Heirloom sets have been inApex Legendssince the game’s release. What started out as a single set for Wraith has expanded to a wide variety of mythic cosmetics for various characters. Though the recently introducedPrestige skins are supposed to be on par with heirloom sets, there’s something about the melee weapons' unique animations that make them a cut above the rest.
It has been a long time for Loba players to finally have an heirloom set they can call their own. The translocating thief was released duringApex Legends' fifth season in 2020, which means fans have been waiting nine in-game seasons and two years for the Garra de Alanza to be introduced. As always, each Legend’s heirloom set comes with an exclusive banner pose, kill quip, and most importantly, the heirloom melee weapon.
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Loba Brings a Literal Heirloom Weapon
Before it became a dangerous weapon of war, the Garra de Alanza wasa regular fan owned by Loba’s mother, Alanza Andrade. After her death at the hands of Revenant, Alanza’s fan made its way into a museum where it was “reclaimed” (i.e. stolen) by Loba and her partner-in-crime Jaime. Alanza’s fan was torn and frayed due to the passage of time, and its condition spurred Loba to restore it to its former glory.
The updated Garra de Alanza(Portuguese for “Alanza’s Claw”) is a heavily modified version of the fan made for Loba. It features a single retractable talon on each end of the fan sticks, as well as sharp edges on the fan leaves. These sharp ends are what Loba uses to attack opponents, and they can be misleading when it comes to their cutting power. One of Loba’s inspect animations shows her using the Garra de Alanza to cleanly slice Revenant’s robotic heads into two pieces.
A Fan For The Fashionably Deadly
Unlike other heirloom weapons that tend to be on the large side (Valkyrie’s Suzaku comes to mind), the Garra de Alanza’s compact nature speaks to Loba. It is easy to carry and fiddle with, and most important of all, it is practical. Loba’s first and third-person idle animations have her cooling herself off during the Apex Games, which makes sense considering the extreme climates of the maps and how much running she has to do.
If the fan were to be summarized in two words, they would be “sleek” and “regal.“Garra de Alanza’s animations are very fluidand blend into each other seamlessly. Special mention goes to the walking inspect animation, which sees Loba constantly twirling the heirloom weapon in her hand. The attack animations are also sleek, as Loba deftly mixes hand-to-hand combat with swipes from the fan.
Despite the fan’s intended use for violence, Loba still wields it ass an important family heirloom. This is partly due to the heirloom belonging to her late mother, but also a result ofLoba’s high-class personality. Some flashier inspect animations have Loba filing her nails with the fan and using a party mask - actions that show Loba’s love for fashion and presentability.
The Garra de Alanza may not be the biggest or the flashiest heirloom weapon, but it will put a smile on Loba players' faces. Just as all heirloom weapons are an extension of their wielders, the remade war fan combines all aspects of Loba’s character.Her past concerning Revenantand her personality are on full display when she wields the Garra de Alanza, and she isn’t afraid to show it off to hapless opponents.
Apex Legendsis currently available on Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
