Apex Legends Shadow Society event introduces new Artifact melee cosmetic

Apex Legends gave players their first chance to obtain a universal melee weapon back in January for all players, but only for a limited time. For any players who missed their chance, Respawn’s newest collection event offers a new permanent Heirloom option for all legends.

Respawn announced the upcoming Shadow Society collection event on the official Apex Legends account today, featuring the new Lockdown LTM, 36 new collectible items, and balance changes to multiple legends. Players who complete the event can earn the new Cobalt Death Box, but can also acquire the new Cobalt Katar Apex Artifact, the first of its class.

Apex Artifacts are an all-new classification of Mythic melee weapons, and can be equipped by all legends by selecting the melee weapon tab in the legend customization screen in place of their standard Heirloom options. The Cobalt Katar is not the completion reward for the Shadow Society event, and can be obtained by random chance through any event packs earned or purchased during the event.

Players who purchase multiple packs will see an increased chance for unlocking the Cobalt Katar, as no duplicates will spawn for any previously collected event items, rewarding players who log in daily and obtain the maximum amount of free event packs through the reward shop, which rotates its stock daily and weekly, allowing players to purchase packs with event currency.

The Cobalt Katar is not the first universal Heirloom in Apex, as the Buster Sword R5 from the Final Fantasy Rebirth takeover event can also be equipped by any legend. The Buster Sword R5 had a one percent chance of dropping through any event packs, and also did not require completing the collection to unlock the weapon, but unlike the Cobalt Katar, it was only available during the takeover from Jan. 9 to Jan. 30, and cannot be obtained through the Mythic Shop.

Once the Shadow Society collection event ends, the Cobalt Katar will go into the Mythic Shop and be available for standard purchase at 150 Heirloom Shards, making it the first permanent universal Heirloom weapon in Apex. With the new Artifact classification, players can expect more universal options to join the Cobalt Katar in later seasons and events.

The Shadow Society collection event will run from March 26 to April 16, giving players three weeks to enjoy the new LTM, complete the reward shop tracker, and earn as many event packs for the best chance to obtain the Cobalt Katar for free, before it ships off to the Mythic Shop.