Bladecraft Orianna

First time I saw Bladecraft Orianna in a loading screen I thought someone modded the game. The Ball looks like it was ripped straight out of a sci-fi horror movie, all jagged edges and sharp metal plating. Played maybe 30 games with it that first week. Couldn’t stop.

The Ball gets a serious upgrade

Real talk though, the main selling point here is what they did to the Ball. Standard Orianna has this elegant clockwork sphere floating around. Bladecraft turns it into something that actually looks dangerous. Sharp metallic fins, darker color palette, the whole thing reads like a weapon instead of a toy. In lane you notice it immediately.

Orianna herself gets a full model rework too. The dress becomes more armored, almost insectoid. Her legs have these blade-like extensions and her face mask goes from porcelain doll to something closer to a predator. Not sure if it’s just me but she looks taller in this skin. Might be the angular silhouette playing tricks.

VFX got touched up which is rare for a 975 RP Standard tier skin from 2012. The Q command has a darker trail when the Ball moves, the W zone pulse looks more metallic. Her E shield has this cool industrial shimmer to it. Nothing crazy like a Legendary overhaul but for the price point its solid work. The R shockwave keeps that satisfying pull animation but with a slightly different color read. In teamfights when you’re hitting a five-man ult the darker particles actually help you track the zone better than base Orianna.

(Random aside: I’ve used this skin’s splash as my Discord avatar for two seasons straight and nobody has questioned it.)

Where Bladecraft fits in Orianna’s lineup

Released February 29, 2012. Leap day skin, technically. Part of the Legacy skinline which is a bit of a catch-all for older cosmetics that dont fit neatly into a themed collection. Shop has it for 975 RP which puts it in Standard territory.

No new voice lines here. Voice stays default. For a skin from early season 2, that’s expected. Been maining Orianna on and off since season 4 and honestly the base VO works fine with this aesthetic. The cold mechanical delivery matches the blade theme better than you’d think.

No chromas available either. What you see is what you get. Could be wrong here but I think this skin came out before Riot even had the chroma system, and they never went back to add any. Zero recall animation changes, standard back animation plays.

Back around late 2019 I think, maybe season 10, I ran into three Bladecraft Oriannas in one night of Diamond ranked. Felt like the skin had a mini-revival after some streamer featured it. The mid lane specifically seemed to have a surge of Orianna one-tricks that patch.

Should you pick up Bladecraft Orianna?

Verdict time. For 975 RP this is one of the better value Orianna skins. The model change is significant enough that it feels like a different champion in game. Overpriced compared to some newer 975 skins that get full VFX and recall animations? Maybe. But the design itself holds up surprisingly well for something over a decade old.

If you’re an Orianna main climbing through ranked and you want something that looks aggressive without dropping 1350 or 1820 RP, Bladecraft Orianna is the pick. Available any time in the shop. Skip it if you already own Dark Star or Pool Party though, those offer more bang for the RP. For everyone else who plays Orianna in their comp as a poke and teamfight mid, this skin reads clean on the Rift and the Ball tracking feels slightly easier with the darker VFX. Worth it for mains. Decent pickup for anyone else.