I remember spending the final days of Apex Legends Season 12 doing the usual routine: checking the shop, finishing battle pass tiers, and waiting for Mad Maggie to shake up Olympus. Most shop drops were easy to ignore. Then one holospray stopped me cold. It was not a legendary skin or an heirloom. It was a tiny meme, and it instantly clicked with a huge part of the community.

That spray was the 'Always Has Been' holospray, and it turned a classic internet joke into a perfect Apex moment. Before I go further, let me explain the original format for anyone who somehow missed it. The meme dates back to 2018. It started as a simple MS Paint drawing of one astronaut looking at a planet. Another astronaut floats behind them, pointing a gun at their helmet. The first astronaut says something like 'Wait, it's all flat?' or 'Wait, it's all USA?' or my personal favorite, 'Wait, it's all Baja Blast?' The second astronaut responds with the deadpan line: 'Always has been.'

Here is why the spray works so well:

• The original joke is instantly recognizable

• The extra dummy adds a very Apex twist

• It turns a common complaint into shared humor

• The timing during Season 12 made it feel like a reward for long-time players

Respawn took that exact energy and rebuilt it inside the Apex universe. The holospray shows one training dummy staring at the planet. A second dummy points a gun at them. Then a third dummy points a gun at the second. That extra layer is what makes the spray so funny. It is not just a meme reference. It is also a nod to third-partying, which is basically a core Apex Legends survival instinct. You fight one squad, and suddenly another squad rolls in for the cleanup. Welcome to the Outlands. Always has been.

What I love most about this cosmetic is how self-aware it feels. Apex Legends has always had a bit of a chaotic, community-driven sense of humor. Third-partying is something players complain about constantly. We blame the map, the ring, the jump tower placement, anything. Yet almost all of us will happily third-party another team when the opportunity shows up. This holospray embraces that contradiction. It is Respawn poking fun at the same gameplay loop that keeps every match tense.

The community reaction was surprisingly unified. Usually shop items spark debate, especially anything involving price or rarity. This spray did not. People just loved it. Meme cosmetics can be risky. They can feel forced or land with a thud. This one felt natural because it combined a well-known joke with a shared in-game experience. I remember seeing it used after squad wipes, during drop ship screens, and in kill feed spam. That is how you know a cosmetic works.

I should point out that not every meme-inspired item in a live service game receives this kind of welcome. Some attempts split the player base. This one stayed on the hilarious side without being divisive. That is rare. In 2026, I still see players running the spray from time to time. It has become a little time capsule from Season 12, back when Control was a brand-new LTM and Mad Maggie was about to break through the meta. Apex has changed a lot since then, but the third-party joke remains evergreen. 😄

If Respawn ever asks me directly, my answer is easy: more meme sprays, please. The game has room for serious lore and silly references. A holospray that makes me laugh after a rough ranked session is worth more than another recolor. The 'Always Has Been' spray did exactly that, and it still gets a chuckle every time it pops up on a wall.

Apex Legends is available on PC and consoles.