Dreadnova Skins

Dreadnova is one of those skinlines that feels like Riot had a wild concept meeting, pitched "space pirates and intergalactic warlords," and then just... stopped at two skins. Been playing since season 4 and I remember when Dreadnova Gangplank showed up in 2017. The sci-fi military aesthetic hit different. Heavy armor plating, dark red energy cores, mechanical limbs. Felt like someone dropped a Warhammer 40K officer into the Rift. Two skins deep and the line still has this raw presence that bigger skinlines cant always pull off.

What Sets Dreadnova Apart on the Rift

Not gonna lie, Dreadnova has one of the most distinct visual identities in League for a line this small. The whole concept leans into this space-military dictator vibe. Think heavy black and gunmetal armor with glowing red or orange energy running through every piece. The VFX across both skins share that core palette: dark base tones punctuated by hot energy bursts.

The splashes tell the story better than I can. Both Gangplank and Darius look like they command fleets, not lanes. There's this consistent design language where mechanical augmentation meets raw brute force. Gangplank's got a cybernetic arm cannon. Darius is basically a space marine with his axe replaced by something that looks like it could cut through a hull. The shared elements tie them together even though the champions play completely different roles.

Kinda feels like Riot pulled from multiple sci-fi sources here. You get Starcraft vibes, some Borderlands energy, maybe a touch of Dead Space in the darker details. The color grading on both splashes sits in this warm-industrial zone. Oranges and reds against cold metal. Most skinlines go full bright or full dark. Dreadnova lives in that middle ground where everything feels heated and pressurized.

(Random aside: I used the Dreadnova Gangplank splash as my Discord avatar for like eight months in 2018 and people kept asking if it was from a different game.)

Compare it to something like PROJECT or Mecha and the difference is clear. Those lines lean clean and futuristic. Dreadnova is grimy, battle-worn, industrial. The armor has dents and scoring. The energy sources look unstable. It reads more like a faction that's been fighting across star systems for decades, not a polished tech demo. That lived-in quality is what makes it stick.

Best Dreadnova Skins Worth Locking In

With only two skins this is less of a ranking and more of a comparison. But there's a clear winner and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

Dreadnova Darius is the crown jewel. Full stop. This is a Mythic tier skin which means you're not just buying it off the shop shelf. You need Gemstones or Mythic Essence to get it, and honestly? It earns that status. The axe redesign alone carries the skin. Every auto attack and ability feels heavier with the mechanical overlay. His Q sweep has this industrial slam energy to it. The dunk on his ult looks like an orbital strike. Been spamming Darius in Diamond during slower patches and Dreadnova is always the lock-in when I want to feel like I'm ending careers from orbit.

Could be wrong here but I think the Darius skin gets overlooked because of the Mythic gating. Most people in my ranked games havent seen it. Maybe three times all last season in Diamond. When it does show up in loading screen though, you notice. The model is bulkier than base Darius, the proportions feel more imposing in lane. Played against one last Thursday night and even knowing the hitboxes are identical, the E pull felt wider. Placebo for sure, but thats the mark of good visual design.

Dreadnova Gangplank sits at Epic tier, 1350 RP, and it's a solid skin for the price. The barrel explosions got the sci-fi treatment with energy detonations instead of standard powder kegs. His Q fires what looks like a plasma round. The W orange eat animation... okay it's still an orange, but the rest of the kit translates well into the space pirate fantasy. Not sure if it's just me but the auto attack sound on this skin feels crunchier than default GP. Could be confirmation bias from 200+ games on it.

Real talk though, if you're a Gangplank main you've got competition from Captain Gangplank, Special Forces, and the newer stuff. Dreadnova holds its own on pure aesthetic but the newer Epic skins have smoother animations. For Darius mains the competition barely matters because Dreadnova sits in Mythic territory where your options are limited anyway, and it dominates that space.

The Dreadnova Champion Roster

Two champions. Gangplank and Darius. That's the entire Dreadnova roster as of 2024 and honestly it's been this way since 2017. Seven years. No additions.

Both picks make sense thematically. Gangplank is a pirate, so space pirate is a natural extension. Darius is a military commander, so intergalactic warlord fits like a glove. The champion selection here wasnt random. Riot picked two bruiser-adjacent characters who already have that commanding presence and just amplified it through sci-fi.

Maybe just my experience but I've always thought Dreadnova was begging for more champions. Swain would be perfect. Military strategist, already has that dictator energy, his demon aesthetic could translate into some kind of alien symbiote situation. Urgot is another obvious candidate. He's already half-machine, give him the full Dreadnova treatment and you've got a walking siege tank. Sion too. Big undead juggernaut turned into an undead space juggernaut. Writes itself.

The fact that it stayed at two skins tells me Riot probably considered Dreadnova a one-off experiment. Maybe it didn't sell well enough to justify expansion. Maybe the design space felt too narrow. Either way, two champions is all we got and both of them earned their spot.

(Sidebar: I asked about Dreadnova expansion in a Riot Q&A thread on Reddit back in season 8 and got zero response. Classic.)

Tier Breakdown and Pricing

Simple math here. One Epic at 1350 RP, one Mythic that requires Mythic Essence. The price range is technically just 1350 RP for what you can actually buy in the shop, since Darius lives behind the Mythic crafting system.

Dreadnova Gangplank at 1350 RP is standard Epic pricing. You get new model, new VFX, new SFX, new recall animation. Standard package for the tier and Gangplank delivers on all of those fronts. Fair price for what you get.

Dreadnova Darius being Mythic means the barrier to entry is higher. You're spending Mythic Essence which could go toward other Mythic skins. The opportunity cost is real. But if Darius is your champion, if you're grinding ranked with him every session, the Mythic investment hits different than spending it on a champion you play twice a month. I've seen people burn their Essence on flashy Mythics for champions they barely touch. Dont do that. Spend it on your mains.

No Legendaries in the line. No Ultimates. The tier ceiling is Mythic and the floor is Epic. For a two-skin line that's actually a decent spread. You've got one accessible option and one prestige option. Covers both the casual buyer and the collector.

Thing is, the Epic tier does the heavy lifting for accessibility. Most players who want Dreadnova representation in their collection will grab Gangplank because it's right there in the shop. Permanent availability. The Darius skin is the chase piece, the flex in loading screen that says you committed resources to it. Both tiers serve their purpose.