The spotlight of every Apex Legends event often falls on the introduction of new legends and weapon skins. However, many of these limited-time items vanish from the shop after their initial run. In response to this, Respawn has launched the Hot Drops store tab, offering players a chance to acquire these elusive items.
The Hot Drops store is a personalized store featuring different items for each player. When launching Apex, players can find Hot Drops as the first store tab, clicking on five banners to unveil their specialized deals. According to dataminers, these options are based on each account’s missing items, with a higher chance of obtaining skins and items for the top three most played legends and weapons based on the account’s match history.
Hot Drops guarantee one Epic level rarity option and four Legendary skins or bundles. This presents an opportunity for players to obtain limited-time seasonal skins they may have missed during their initial store run. While social media reactions to Hot Drops have been mixed, there is considerable praise for the high discounts on skin bundles, reaching up to 65 percent—the most substantial discounts offered in any Apex event.
This favorable pricing comes on the heels of store complaints during the Final Fantasy Rebirth Takeover, where collectors could spend up to $360 for the Buster Sword R5, the most expensive Heirloom to date. The Hot Drop’s discounted bundles address some of the concerns raised by the community.
However, the rollout of Hot Drops has not been without issues. Some players report not seeing the new tab in their shop page, despite official announcements. Clicking on the news tab redirects players to the standard store page instead of providing access to Hot Drops.
The primary criticisms for the Hot Drops store revolve around the limited content and transparency in skin selection. Some players receive only one deal for one of their top three legends or weapons, uncover duplicates of the same bundle, or don’t receive personalized deals at all. Additionally, once players purchase any of the five items or bundles, none of the store options refresh during the event’s duration.
Comparatively, other games like League of Legends and VALORANT offer more customized options in their personalized shops, tracking players’ past six months of match history to determine specific champions and skins for their shops. Apex’s Hot Drops will last for two weeks, concluding on Feb. 6 for all platforms. If Respawn follows the precedent set by other games, Hot Drops will likely return with new deals at a later date.
