Dark Star Xerath

Been running Dark Star Xerath since it dropped in March 2020 and I still think its one of the cleanest Epic skins Riot put out that year. First time I locked it in, the loading screen splash alone had me hyped. Xerath already looks like pure energy in his base form, so slapping a cosmic destruction theme on him just works. No forced concept. No weird stretch. Pure fit.

What the skin actually changes

So the VFX overhaul here is the real selling point. Every ability gets the Dark Star treatment: deep purple and black particle effects with that signature gravitational pull aesthetic. Q charges up with swirling dark matter, the beam tears across the lane looking like a collapsing star. W drops a void-colored zone on the ground that reads way cleaner than base Xerath’s blue circle. Honestly not gonna lie, the W impact feels more satisfying to land with this skin on.

E stun bolt has that trailing cosmic debris effect. Looks heavier. In my Diamond games last season I swear people sidestep the base E more than the Dark Star one, could just be placebo but the projectile reads differently. R is where it gets fun though. Each ult shot rains down like a miniature black hole collapsing. Spamming R in a teamfight from fog of war with this skin on? Chef’s kiss. The visual feedback on each hit is crisp.

New recall animation too. Xerath channels dark energy and basically implodes into a singularity before reforming on the platform. Short, clean, not overdone. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for 1350 RP Epics. Michael McConnohie’s original voice still carries hard enough that it doesnt feel like a miss.

The Dark Star line and release context

Dark Star Xerath released March 26, 2020. Right in the middle of season 10. Katya Cyan and West Studio handled the splash, and they nailed the composition. Xerath floating in deep space, galaxies breaking apart around him. Check West Studio’s portfolio, the detail on the cosmic backdrop is ridiculous for a 1350 skin.

The Dark Star skinline is one of Riot’s most consistent themes. Thresh, Jarvan, Mordekaiser, Kha’Zix, Malphite. Heavy hitters. Xerath fits naturally into that roster because his entire kit is already about channeling raw power across distance. Dark Star just recontextualizes that power as cosmic entropy. Not sure if it’s just me but Dark Star skins in general have this weight to them that other skinlines miss.

6 chromas total for this one. Antimatter is the standout for me, goes full black and crimson which reads like a corrupted version of the base skin. Pearl flips the palette to a clean white-teal that almost makes him look like a different skinline entirely. (Random aside: Pearl Xerath on Howling Abyss against snow background is basically invisible, discovered that around 2 AM one night in ARAM.) Ruby is fine but nothing special, standard red recolor energy.

Is Dark Star Xerath worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: if you play Xerath at all, this skin competes for best in slot. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The VFX overhaul alone justifies the price, and the recall animation is a nice bonus. Arcana Xerath came later and has its own appeal, but Dark Star hits the power fantasy harder. Scorched Earth is the budget alternative at a lower tier but the particle work isnt even close.

Kinda feels like Riot designed Xerath’s kit with a cosmic skin in mind and then took three years to actually make it. Been maining Xerath with this skin through two ranked seasons and I keep coming back over the alternatives. Played maybe 80 games on Arcana trying to switch it up last September and still defaulted back to Dark Star by October. Shop has it permanently, 1350 RP, grab Antimatter chroma if you want the edgier look. Worth it for Xerath mains, solid pickup even if you just pull him out for poke comps in draft. S-tier Xerath cosmetic.