Empyrean Brand

First game I loaded this up was a late night ranked session, maybe 1 AM on a Wednesday. Locked in Brand support into some poke lane and immediately noticed the color shift. Empyrean Brand trades the usual fire-and-brimstone palette for this deep cosmic purple energy that honestly caught me off guard. Been playing Brand on and off since season 7 and nothing in his skin catalog feels quite like this one. The Empyrean line hits different on him.

How the VFX actually feel in game

So the big selling point here is the particle overhaul. Every ability got the Empyrean treatment. Q throws out this swirling violet-blue bolt that reads cleaner than base Brand’s fireball, at least in my Diamond games where visual clarity matters during teamfights. W drops a cosmic rift circle instead of the standard pillar of flame. Looks sick. The E spread keeps that chain-lightning energy but with the purple Empyrean glow threading between targets.

Not gonna lie, the R bounce is where it shines hardest. Watching the pyroclasm hop through a clumped backline with those cosmic trails is satisfying every single time. Played maybe 40 games with this skin last season and the ult VFX never got old.

Recall animation is new too. Brand channels some kind of Empyrean portal energy before warping out. Clean but not over the top. Voice lines stay base, no VO refresh on this one. Standard for an Epic tier skin at 1350 RP so thats expected. The model itself swaps Brand’s molten rock body for a sleek cosmic-armored look with flowing energy patterns across the chest and arms.

The Empyrean line and release context

Empyrean dropped May 1, 2024. Mid-season 14. Roanna Peroz and Kudos Productions handled the artwork, and they captured Brand’s aggression while layering in that ethereal Empyrean vibe. The splash has Brand suspended in cosmic energy with his arms spread wide. (Random aside: the splash actually goes hard as a desktop wallpaper, been using it since patch day.)

The Empyrean skinline started with champions like Jhin and K’Sante back in 2022 if I remember right. Brand joining the roster in 2024 felt natural. Fire mage channeling cosmic energy instead of regular flames. The theme translates well because Brand’s kit is already about spreading damage through a teamfight, and the Empyrean particles just give it a different visual identity.

9 chromas total. Tanzanite is probably my favorite, the deep purple leans harder into the cosmic mage fantasy. Neon Facade does something wild with red and green contrast that shouldnt work but somehow does in game. Pearl goes the opposite direction, almost bleached-white energy that reads like a completely different skin. Could be wrong here but I think Pearl Brand might be the cleanest chroma in the entire set.

Is Empyrean Brand worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX across every ability, new recall, solid model update. You’re not getting new voice lines or a transforming mechanic, but no Epic skin does. For Brand mains specifically this sits comfortably in the top three alongside Spirit Fire and Zombie Brand.

Kinda feels like Brand has been sleeping on good skins for years and then Riot dropped Debonair and Empyrean back to back. If you play Brand support or Brand mid in ranked, this is worth the lock-in. The ability particles read well against the Rift, the chromas give you options, and the overall package is solid. Shop has it, permanent availability. Might be overthinking it but I genuinely think this edges out Spirit Fire for second best Brand skin behind Zombie. That ranked game where my Kayn inted 0/7 and I still carried with Empyrean Brand passive procs burning their whole comp – yeah, the skin just feels right. Worth 1350 if you main Brand.