What are Apex Legends Artifacts? Season 21 melee cosmetic explained

Apex Artifacts are new items in Season 21 of Apex Legends, but what exactly are they, and how can you unlock them? Here is everything you need to know. 

Apex Legends Season 21 is bringing a lot of exciting content, including the new Legend Alter and the return of the popular solo mode. Additionally, the devs have also introduced a new special cosmetic item called Apex Artifacts.

So, here is everything you need to know about Apex Artifacts, including how to unlock them and what the best one is.

• What are Apex Artifacts in Apex Legends?
• How to unlock Apex Artifacts in Apex Legends
• All Apex Artifacts variants in Apex Legends
• Best Apex Artifact to unlock in Apex Legends

What are Apex Artifacts in Apex Legends? 

Apex Artifacts are melee and Deathbox cosmetic items in Apex Legends that can be used with any Legend in any mode. 

They’re similar to Heirlooms, but are a lot more customizable and can be earned through the Battle Pass and events. The Cobalt Katar item was first introduced during the Shadow Society event, and now it’s available for all players in the Mythic Shop from Season 21. 

With each Artifact that you unlock, you can combine them to craft your own unique cosmetic. Artifacts can be modded with more than 200 different combinations you can get from six different upgrade branches.

How to unlock Apex Artifacts in Apex Legends

Apex Artifacts can be unlocked in Apex Legends using Exotic Shards, which can be earned through the Battle Pass or bought directly from the shop. 

Respawn Entertainment has also hinted that you will be able to unlock Artifacts in future events like the Shadow Society, which gave players the Cobalt Katar.

The Nitride branch will only be unlocked once you have purchased all five cosmetics from the other upgrade branches. This can be any of them, so you can unlock five bases and then you will have access to the Nitride branch. 

Aside from Nitride, though, you can start unlocking in any upgrade branch. Each cosmetic in the branch needs to be unlocked in a sequence of Base > Theme > Power Source > Activation Emote > Deathbox to get the full customizable range. 

All Apex Artifacts variants in Apex Legends

There are six upgrade branches for Apex Legends Artifacts, and each gives you five variants of the cosmetic to choose from. Here are the six Apex Artifact variants:

• Cobalt
• Electrum
• Gladius
• Molten
• Rhodium
• Nitride

Each variant gives you a Base, Theme, Power Source, Activation Emote, and Deathbox. Every cosmetic in the variant branch is themed around a specific color, style, and element depending on the upgrade branch.

Best Apex Artifact to unlock in Apex Legends

The Nitride branch in the Apex Legends Artifacts shop is the best cosmetic to invest in if you want to stand out. This will take some time, but it’s worth it. 

More specifically, the Power Source cosmetic you get from the Nitride branch is by far the most sleek and unique one that there is to choose from. It fits perfectly with a lot of Legends, and its stark purple coloring will make each melee attack that much more satisfying. 

That’s everything to know about Apex Artifacts! If you want to know more about the game, be sure to check out our other guides below.

How to get Legend Tokens in Apex Legends | Best Legends in Apex Legends | All Apex Legends voice actors | Apex Legends current pick rates | Best audio settings for Apex Legends | Best guns in Apex Legends | How to check your Apex Legends stats | Best PC settings for Apex Legends