Dark Star Orianna

First time I saw Dark Star Orianna load in, I thought someone modded their client. The Ball looks like a collapsing star and the whole model just reads different from anything else in her skin pool. Been running this in Diamond for a solid chunk of season 7 through now and it still holds up. Not gonna lie, this might be the skin that made me an Orianna main.

How the Ball Actually Looks on Rift

The VFX overhaul here is legit for an Epic tier skin. Her Q sends the Ball out trailing dark matter particles, this deep purple and black energy that pops hard against Summoner’s Rift green. W creates a gravitational burst effect around the Ball. Looks like a miniature black hole pulling everything inward before the damage hits. Played maybe 40 games last month and the W animation still catches my eye every teamfight.

E shield is where it gets interesting. The Ball attaches with these cosmic tethers and the shield visual wraps your ally in dark energy. Makes it really obvious who has the shield in a chaotic teamfight, which is lowkey a gameplay advantage when you’re trying to peel for your ADC. Her R, the Shockwave, pulls enemies into what looks like a singularity event. Huge visual upgrade over base Orianna ult. Could be wrong here but I think the hitbox reads cleaner on this skin too, though thats probably just the contrast doing work.

Recall animation has Orianna and the Ball doing this orbital dance, the Ball circling her while dark energy swirls. Short and clean. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, but honestly the base voice fits the cosmic aesthetic fine. The robotic monotone works when your character looks like she was built from a dying star.

The Dark Star Line and Where Orianna Fits

Dark Star Orianna released May 3, 2017. Mid season 7. Jem Flores nailed the splash, the composition with Orianna floating in deep space surrounded by cosmic debris is one of the better pieces in the Dark Star catalog. The Dark Star skinline is one of Riot’s most consistent themes and Orianna fits it naturally. A mechanical champion becoming a cosmic entity just makes sense.

She dropped alongside Dark Star Kha’Zix in the same patch cycle if I remember right. The whole Dark Star wave from that period was strong. Thresh, Varus, Orianna, Kha’Zix. Solid roster. (Random aside: the Dark Star Thresh and Orianna combo in bot lane last Tuesday around 1 AM was the most aesthetically coordinated lane I’ve played in years.)

One chroma available. Antimatter. Goes full black and deep red, which honestly reads more menacing than the base purple scheme. I switch between the two depending on mood but the Antimatter version hits harder in lane specifically. The red particles against the dark model create better contrast during poke trades.

Is Dark Star Orianna Worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: for 1350 RP this is a strong pickup. The VFX carry the skin hard. New particles on every ability plus a solid recall animation. No new voice lines keeps it from competing with Legendaries but for an Epic this delivers. Shop has it permanently so no rush.

Kinda feels like this skin ages better than most of her alternatives. Winter Wonder Orianna is seasonal, Heartseeker is niche, and the older skins like Bladecraft or Gothic dont have updated VFX. Star Guardian Orianna exists now and is flashier, but Dark Star reads cleaner in comp play when you need to track the Ball during engage and disengage. Been maining Orianna with this skin through three seasons of climbing and I keep coming back to it over newer options.

Skip Star Guardian if you want something that doesnt scream “look at me” in every teamfight. Dark Star is the quieter flex. 1350 RP well spent for mains, and even if you just play Orianna as a pocket pick for scaling comps, this skin makes the Ball’s positioning way more satisfying to track pre-6 and late-game. Top pick for Orianna mains who want clean visuals over flashy ones.