan R-301
The Daybreaker R-301
The Pale Moonlight R-301
Predatorial Instincts R-301
While the R-301’s default iron sights aren’t bad to begin with, some players prefer the iron sights that can be found on this set of base Legendaries and their recolored versions. The “V”-shaped reticle at the end of the barrel can help players line up their shots but is thin enough to not be obnoxious.
Teal Zeal Flatline
While the Heat Sink and Heavy Metal skins might have had their iron sights nerfed, the Teal Zeal still remains and is now the undisputed champ of pay-to-win Flatline skins. It doesn’t provide quite as much of an advantage as those other two skins used to, but it’s still noticeably easier to see your enemies when you ADS with this skin equipped.
LED Rez Alternator
The Galvanizer Alternator
Ocean Spray Alternator
Palate Cleanser Alternator
The Alternator is another gun that already enjoys pretty clean iron sights. But if you want to eke out an extra bit of competitive advantage, try this sleek line of base Legendaries and their recolors. The skins slim down the barrel of the alternator, and the brackets on the side almost function like a 1x HCOG classic sight in front of the translucent reticle. They’re good-looking skins and the Outlands will look good when you’re aiming down their iron sights as well.
World’s Fair 30-30 Repeater
Bullet Train 30-30 Repeater
Wild West 30-30 Repeater
The 30-30 can be a tough gun to use without an optic, given how bulky the brackets are around its iron sights. Fortunately, there are plenty of good options for 30-30 enjoyers that drop onto one but don’t have time to find a longer-range sight for it. The Wild West and Bullet Train base Legendaries, along with the World’s Fair recolor, are a substantial improvement on the default 30-30 skin and many other Legendaries. They simultaneously slim down the outside edges of the brackets that form the iron sight, while also giving players a little bit more field of vision within the sight itself.
