The League of Legends Empyrean skins look like they’ve walked straight out of Tron’s Grid, but it turns out the cosmetics have already undergone several changes before being pushed live in Riot Games’ classic MOBA. Don’t worry, though, the map still changes when Pyke ults enemy players. Collective sigh of relief.
K’Sante and Zed are the only Empyrean warriors walking away without fixes, as Jax, Jhin, Lux, Pyke, Vex, and Zac’s new looks have all been reworked in some way.
Pyke probably has the most substantial changes, but thankfully that stunning Rift-dominating R animation remains the same. Instead, he has a unique homeguard animation when speeding out of the fountain, and his autoattacks, Bone Skewer, and Ghostwater Dive all have new, more haunting SFX. Additionally, Riot have upped the volume of his dance, which is clearly the most important change in this whole article.
Jhin’s skin is also getting a few quality of life updates. His fourth shot’s VFX have been extended for easier readability in-game, and is now much louder. His E’s volume has also been increased, and he now has a snazzier reload that’s more in-keeping with the skin’s otherworldly aesthetic.
Jax, Lux, Vex, and Zac’s changes are a little less impactful. Jax’s pink ‘clown nose’ has been reduced in size to be a little less obnoxious, and some colour changes to Lux’s Q and Vex’s empowered abilities make them a little more legible. With Zac, his passive globules have been adjusted to fall more in line with the skin itself, and again have been made more vibrant.
You can see all of the changes in action in Terty’s video below, with timestamps for each champion.
The Empyrean skins will release on November 3 alongside K’Sante, so it’s likely that Riot are simply making a few adjustments in advance. I personally can’t wait to pick up Empyrean Pyke because, in my humble opinion, the ult VFX make it one of the most unique skins in the game. Get ready folks, I’ll be back in the botlane missing hooks and taking names in no time.
While you wait, be sure to check out our interview with Riot about K’Sante being queer, black, and proud. You can also work out how much you’ve spent on League of Legends if you fancy torturing yourself.