Skins in League of Legends come in a whole range of thematics and retail at all different price points. Today, I’ll explain all the different skin tiers so you know exactly what you’re getting for your buck.
Skins in League of Legends come in a whole range of thematics and retail at all different price points. However, they’re generally categorized into tiers, corresponding to factors like their rarity, character model complexity, and features. Today, I’ll explain all the different skin tiers, so you know exactly what you’re getting for your buck.
Legacy skins aren’t typically available to purchase in the store, which does make them fairly rare and sought after by collectors. However, players may still come across them via bundles, Hextech drops, or Your Shop offers, and they’re sometimes brought back temporarily during special events.
In all honesty, these skins can differ in value and price significantly. They tend to either be tied to seasonal themes — and many of these skins can look absolutely fantastic — or they tend to be outdated, old, and clunky.
Limited Edition skins are essentially rare skins that are exclusive to specific moments, achievements, or game-associated activities. They typically can’t be acquired through the shop. As an example, King Rammus was awarded to players who took part in League’s closed beta back in the day.
You likely won’t ever come across these skins as a player nowadays, but I wouldn’t worry too much about them as a new player. These skins are virtually always underwhelming — their whole appeal is their rarity, rather than the actual aesthetics.
The Victorious skins and Honor skins also generally fall under the Limited Edition category. Players are gifted free Victorious skins if they reach certain checkpoints in Ranked queue, and an Honors skin for hitting Honor Level 5 by the end of the season. Most of these skins are genuinely excellent quality and are total eye candy. Plus they’re great for flexing on your opponents.
Standard skins are essentially the no-frills skins in League of Legends. In general, you won’t expect to see any new sound effects or animations in a Standard skin, but it will give the champion model a noticeable new look (albeit a subtle one), and you’ll still get a swanky new splash art for your champ select.
Priced between 390 RP and 975 RP in the store, Standard skins are also cheap and cheerful. Some examples of Standard skins include Aristocrat Vayne, Commando Lux, and Karate Kennen. Fyi, my favorite Standard skin is Draven Draven — it’s pure comedy genius and a steal at only 520 RP.
Epic skins are priced at 1350 RP, and right off the bat, you’re going to be getting some new features at this tier. In addition to an upgraded character model design, you’ll also typically see improved sound effects, updated visuals like new attack animations, and a whole new recall to taunt your enemies with. Some Epic skins even have voice filters to help immerse players in their themes.
Epic skins essentially offer the best of both worlds: A new look you can feel proud to show off at a reasonable, budget-friendly price. Some excellent Epic skins include Arcade Hecarim and Spirit Blossom Yasuo.
This is where things start to become a splurge. Legendary skins are priced at 1820 RP and come with significantly upgraded features. In a Legendary skin, you’ll see a drastic transformation: We’re talking a whole new visually stunning character model, new animations, a new voice over, and killer sound effects. You’ll also be treated to some upgraded spammable emote designs and unique voice lines.
Some of my personal favorite Legendary skins include God-King Garen, High Noon Lucian, and Solar Eclipse Leona.
Before the release of Mythics and Transcendents — more on ‘em shortly — Ultimate skins were widely considered the best and splurgiest skins in the game.
They are priced at 3250 RP (except for Gun Goddess Miss Fortune), are packed with sophisticated details, and feature a unique transformative, evolutionary-like quality that helps elevate your gameplay experience. As an example, Elementalist Lux has several different forms that you can swap between as the game progresses.
Ultimate skins often feature fun bonus content; DJ Sona allows you to play actual music and turn the Rift into your personal disco stage.
Mythic skins are exclusive skins that players can typically only obtain with the rare Mythic Essence currency (ME) in the Mythic Store. They’re generally only available if they’re in rotation at the shop, making them extremely hard to come by, and they delve into more sophisticated (and flashier) themes. Many Mythic skins also bring in alternative lore, allowing players to experience champions in a whole new light.
Prestige skins are slightly upgraded versions of other skins that already exist in the game. Like Mythic skins, they’re harder to unlock than regular skins and have more of an exclusive appeal. They typically have a luxurious color touch-up — think golds and sparkles — to match. That said, Prestige skins do have a reputation for varying drastically in quality. Some, like Prestige Dragonmancer Rakan, look worse than their original skins.
Prestige skins can be unlocked in two different ways — either via the Mythic Shop when in rotation or during events with a Battle Pass.
Mythic Variants are another type of exclusive skin tier in League of Legends. Similar to Prestige editions, Mythic Variants essentially take an already existing skin and spruce it up a notch — they usually come with a new splash art, a recolored character model, and some slightly upgraded VFX. Mythic Variants are, however, a whole lot pricier.
You can obtain a Mythic Variant skin by using the Ancient Sparks currency in the Sanctum, and due to the gacha mechanic involved, you may have to spend over a hundred dollars to unlock one. In all honesty? Mythic Variants, while collectible, are extremely underwhelming as skins. I would never advise splurging on them. They’re essentially glorified chromas.
Exalted skins can also only be obtained through the Sanctum’s gacha system, but they’re even rarer than Mythic Variants due to a lower drop rate. The chance of dropping an Exalted skin on a gacha roll is 0.5% and you’re only guaranteed to get it after 80 rolls (which translates to roughly $400).
Exalted skins do bring more value though: They’re essentially exclusive “Ultimate” skins and provide significant upgrades and new transformative effects. In layman’s terms, these skins are all about luxury and… splurging for the sake of showing off your wallet.
Now, again, I can’t ever recommend spending this amount of money on an in-game skin. It’s a total cash grab and Riot isn’t hiding that fact.
Transcendent skins are content designed specifically for collectors. They are associated with real-life events, typically only available for purchase with RP, and so far, have only appeared as part of the Hall of Legends event.
A Transcendent skin comes with all the features of an Ultimate skin, including the transformative aspect during gameplay, and some extra gimmicky bonuses like a new emote and special sound effects on kills. You’re primarily paying for the rarity and collecting appeal, rather than the actual skin itself.
I won’t go into too much detail here, as again, the average player’s eyes would water (and burn) at the price of ‘em.
League’s skin tiers can be confusing, especially since the introduction of Exalted skins and the overhaul of the Mythic shop. However, as a player, you’ll generally be interested in the following skin types: Standard, Epic, Legendary, and Ultimate.
If you’re willing to splurge a little more, you can look at Mythic and Prestige skins, though Mythic Variants are when things become eye-wateringly extortionate, and splurging on them would border on insanity. Of course, this is just my take — you’re free to spend your money as you so desire!
What’s your favorite skin in League of Legends? And how do you feel about Riot charging hundreds for an in-game skin? Share your thoughts in our dedicated Discord group — we look forward to meeting you!
