Apex Legends Flatline skin sparks yet another “pay to win” debate

Carver Fisher
Apex Legends pay to win flatline

A Flatline skin called “Teal Zeal” in the monthly store on Apex Legends has sparked debate on pay to win weapon skins a short time after the “Heat Sink” Flatline skin had its iron sights changed.

Respawn changed a controversial Flatline skin, “Heat Sink”, following the conversation about the skin’s iron sights being “pay to win” in comparison to the default Flatline skin.

Now, a Season 5 weapon skin that has turned up the in monthly store on Apex Legends has sparked the very same debate only a short time after the Heat Sink skin was changed.

Yet another “pay to win” Apex Legends Flatline skin

Cloud9’s PVPX posted a tweet pointing out there’s yet another “pay to win” Flatline skin in the monthly store. “Teal Zeal” is the topic of yet another debate around weapon skins in Apex Legends.

While this isn’t a new weapon skin, many of the battle pass exclusive skins from the earlier days in Apex Legends don’t get attention until they get re-introduced to the store and to the much larger audience Apex Legends has now compared to its opening seasons.

What makes this skin “pay to win” according to those who have sparked yet another discussion about the issue?

“Teal Zeal” skin on the left, default flatline iron sights on the right

A side-by-side comparison reveals a much less bulky set of iron sights for the skin than the default Flatline, something that the changes to the “Heat Sink” skin were meant to change.

In the original post regarding the controversial Season 4 skin, the developers said they “heard feedback from some players that the Aim Down Sights (ADS) felt superior to any other skin available.”

This was largely due to how much easier it was to see out of that ironsight, as well as the fact that it took up less space on the screen. The “Teal Zeal” skin also takes up much less space than the base Flatline’s optics, causing yet another “pay to win” debate around this weapon.

About The Author

Carver is an editor for Dexerto based in Chicago. He finished his screenwriting degree in 2021 and has since dedicated his time to covering League of Legends esports and all other things gaming. He leads League esports coverage for Dexerto, but has a passion for the FGC and other esports. Contact Carver at carver.fisher@dexerto.com