We've got all the details on the new champion skins that are coming out TODAY in Legends of Runeterra. You can read on for a summary of the important points regarding champion skins or skip ahead and read everything Riot has to say on them.
- Initial release contains 4 champion skins.
- You must own a champion in order to use its skin.
- If you don't own at least 1 copy of a champion, the shop will let you buy the champion alongside the skin for an increased price.
- Champion skins can only be purchased with Gold in the shop.
- We will see more skins released throughout the year.
- Skins won't go away; Even after the event you will still be able to buy them.
- What a skin changes is listed on shop pages so you know what you're getting.
- Pool Party, Battle Academia, and Arcade themes are all confirmed for future releases.
- Skins in Legends of Runeterra may not ever be in League of Legends, but it is possible.
- Prismatic effects once unlocked for a champion also apply to skins.
Quote From Riot Champion skins have made their way to Legends of Runeterra, and we’re kicking things off with two skins each from the Dark Star & Cosmic Skin lines that are absolutely out of this world.
Caught in an eternal conflict, Cosmic Zephyr Yasuo and Cosmic Exile Riven serve as warriors to defend the light against the unspeakable horrors of the Dark Star’s thralls, Dark Star Zed and Dark Star Shyvana.
As a brand new, highly-requested feature, let’s look at exactly what skins are in Legends of Runeterra, how to get them, and what to expect for the future.
What are champion skins?
Champion skins are a new way to personalize your favorite decks by taking them to an entirely new dimension! Equipping a champion with a skin will alter the art for all copies of each of that champion’s levels, as well as their accompanying flavor text. Some skins have entirely new level-up animations, and alter the appearance of summoned units (i.e. Dark Star Zed’s Living Shadows). Each skin’s effects are listed out on their Store page, so you can see exactly what they’ll change before making a purchase.
We have a lot of plans for champion skins in the future, including the introduction of some fan-favorite skins & skin lines from League of Legends, like Pool Party, Battle Academia, Arcade, and a whole lot more!
I’ve never seen these skins before, are they exclusive to LoR?
Good eye - Cosmic Zephyr Yasuo, Cosmic Exile Riven, Dark Star Zed, and Dark Star Shyvana are all new skins that were designed for LoR. While it’s technically possible that skins that make their first appearance in LoR eventually make their way to League of Legends and / or Wild Rift, you should expect LoR skins to stay in LoR. The processes for developing skins for LoR vs. LoL and Wild Rift are very different, so it’s not a simple copy / paste job from one game to another.
Does that mean LoL / Wild Rift skins won’t be coming to LoR?
Not at all! We have plans for a wide variety of skins for LoR, including some never-before-seen (like the Cosmic & Dark Star Skins featured in this patch), as well as existing fan-favorites, some of which you’ll be seeing in just a few weeks as we kick off our summer activities.
How do I get / switch between champion skins?
Champion skins can be purchased exclusively with Coins in the Store or through your Collection. Once you own a skin, you can select it in the Card Styles section of each of your decks’ loadouts. Please note - you must own at least one copy of the champion the skin is meant for in order to purchase the skin. If you don’t own the champion, the skin’s price will be adjusted to bundle in a copy of that champion.
If you’re not quite sure you’re ready to commit to a skin just yet - no need to worry. Even though the Dark Star & Cosmic Skins (and many others introduced in the future) are thematically tied to an event, they will be available even after the event ends.
Additionally, prismatic effects can also be applied to champion skins! If you’ve upgraded a champion to a prismatic, each of that champion’s skins will also be prismatic. If you want to enjoy a champion skin without prismatic effects, you can toggle off prismatics for your deck in the top right corner of your loadout.
Skins have consistently ranked as one of our most highly-requested features since we launched over a year ago, so we’re extremely excited to start rolling them out. This is just the start for skins and we aim to create even more awesome ones as LoR grows. Look forward to seeing even more alternate universes, fan-favorite skins, and more over the coming months!
Comments
I was also hoping Essence would be used for this. But I can't really blame Riot; they monetize the game through cosmetics. Unlike my experience with Hearth$tone, you can be completely FTP and have a full collection. So Riot has to make the money somewhere.
Maybe there will be other, less "premium" skins in the future. Much the way they have given out some free Guardians and emotes.
Shyvana's dragon form looks like Nicol Bolas from Magic the Gathering!
"Champion skins can be purchased exclusively with Coins in the Store or through your Collection."
I've been saving Essence just in case, but it seems that won't be happening :(
Am I the only one who finds the price extremely steep? I mean 4921 gold (aka 50$) for 8 (9 if you count the zed token) Images and 2 animations sounds ridiculously high to me.
The price for the entire bundle is high, but at the same time that's getting everything. It's a bit like looking at the sticker price to craft a golden deck in HS or prismatic deck in LoR: that's not really a practical expense unless part of your income is from streaming and/or you're just a total whale. I suspect the majority of players will fall into a cadence where they only buy 1-4 skins/year, cherry picking the champions they want to play & think look good rather than a "gotta have 'em all" approach.
For context, the price for a single skin is 700 coins (~$7 USD) for the art-only and 1495 (~$15 USD) for the art + animation -- a little steep just to have as a collector's item that you'll rarely use, but very reasonable if it's a champ you intend on playing 40+ hours of over the next 12 months.
It costs 3781 coins if you already own the champions but yes the price is pretty steep even for my liking. Boards are fine because they contain music, but a skin costs about the same and honestly that kinda scares me a bit. It kinda sucks too since the champions are barely viable and some can't level consistently and sometimes you don't even draw them. Probably just gonna buy the board for this one.
In general, I think that if you look at a cosmetic effect and think “it costs $X for a JPG”, then the cosmetic is not for you.
I think the fair point of comparison is that an alternate hero costs about as much as a new board. I can see the argument for that. Is a board worth its price? Based on what I see from my opponents, it looks like the answer is “yes for a lot of people, no for a lot of other people”.
For the record, I’ve bought one board, several cheaper cosmetics, and most event passes. I don’t have any plans to buy alternate heroes, though maybe I’ll change my mind eventually.
(Edited to reflect that a skin costs about as much as a board, not more. I originally said more because I didn’t realize the $50 price included 4 champion cards.)
I believe that the bundle also includes 3 copies of each champion that each skin belongs to