Apex Legends started as a serious, gameplay-driven battle royale with ties to the Titanfall franchise both in the story and character movement. One thing that the game doesn't take seriously, though, is character skins. Even going back to the first year of Apex Legends, unlockable skins were always a way for the game's developers to be a little silly.
While some event-tied or exclusive skins have returned to the in-game cosmetic shop at least once, Respawn Entertainment has said of the rarest Apex skins from the past will never be available again. Players who have these skins rightfully flaunt them in every match, and perhaps far into the future Respawn will allow players to buy these old and iconic looks for their favorite champions.
Updated June 12, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: The release of Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy came with a new legend: Valkyrie, the daughter of Titanfall 2's Apex Predator Viper. The War Games events from the latter half of Season 8: Mayhem wrapped up with the release of the new season, which introduced some of the most iconic skins in the game to date. Valkyrie's Birthright skin references her connection to Titanfall 2, while Lifeline's Ghost Stalker skin from the War Games event stands out above the rest of the character's skins.
12 Valkyrie – Birthright
- Released in Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy
- Part of the Valkyrie Launch Bundle for 4850 Apex Coins
The Birthright skin for Valkyrie is an obvious reference to her relation to Viper, one of the Apex Predators from Titanfall 2. Apex Legends takes place in the Titanfall universe, many years after the events of the second game. There was bound to be a legend directly related to the FPS eventually.
The Birthright skin features a repainted version of Viper's helmet from Titanfall 2, and a red-orange color scheme that resembles Viper's Northstar color palette. It released as a launch bundle for Season 9: Legacy. However, it has since been taken out of the in-game store.
11 Lifeline – Ghost Stalker
- Released in Apex Legends Season 8: Mayhem
- Part of the War Games event
Lifeline's Ghost Stalker skin is one of the most distinctive and eye-catching skins for any character in Apex Legends. The white, bronze, and silver color scheme paired with a revenant-like facial design and intricately carved body plating makes it stand out above Lifeline's other skins by miles.
It released during the War Games event during Apex Legends Season 8. This skin cost players 10,000 Apex Coins if they did not pick up any of the events' skins through Apex Packs.
10 Mirage – Old Town
- Released in Apex Legends Season 3:Meltdown
- Part of the Fight or Fright events from 2019 and 2020
Mirage's Old Town skin is a direct reference to Old Town Road, the song made famous by Lil Nas and Billy Ray Cyrus in 2019. This skin was only available as part of the original Fight or Fright event, and cost 2400 crafting materials to unlock.
Mirage's skins are typically either vibrantly colored or a blend of bionic and biological parts. This skin stands out not just for its cowboy hat and multicolors, but also it's one of few skins where Mirage is almost fully human in appearance.
9 Pathfinder – Green Machine
- Released in Apex Legends Season 1
- Was craftable for 10,500 Legend Tokens, required the Aviator skin
Pathfinder's Green Machine was a purchasable skin that the Apex community affectionately called "the watermelon skin.". Green Machine was a blend of red and green on the model of the Aviator skin, which featured exhaust pipes on Pathfinder's back and a waist-height propeller.
Players needed to both own Aviator skin made with 1,200 crafting materials and have 10,500 Legend Tokens – nearly enough for a new Legend entirely – to buy this skin back in 2019.
8 Bloodhound – Dangerous Game
- Released in Apex Legends Season 7: Ascension
- Part of the Fight Night event
The Fight Night Collection Event from January 2021 was the most recent event to be included here, and Bloodhound's Dangerous Game skin was one of the most iconic players could get. It featured geometric designs, piercing blue goggles, and a blood-maroon hybrid color scheme.
This skin could be found in the Fight Night loot packs or purchased for 1,800 Apex Tokens or 2,400 crafting materials. Since it's from such a recent event, it likely won't be seen again for purchase for quite some time.
7 Caustic – Gasbuster
- Released in Apex Legends Season 5: Fortune's Favor
- Part of the Lost Treasures event
While the Ghostbusters were busy fighting spirits, Caustic was busy researching NOX gas. In some way, it's only fitting that one of the game's cruelest characters got a skin from one of the best family movies of all time.
The Gasbuster skin was only available in the Lost Treasures event that happened when Loba was released. It featured gas tanks, a white design with red accents, and, of course, iconic patches that resembled the Ghostbusters' uniform.
6 Octane – Clocktane
- Released in Apex Legends Season 3: Meltdown
- Part of the Grand Soiree event
Octane has some flashy skins, with a stunt driver, a robotic warrior, and a jester being just the tip of the iceberg for the Apex Games' fastest legend. The Clocktane skin, released with the Grand Soiree in late 2019 and early 2020, is something much different for the speedster.
Clocktane turns Octane into a steam-powered engine of zippiness. Featuring an array of gears, tubes, clocks, and brass, this skin really makes the player feel like Octane is being run by 1800s-era machinery instead of futuristic bionics.
5 Wattson – Haute Drop
- Released in Apex Legends Season 7: Ascension
- Part of the 2021 Fight Night event
Wattson's Haute Drop was another skin only available in the 2021 Fight Night Collection Event. It likely won't be available for purchase for a long, long time. Wattson is the game's only French character, and this skin's beret pays homage to her nationality.
The skin is vibrant, almost radiating blue with white accents, and her beret is geometric in design. Wattson's hair turns a wintery white underneath her beret with this skin, too.
4 Wraith – Marble Goddess
- Released in Apex Legends Season 5: Fortune's Favor
- Part of the Lost Treasures event
The Marble Goddess skin was only available in the Lost Treasures event, and stands out as one of Wraith's most unique skins. Wraith has many skins in-game, but this is the only one that turns her to stone, resembling a Terracotta Warrior or an ancient temple guardian.
The skin received some controversy upon release, as it blended into the sands of Kings' Canyon extremely effectively. Paired with Wraith's smaller hitbox, the Marble Goddess was one of few skins in the game that could give a player an advantage.
3 Wraith – Flashpoint
- Released in Apex Legends Season 1
- Craftable with 10500 Legend Tokens, required the Vengeance Seeker skin.
Wraith's flashpoint skin does something very few skins in Apex do – it shaves her head bald. This iconic look for Wraith was only available in the in-game store for purchase, not as part of an event. It only became available if the player owned the Vengeance Seeker skin as well.
This skin features orange animated calves, a true-blue middle, and a white top, all fading into each other. It'll stand out no matter the map, but a good enough player shouldn't have to worry about being seen. This is a skin for show-offs.
2 Wattson – Bionic Wonder
- Released in Apex Legends Season 2: Battle Charge
- Was available in the Apex in-game store in late 2019
Wattson's Bionic Wonder is another skin that required the player to own a prerequisite – the Cyber Security skin – to craft. It only appeared in the store once in 2019, and caused a sensation among fans for its unique look.
Some compared the face of the skin to the robots in I, Robot while others said it was more reminiscent of Ex Machina. Either way, this skin could pop up again in the store down the road. It will certainly terrify teammates and enemies alike with its uncanny appearance.
1 Bloodhound – Protector of the Patch
- Released in Apex Legends Season 3: Meltdown
- Part of the Fight or Fright event
Bloodhound has some of the most intense-looking skins in the game, and their Halloween event skins from the first Fight or Fright event exemplify that. The Protector of the Patch skin was an unlockable that turned Bloodhound into a pumpkinhead-scarecrow fusion, sure to strike both fear and awe into those that witness it.
Place bets on this one coming back in a future Halloween event. For now though, keep an eye out for this eye-popping, character-changing skin next time a Bloodhound is nearby – it's even better in person.