Aatrox Skins

Aatrox has one of the more satisfying skin catalogs in League if you ask me. Been maining him on and off since his rework back in season 8, and the guy went from having maybe two skins worth looking at to a genuinely stacked collection. 12 skins total now with Primordian dropping in 2024. Not every one is a banger but the highs are high. Real high. The kind of skins that make you feel like locking in Aatrox even when your team needs an AP top.

How Aatrox's Skin Collection Shaped Up Over the Years

Aatrox launched back in 2013 with Justicar as his release skin. Simpler times. The original model looked rough by today's standards and honestly Justicar wasnt much better. Just a palette swap with some gold and white tones slapped on the old kit. After the full rework in 2018 though, Riot started giving him serious attention.

12 skins spanning from 2013 to 2024. That's a solid catalog for a champion who spent years in design limbo. The tier breakdown tells the story pretty well: 3 Standard skins from the early days, 5 Epics that form the bulk of the collection, 3 Mythic prestige variants, and one Legendary. Could be wrong here but I think the ratio of quality to quantity is actually better than most bruisers get.

The early skins (Justicar, Sea Hunter) feel like relics. Functional but nothing you'd pick over the newer stuff. Mecha Aatrox was the first one that made me stop and actually consider buying. Then Blood Moon dropped and that became the default for like two full seasons in my ranked games. The prestige versions pushed it further.

What I appreciate about the catalog is the variety. You got the holy warrior aesthetic with Justicar, full mech fantasy with Mecha, the ritualistic Blood Moon vibe, military sci-fi from Odyssey, dark celestial energy from Lunar Eclipse, and whatever eldritch horror Primordian is going for. Each one feels distinct. No two Aatrox skins blur together in my head which is more than I can say for some champions with 15+ skins where half of them look the same.

(random aside: Victorious Aatrox exists too but good luck getting that one if you weren't Gold+ in season 9)

Best Skins for Aatrox

Kinda feels like this is where opinions get spicy. Everyone has their Aatrox skin and they'll fight you over it.

Primordian Aatrox sits at the top for me. Full Legendary at 1820 RP with new voice lines, completely reworked animations, and VFX that make every Q sweetspot feel disgusting in the best way. The model transforms him into this biomechanical nightmare and the sound design on his W is something else. Played maybe 40 games with it last split and the Q3 slam has this wet organic crunch that just hits different. The recall animation alone is worth half the price.

Not gonna lie, Blood Moon Aatrox held the crown for years before Primordian showed up. The thematic fit is perfect. Aatrox is a war god trapped in a sword who possesses bodies and the Blood Moon line is literally about demonic entities and dark rituals. His Q slams leave these crimson marks on the ground and the ult transformation with the Blood Moon mask goes hard. The prestige versions (both the original and the 2022 rerelease) add gold accents that work surprisingly well against the deep reds.

Lunar Eclipse Aatrox is the sleeper pick that doesnt get enough credit. Part of the Eclipse skinline which gave us some of Riot's cleanest visual work. Dark purple and silver tones, celestial VFX on his abilities, and an ult form that makes him look like a fallen cosmic entity. Been running this in Diamond this season when I want something cleaner than Blood Moon but not as visually busy as Primordian.

Mecha Aatrox at 1350 RP is the value king. Full mech suit, jet engine sounds on his E dash, robotic voice filter. The Q animations have these hydraulic slam effects. For an Epic tier skin it punches way above. Spammed this back in season 10 I think and it still holds up.

DRX Aatrox deserves a mention for the Worlds 2022 line. Deft's championship skin. The white and blue DRX colors work on Aatrox's silhouette and there's something satisfying about wearing a Worlds skin into ranked. The Prestige DRX variant adds the gold treatment. Real talk though, the base DRX version looks cleaner than the prestige in my opinion.

Skinlines and Where Aatrox Fits

Aatrox appears across 8 different skinlines and some fit him way better than others. Thats just how it goes with a champion whose entire identity is "apocalyptic sword demon."

Blood Moon is the natural home. Everything about Aatrox's lore (ancient darkin, body possession, war and slaughter) maps perfectly onto the Blood Moon universe. The ritual masks, the crimson aesthetic, the demonic overtones. Perfect match. Might be overthinking it but I genuinely believe Blood Moon Aatrox is one of the best thematic fits in the entire game.

Eclipse works almost as well. The cosmic horror angle plays into Aatrox's god-complex and his whole "I was once divine" backstory. Lunar Eclipse specifically captures that fallen deity energy. The darker palette suits his kit visually too since you're slamming a massive sword into the ground repeatedly.

Mecha is a fun departure. Takes him completely out of his fantasy and drops him into a Pacific Rim scenario. Normally I'm not big on mech skins for melee champions but Aatrox's oversized sword translates well into a giant robot blade.

Odyssey gave him a solid sci-fi take. Not my favorite but it works. The Bilgewater Sea Hunter skin from the Burning Tides event feels like the weakest thematic fit honestly. Pirate Aatrox just doesnt land for me. (sidebar: the splash art is decent though, credit where its due)

Primordian is its own beast. Biopunk eldritch horror that feels like Aatrox consumed something he shouldn't have. The skinline is newer and Riot went experimental with the designs. Fits Aatrox's consume-everything personality.

Budget vs Premium: What's Worth Your RP

Price range across Aatrox's catalog runs from 750 RP up to 1820 RP for Primordian. The Mythic prestige skins are special currency only so those are a different conversation.

If you're climbing ranked and just want a good skin without dropping serious RP, Mecha Aatrox at 1350 is the answer. No question. The VFX changes are significant, the model is completely different from base, and it feels premium despite the Epic price tag. Had this as my only Aatrox skin for two seasons straight and never felt like I was missing out.

Blood Moon at 1350 is the other strong Epic option. More thematically fitting than Mecha if you care about that sort of thing. Between the two its really just preference. Mecha for sci-fi, Blood Moon for dark fantasy.

The Standard tier skins (Justicar at 975, Sea Hunter at 750) are tough to recommend in 2024. They got updated with the rework but still feel dated compared to the Epics. Sea Hunter is the cheapest Aatrox skin you can buy and it shows. Not terrible. Just outclassed.

For the premium route, Primordian at 1820 RP earns its Legendary price. New VO, new animations, the full package. Worth it if you main Aatrox. Maybe not if you play him once every 30 games in your ranked rotation. Fair warning, once you play with Primordian's Q sound effects going back to base feels hollow.

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