It might be hard to believe, but League of Legends has been around since October of 2009. The free-to-play game has since released what feels like hundreds of skins for its ever-increasing champion pool. While some like the Star Guardian and Urf lines stand out, they aren’t quite cool or intimidating.
After all, other players might see Dunkmaster Darius and be like “nice skin bruv”, but they’ll only fear you if you can get some double-decker dunder kills. Other fan-favorites like Gentleman Cho’Gath also don’t make the cut because, though indeed spiffy, the model is dated in comparison to new skins from the PROJECT, Arclight, and other skin lines. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 coolest skins in League of Legends.
This article includes legacy skins that may no longer be available for purchase on the League of Legends store.
10 Pool Party Renekton
This top lane-loving crocodilian out of Egyptian myth is a water creature by nature. So when Riot Games debuted his Pool Party skin, fans were naturally ecstatic. But no one knew just how iconic the lifeguard skin would prove to be.
The champion has seen high-level and pro play a great deal over the years. And way back in 2013 when the skin came out, that was no exception. YouTuber LiBrizzi showcases just why people have so much fun with the champion. CW: language and excessive chair jumps.
9 Zombie Brand
Brand isn’t exactly a popular champion these days; no one reaches for the firestarter for ranked play. His skillset takes some learning and specific itemization or matchups to fully utilize. But this legacy skin pushed Brand toward the top tier for a hot minute.
It features entirely new effects and emotes, as well as the dance from Michael Jackson’s iconic video for “Thriller”. Despite Brand’s lower-tier standing, this skin is a fun one to bust out for ARAMs or normal matches with friends.
8 Spirit Blossom Thresh
As a part of the Spirit Blossom event, Riot debuted a host of themed skins including this one for Thresh. Curiously, it shows Thresh in a somewhat human form and players could chat with the arbiter of death in a LoL client mini-game.
Though written as a Dream Daddy character, the skin is more fearsome than its origins might suggest. The particle effects are also quite choice and fans just vibed with this aesthetic from the get-go. Along with Thresh’s many other fantastic skins, this stands out as one of the coolest.
7 AstroNautilus
Ahh yes, the dark days of League of Legends when Dominion was still a thing. This epically cool skin for the anchor wielder released the same year as Pool Party Renekton (2012). It featured some of the most surprising traits of skins to that point.
Beyond a recolor, the emote was doubly hilarious since it now has Nautilus literally swimming through space in a spacesuit. The skin also has a reactive helmet that makes a cute face when Nautilus laughs. Though the skin received a graphical update in 2015, it remains pretty much the same as it was at launch.
6 Forecast Janna
Along with Primetime Draven – another fan-favorite, Forecast Janna whirled straight into the hearts of fans. The skin release came at a great time for Janna, too, in terms of her placement in competitive meta. She used to be one of the go-to supports for many professional teams.
Despite her falling from that pedestal, the skin remains one of LoL’s best. The details on the reporter outfit and microphone, the wind-blown umbrella, and the glasses all drive the joke home. Plus, the voice actor’s excellent performance just makes the skin a treat to have in any match.
5 Final Boss Veigar
Veigar is a simple champion; you just keep building AP and press R to obliterate your mid-lane competition. But great power comes at a great cost to the tune of 1820 RP for this 8-bit inspired skin. Many fans felt (and still feel) that it’s one of the coolest skins in the game.
After all, the skin saw almost a total rework of Veigar’s animations, particle effects, and emotes. He has that Power Glove, this adorable launch trailer from 2014, and tons of classic video game references. He also references an obscure moment in Shakespeare’s Hamlet for some reason.
4 Special Forces Gangplank
Gangplank, the surly high seas pirate captain, saw a rework a few years back. Since then, he’s enjoyed consistent competitive play and his own ARAM theme. This skin for him released in 2012 and has only gotten better with time.
The commando theme didn’t change too much about the champion apart from art changes and animation changes. Some fans noted the similarity to Big Boss from the Metal Gear Solid series. The skin’s stealth qualities are appealing, but it’s calling in the air strike that really feels cool.
3 Arcade Hecarim
The affectionately nicknamed “rainbow pony” released in 2013 for 1350 RP and saw tons of love when it first came out. The Guitar Hero style weapon paired with the mecha-rainbow unicorn design was a total home run with LoL players.
In the same vein as Arcade Sona and subsequent skins in this line, Arcade Hecarim had new animations, particle effects, and sounds. Though the horse reaper doesn’t get as much play as he used to, the skin remains one of the coolest Riot has ever released. However, Hecarim’s not the only horse in the game now.
2 DJ Sona (RIP Daftpunk)
Speaking of Sona, that brings us to one of the best skins ever released across any video game probably ever. As many fans know, Sona doesn’t speak to anyone else and only emits various sounds. This skin amps that trait up to 11 with all-new animations, sounds, and movements to go with Sona’s various abilities.
She also dances to the beats she puts out while head-bopping at other times. Now that Daftpunk has sadly called it quits, perhaps the DJ Sona skin will see a resurgence in popularity in their honor.
1 High Noon Yasuo
Some fans might shake their heads at this thinking, “Nah, the PROJECT: Yasuo skin is WAY better.” Those fans are also try-hards who can’t break out of gold. All jokes aside, many fans do prefer this western-themed skin to Yasuo’s many other, admittedly, excellent skin options.
This one just has so much panache and detail work to it. And no one can deny the romantic idea behind a cowboy samurai. His animations are also just really smooth; plus, his sword becomes a gun. Know what’s cooler than a sword? A gun-sword. At least, that’s what Squall Leonhart would have people believe.
