Blood Moon Aatrox

First game I played with Blood Moon Aatrox was a late-night ranked session, maybe 1 AM on a Wednesday. Locked him in top lane against a Darius and immediately felt the difference. Not sure if it’s just me but the skin reads heavier than base Aatrox. The dark red armor, the oni mask, the whole demon warrior vibe. Felt like playing a completely different champ. Banger first impression.

What Blood Moon actually changes on Aatrox

So for 1350 RP you’re getting new VFX across the board and a new recall animation. Voice lines stay base, no new VO. Thats fine honestly because Ramon Tikaram’s performance on default Aatrox already goes hard enough.

The Q is where you notice it most. Each of the three casts leaves these blood-red slashes on the ground with dark energy particles swirling around the edges. In teamfights when you’re hitting Q sweetspots on three or four people the screen just lights up red. Clean visual feedback. The W chain pulls enemies with this crimson tether that feels more menacing than base. E dash leaves a dark trail behind you. Nothing crazy but it sells the Blood Moon fantasy.

Ult is the real showcase though. Been running this in Diamond and every time I pop World Ender the transformation hits different with the Blood Moon aesthetic. The wings spread out with this deep red glow and the whole model gets darker. Kinda feels like Riot designed Blood Moon Aatrox to be what his base skin should look like. The demon sword warrior identity just fits the Blood Moon skinline perfectly.

Recall animation has Aatrox performing this ritual with his blade. Short and clean. Nothing over the top like some Legendary recalls but it works for an Epic tier skin.

The Blood Moon line and release context

Blood Moon Aatrox dropped January 10, 2019. Right after the Aatrox rework had settled in and people were still figuring out the new kit. Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores nailed the splash art on this one. The composition with Aatrox holding the sword overhead against that blood-red moon backdrop is one of the better Blood Moon splashes in the entire line.

The Blood Moon skinline is one of Riot’s longest running themes. Goes back years. Shen, Kalista, Thresh, Akali all have Blood Moon skins. Aatrox slots in naturally because his whole champion identity already revolves around war and bloodshed. Some champs feel forced into Blood Moon but Aatrox? Perfect fit. (Random aside: the Blood Moon Aatrox splash has been my desktop wallpaper since season 9 I think or 10 dont remember.)

There’s 1 chroma available. The Paragon chroma shifts the color palette to a blue and purple scheme. Honestly not gonna lie, I prefer the base red version. The blue reads more like a Spirit Blossom skin than Blood Moon. But if you want variety its there.

Is Blood Moon Aatrox worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: this is top three Aatrox skins. Maybe top two. The VFX work carries it hard for an Epic. Played maybe 200 games with this skin across multiple seasons and it never gets old. The Q particles alone justify the price. Still in the shop, permanent availability, no vault nonsense.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. If you main Aatrox and you’re looking for something that matches his identity without going full Legendary price on Odyssey or Lunar Eclipse, Blood Moon Aatrox is the pick. Real talk though, if you’re climbing ranked and want that psychological edge in lane where your opponent respects your engage a little more, the Blood Moon aesthetic does something. Had a game last Tuesday where their Irelia literally walked away from a trade she would have won. Intimidation factor is real on the Rift.

Skip it only if you already own Lunar Eclipse. Otherwise this is the Aatrox skin if you can only own one at the Epic tier. Worth every RP for mains and one-tricks. Even for people who just pick Aatrox into specific comps, Blood Moon elevates the whole experience.