Pentakill III: The Lost Chapter Skins

Not gonna lie, Pentakill III: Lost Chapter might be the single best thematic event Riot pulled off in 2021. The whole thing came with an actual album, music videos, and a visual novel. Seven skins dropped at once, all Epic tier, all 1350 RP. Every member of the band got a fresh look that leaned harder into the metal fantasy than the original Pentakill line ever did. I remember logging in the day these hit live and just cycling through the splash arts for like ten minutes before I even queued up. The aesthetic here is dark, loud, and unapologetically over the top. Exactly what Pentakill should be.

What Sets Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Apart

The original Pentakill skins were cool for their time but lets be honest, they looked dated. Basic leather and spikes, minimal VFX changes, very 2012. Pentakill III: Lost Chapter took the concept and cranked everything to eleven. Literally.

Color palette is the first thing that hits you. Deep blacks, electric purples, neon greens, and these bursts of spectral flame that tie the whole roster together. Every champion in the line shares that ghostly concert-stage energy. The VFX across all seven skins have this consistent glow, like the abilities are powered by the music itself. Riot's VFX team cooked here. Not just recolors, actual particle redesigns that feel cohesive when you see multiple Lost Chapter skins in the same game.

Splash arts deserve their own mention. Each one looks like a metal album cover. Mordekaiser's splash in particular, with the guitar and the flames, thats wallpaper material. The composition across the set tells a story if you line them up side by side. Karthus front and center as the vocalist, Sona on keys, Olaf drumming, Kayle and Mordekaiser on guitars, Yorick on bass, and Viego as the new addition causing chaos. (Random aside: I had the Mordekaiser splash as my desktop background for like three months straight.)

What really separates this from similar "band" skinlines like K/DA or True Damage is the tone. Those lines lean pop and hip-hop. Lost Chapter goes full symphonic metal. The recall animations have stage pyrotechnics, the ability VFX have that distortion-pedal crunch to them visually. Even the homeguard animations feel like running out of the tunnel at a festival. Compared to Heartsteel which dropped later with a more modern vibe, Pentakill III stays in its lane. Pure metal. No compromise.

Could be wrong here but I think this is also one of the few skinlines where every single skin is the same tier. All seven at Epic, all 1350 RP. No Legendary carrying the line, no 975 RP budget picks dragging it down. Consistent quality across the board.

Best Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Skins

Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Mordekaiser is the standout. Full stop. The iron revenant already has the heavy metal aesthetic baked into his base kit, so giving him a literal guitar and stage presence just works on every level. His Q slam has this purple shockwave that reads like a power chord. The passive aura looks like a mosh pit. Been spamming this in ranked since it dropped and I still think it's the best Mordekaiser skin in the game. Maybe tied with Dark Star but for completely different reasons.

Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Karthus is the other S-tier pick from this set. Karthus as the lead vocalist of a metal band is peak character design. His ult in this skin, the Requiem channel, has these spectral music notes and concert lighting effects that make it feel genuinely epic every time you press R. In teamfights when you're channeling from the backline, your team actually notices. Had a jungler type "sick ult animation" in chat last season during a dragon fight. Small things.

Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Kayle surprised me. Kinda feels like Kayle skins are hit or miss generally, but this one nails the guitar-wielding angel look. Her evolved forms at levels 6, 11, and 16 each add more concert flair. By level 16 she's basically a flying light show. The waves on her E autos have this purple energy trail that's super satisfying to cs with.

Sona's entry in the line is solid. Not the flashiest but the keyboard/synth integration into her abilities makes thematic sense. Her W heal has these soundwave ripples that look clean in lane. Real talk though, if you're a Sona one-trick you probably already own DJ Sona which is a whole tier above in terms of effort. Lost Chapter Sona is still good for the price.

Olaf and Yorick round out the roster. Olaf as the drummer translates well into his berserker playstyle. His axes have that spectral flame. Yorick with a bass guitar summoning ghouls that look like undead groupies is genuinely funny and fits his necromancer fantasy. Neither is the best skin for their respective champion but both are strong picks at 1350 RP.

The Champion Roster

Seven champions. Olaf, Kayle, Karthus, Sona, Mordekaiser, Yorick, and the newcomer Viego. The first six are the classic Pentakill lineup from the original skins, which is a nice touch for continuity. Viego joining makes sense narratively since his whole deal in 2021 was inserting himself into everything during the Ruination event.

Might be overthinking it but Viego's skin here, Dissonance of Pentakill Viego, has a slightly different naming convention than the others. "Dissonance of Pentakill" instead of "Pentakill III: Lost Chapter." This tracks with his role as the antagonist in the visual novel. He's not really part of the band, he's the threat to it. His skin reflects that with a more chaotic, corrupted version of the shared aesthetic. Played maybe 30 games with it back in season 11 and the blade VFX on his Q passive hits different from base.

Thematic fit across the board is strong. Mordekaiser and Karthus were born for this. Kayle works as the shredding angel. Sona on keys is obvious. Yorick's bass player energy is underrated. Olaf drumming while he goes berserk in fights just clicks. Nobody in this lineup feels forced, which is rare for a seven-skin drop. Compare that to some Star Guardian batches where you can tell they picked champions for popularity rather than fit.

Who should Riot add if they ever do Pentakill IV? Been thinking about this since 2021 honestly. Thresh with a microphone stand could work. Aatrox on second guitar. Maybe Jhin as a guest vocalist since he's all about performance. (Sidebar for metal fans: imagine Jhin's four-shot passive synced to a 4/4 time signature. Riot please.)

Tier and Price Breakdown

Every single skin in the Pentakill III: Lost Chapter line is Epic tier at 1350 RP. All seven. No Legendary, no budget options, no Prestige editions. This is unusual for Riot. Most skinline drops have at least one Legendary anchor at 1820 RP to headline the event.

Fair warning, some people see "no Legendary" and assume the line is mid. Wrong take. The consistent Epic quality here means you're getting new models, new VFX, new recall animations, and new sound effects across the board. Voice lines stay base for all of them, which is the one area where a Legendary would have elevated things. Imagine Mordekaiser with metal-themed voice lines. Missed opportunity.

At 1350 RP each, buying the full set runs you 9450 RP. Back in 2021 there was a bundle deal, dont remember the exact discount but it was significant. If you're the type who locks in multiple Pentakill champions depending on role, the bundle made sense. For most players though, grabbing 2-3 favorites is the move. Mordekaiser and Karthus are the must-haves. Third pick depends on who you actually play in ranked.

Price feels fair for what you get. These are above-average Epics. The shared thematic cohesion, the album tie-in, the visual novel, all of that adds value beyond the individual skin quality. Riot put real effort into this event.