Elderwood Gnar

First time I saw Elderwood Gnar in the loading screen I thought Riot finally figured out what to do with this little guy. The forest spirit angle works so naturally on a yordle who already transforms into a giant beast. Not gonna lie, I locked it in immediately and played like 15 games that first weekend. The splash alone sold me before I even saw the in-game model.

What actually changes with Elderwood Gnar

Mini Gnar gets this whole woodland creature treatment. Bark-like textures across the body, glowing amber eyes, leaves sprouting off him. His boomerang Q turns into a carved wooden projectile with trailing leaf particles that look clean against the Rift. Solid rework. The W proc has this faint green pulse now, subtle but noticeable if you’re watching for it.

Mega Gnar is where the skin really earns its 1350 RP. The transformation feels heavier somehow, like an ancient treant waking up. His W slam sends out root-like cracks across the ground and the R has this burst of autumn leaves on impact. Been running this in Diamond ranked for a while now and the ult VFX specifically make it easier to feel the hitbox, which sounds dumb but it matters when you’re trying to peel for your backline in a teamfight.

Recall animation is new too. Mini Gnar sits on a mushroom and plays with forest critters before Mega Gnar accidentally smashes everything. Cute stuff. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, but honestly the base Gnar voice already fits the woodland theme so it doesnt feel like a miss.

The Elderwood line and where Gnar fits

Released January 6, 2022. Early season 12. West Studio handled the artwork and they captured the vibe perfectly. The Elderwood skinline is one of Riot’s more consistent fantasy themes. Hecarim, Bard, Ornn, Veigar all got entries and most of them land well. Gnar slots in naturally because his transform mechanic maps onto the “cute forest sprite becomes ancient guardian” concept without forcing it.

Kinda feels like Riot designed the Elderwood concept with champions like Gnar in mind. The duality is already baked into his kit. Compare that to something like Elderwood Veigar where the theme is cool but the gameplay doesnt reinforce it the same way.

8 chromas total for this one. Tanzanite is my pick, the deep purple with the glowing accents reads well in lane and stands out from the base green palette. Obsidian turns the whole thing into a corrupted treant which is sick for the edgy crowd. Pearl goes the opposite direction, almost celestial looking. Could be wrong here but I think Tanzanite outsells the rest based on what I see in my games.

Is Elderwood Gnar worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: this is a strong Epic tier skin for Gnar mains. The VFX changes on Mega Gnar abilities carry the skin hard, the recall is charming, and the thematic fit is better than most of his catalog. Played maybe 200 games with this across season 12 and 13. (Random aside: the mini Gnar model is genuinely my favorite yordle design in the game now.) For 1350 RP you’re getting new particles, new recall, solid model work on both forms. Shop has it, permanent availability.

Where it sits in the Gnar skin ranking? I think it competes with Astronaut Gnar for best overall package. Dino Gnar has the nostalgia factor and Gentleman Gnar is funny but Elderwood just looks the most polished in actual gameplay. Not sure if it’s just me but the auto attack animations feel smoother on this skin specifically, might be placebo from last Tuesday’s session where my Kayn jungle kept ganking top and I went 8/2. Top pick for Gnar mains. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get.