Apex Legends' newest 3v3 arenas mode has taken the game by storm. It is the perfect mode for those who enjoy the gunplay and mechanics of Apex Legends but don't enjoy Battle Royale modes. Arenas is an economy-centric round-based mode where you keep any abilities you have leftover after each round, but you have to rebuy your weapons and utility every single round.

While the economy of Apex Legends Arenas is simple in comparison to the economies of say CS:GO or VALORANT, you can still optimize your buys to give yourself an economic advantage over your opponents. Now that this mode has been out for a couple of months, the best practices for buying in Arenas have started to surface.

Here is our Apex Legends Arenas shop guide, to help you buy the right stuff for each round.

Overview to the best Apex Legends Arenas buy order 

In the Arenas, you will never have to do a full save, and you will never "break" your opponent's economy. Instead, in this mode players will receive escalating amounts of money that are roughly equal to their opponents every round. That said, players can earn extra money by killing enemies (75 credits per kill) and by picking up bonus materials from the +200 credit canisters that are available on the map. 

As the money for each round rises, the armor level for the teams will also improve. Round 1 will start with white armor (two pips), then it moves to blue armor (3 pips) in Round 2, then purple armor (4 pips) in the mid-game, and finally red armor (5 pips) in the very final rounds.

Considering the relatively egalitarian nature of the economy in Arenas, knowledge is genuine power. As long as you know what to prioritize in the early game, mid-game, and then end game, your economy won't be the thing standing between your team and the victory. 

What to buy during the Apex Legends Arenas early-game rounds

Round 1 - Invest in a weapon you are confident in

In Round 1 of Arenas, you will be able to spend only 550.  While some will suggest you treat this round as a pistol round and not buy a nice gun, there is something to be said for buying a gun you are comfortable with and taking the first-round win.

By buying a Flatline, Volt, or other 500+ credit weapon will leave you with limited utility, but you can play more aggressively and more confidently, which in turn will allow you to claim the +200 credit canisters scattered around the map.

So even if you lose the first round, you will at least have the credits for a decent round 2 buy with this strategy.

Round 2 - Buy what you can

Your Round 2 buy will depend heavily on what credits you were able to claim off the field in Round 1. Typically in Round 2, you will be able to afford:

• a single-upgrade weapon
• a shield battery.

With this loadout, you can remain aggressive in the early rounds, knowing you can heal if you have to. In rare circumstances, you may even be able to buy an ultimate and a decent gun in this round, but it's generally not worth it to invest that 350 into the Ultimate quite yet, especially since its harder to take full advantage of your ultimate without a more upgraded weapon.

Round 3 - Almost full buy time

In Round 3, you will have access to purple armor for the first time, which means it's time to step up the firepower with a nearly full buy. Generally, with Round 3 you will want to purchase:

• a double-upgraded primary weapon
• a med kit
• a shield battery
• more ability charges
• ultimate ability (in some cases) 

Depending on how the previous two rounds went, you may also be able to afford your Ultimate ability this round. Strategically speaking, if you are playing Bloodhound or someone else with a highly effective ultimate, buying it early can be good. Worst case scenario, you don't use it and it rolls over to the next round. Best case scenario, you wipe their team with your early investment in ult.

What to buy during the Apex Legends Arenas mid-game rounds

After round 3, you should have enough money for most of your essentials each rounds. A full buy during rounds 4 through 6 consists of:

• A triple-upgraded weapon
• 2 shield batteries
• A med-kit
• Grenades
• full ability charges
• Ultimate ability (sometimes/when available)

As an alternative to the triple-upgraded weapon, you could also consider purchasing a second weapon to fill out your loadout. On some maps, I purchase a sniper rifle and an SMG combo instead of investing in one more powerful weapon. So there is definitely some preference and leeway in the mid-round full buy, but you get the picture. 

If you are losing a lot of rounds, or not getting kills, you will have fewer credits to work with, but so long as you are actively looking for the +200 credit canisters, you should generally be able to afford everything you need in the mid-game, even if you have to skimp on grenades occasionally. If you do find yourself struggling to buy your Ultimate, you can save some credits from round-to-round, but you will never need to "full save" during the mid-game of the Apex Legends Arenas mode.

What to buy during the Apex Legends Arenas end-game rounds

Since you receive more credits with each subsequent round, if you end up going to the final stretch against an enemy team, you will have more credits than you know what to do with. You will also be up against purple and red shields, so you are going to need more firepower to win in these late rounds. An end-game full buy consists of:

• Fully upgraded weapon
• Partly upgraded secondary weapon
• Max shield batteries
• Max medkits
• Max abilities
• Max Grenades
• Ultimate (when available)

So in short, you can pretty much buy everything in late rounds, and you are going to need everything if you are up against a skilled opponent. Remember in these finals rounds to play patiently, since everyone is going to have max utility and therefore be at their most lethal in the end game.