Crimson Elite Talon

First time I saw Crimson Elite Talon in a loading screen I thought someone was running a custom skin. Not because it looks bad, just because it’s one of those skins that barely shows up in ranked. Been playing Talon on and off since season 3 and I think I’ve seen this one maybe four times total in my Diamond games. Rare pick. Not because its hard to get, just because people forget it exists.

The Crimson Elite look on Talon

This is a Standard tier skin at 750 RP so set expectations accordingly. No new VFX, no new animations, base voice lines stay. What you get is a full model swap and honestly for a 2011 skin thats about what you’d expect.

Talon trades his usual purple assassin gear for a red and black military outfit. Think spec-ops meets Noxian high command. The blade arm gets a sleeker redesign, more refined than the base skin’s jagged look. Could be wrong here but the cape feels slightly different in how it flows during his E, though that might just be the color contrast playing tricks.

The red and black palette reads cleanly on the Rift. During teamfights your Q proc and R blades still use default particles, so the gameplay feel doesnt change at all. Voice pack is base only. No new recall animation either since this dropped before Riot started doing custom recalls for anything below Legendary.

Real talk though, the model holds up better than a lot of 2011 skins. Talon got his visual update and the Crimson Elite outfit translated well through it. The silhouette in lane is distinct enough that your opponent knows you’re not running default, which is really all you need from a skin at this price point.

Crimson Elite and where this skin fits

Crimson Elite Talon released August 24, 2011. Early days. Season 1 era, back when the champion pool was half what it is now and Talon was still relatively new to the Rift.

The Crimson Elite skinline is a small one. Riven also got a Crimson Elite skin. Military black-ops Noxian theme, very grounded compared to the cosmic and mythic stuff Riot pumps out now. (Random aside: the Crimson Elite splash has this cool propaganda poster vibe that I low-key wish Riot would revisit for more champions.)

No chromas available for this one. Shop has it for 750 RP permanently, so you can grab it whenever. Not locked behind any vault rotation or event pass.

Should you pick up Crimson Elite Talon?

Okay, the real question. If you’re a Talon one-trick looking for variety in your skin rotation, Crimson Elite is a solid budget option. 750 RP is basically nothing and the military aesthetic gives Talon a different vibe from his flashier skins like Dragonblade or Blood Moon.

I ran this skin exclusively for about two weeks last March just to switch things up. Felt clean in lane, the model didn’t distract from gameplay, and the dark red pops nicely against Summoner’s Rift especially on the blue side. Kinda feels like the skin Talon would actually wear if he was doing official Noxian work instead of freelancing.

Skip it if you already own Enduring Sword or Withered Rose. Those are objectively better executions with actual new VFX and particles. But if you’re early in your Talon collection or you appreciate the no-frills military look, 750 RP feels fair for what you get. Not the best Talon skin full stop, but it earns its spot. Been spamming Talon in Diamond this split and I keep this one in rotation for when I want something understated. Simple change – huge impact on how the champion reads in game.