Dark Star Malphite

First game I played with this skin was around 3 AM on a Tuesday, solo queue, and I remember thinking the ult animation alone justified the purchase. Dark Star Malphite turns the rock into a collapsing singularity and it just works. Been running this in Diamond for a few seasons now and it still feels fresh every time I lock in Malphite for a tank comp.

What Dark Star Malphite actually brings to the table

So the whole model gets a cosmic horror rework. Malphite’s body is basically a chunk of collapsed star matter, dark purple and black with these swirling galaxy textures baked into the surface. The head looks like a dying nebula. Genuinely unsettling design compared to the goofy rock we’re used to.

VFX are where this skin earns its keep. Q sends out a dark matter projectile that trails void particles. Looks clean in lane and the speed steal visual is way more readable than base. W ground slam has this gravitational pulse effect, purple shockwave rings expanding outward. Not gonna lie, the W feels more impactful just because of how the VFX sell the hit.

E is solid. Dark energy cracks spread from the impact point. Nothing crazy but it fits the theme without cluttering up teamfights. The real star is R though. Unstoppable Force becomes this black hole rush where Malphite launches as a literal collapsing star. The impact zone gets that signature Dark Star distortion effect, warping the ground texture for a second. Hit a 4-man ult in dragon pit last week and my support pinged the skin in chat. Worth.

Recall animation has Malphite pulling in cosmic debris and forming a miniature galaxy between his hands before crushing it. Short and clean. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for an Epic at this price point.

The Dark Star line and where Malphite fits

Dark Star released March 26, 2020. Season 10 if I remember right, around the time everyone was spamming Malphite top after the rework buffs. Lucas Parolin and West Studio handled the splash, and they nailed the cosmic dread vibe. The splash has Malphite mid-descent with galaxies breaking apart behind him. Banger piece.

The Dark Star skinline is one of Riot’s strongest. Thresh, Kha’Zix, Jarvan, Mordekaiser – the roster is stacked. Malphite fits naturally because his kit is all about massive impact, and the cosmic destruction theme amplifies that fantasy. Kinda feels like the skin was designed around the R animation first and everything else followed.

No chromas on this one. Zero. Surprising for a 2020 Epic but the Prestige version exists separately so maybe thats why Riot skipped them. Shop has it for 1350 RP, permanent availability.

Is Dark Star Malphite worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: this is a top three Malphite skin. Maybe top two. The VFX quality punches above its tier honestly. I think for pure gameplay feel, the R animation alone makes laning and teamfighting more satisfying. You know that dopamine hit when you flash R the backline and the screen warps? Yeah.

(Random aside: I used the Dark Star Malphite splash as my Discord avatar for like six months straight and nobody questioned it. The art is that good.)

Could be wrong here but I think this edges out Odyssey Malphite for best Epic skin on the champion. Odyssey has the chromas and the fun theme, but Dark Star commits harder to a single aesthetic and executes it cleaner. Mecha Malphite is the other competitor but that one’s showing its age at this point.

Been maining Malphite with this skin through two ranked seasons now. Still havent switched back to anything else for more than a game or two. The 1350 RP feels fair for what you get – new VFX on every ability, strong recall, cohesive theme. If you play Malphite in any role, top or support or even the occasional jungle clear game in norms, this is the one to grab. Skip it only if you’re saving for the Prestige version specifically. For everyone else climbing on the rock, Dark Star is the pick. S-tier Malphite cosmetic, simple as that.