Elderwood Rakan

First time I locked in Elderwood Rakan was late December 2020, maybe a week after it dropped. My duo was running Elderwood Xayah and we just wanted the matching set for bot lane. Played one game and immediately understood why people were hyping this skin up on Reddit. The forest spirit fantasy just clicks with Rakan’s whole vibe as a performer. Not gonna lie, it felt like a completely different champion walking out of base.

What the skin actually changes on Rakan

So the model rework here is substantial for an Epic tier skin. Rakan gets this deep bark-and-moss aesthetic with antlers sprouting from his head, and the cape transforms into these flowing leaf-like tendrils. The color palette shifts from his usual golden warmth into rich greens and amber tones. Looks like something straight out of a Miyazaki forest scene.

The VFX are where Elderwood Rakan really earns the 1350 RP. His Q sends out this nature-infused projectile with leaf particles trailing behind it. W impact has this burst of forest energy, roots and greenery spreading on the ground when you land. Honestly the W is the standout ability here. Been diving backlines in Diamond ranked and the impact circle reads so cleanly compared to base Rakan. You know what surprised me? The E particles. The dash leaves behind this trail of autumn leaves and its way more satisfying to use than I expected.

R activation gets the full Elderwood treatment. Forest energy swirls around Rakan as he charms, and the charm effect itself has these glowing nature particles. In a teamfight its hard to miss. Played maybe 40 games with this skin last season and the ult VFX actually helped me track my own charm radius better, which sounds dumb but matters when you’re trying to peel for your ADC.

New recall animation too. Rakan does this nature communion thing where forest spirits gather around him. Solid stuff. Voice lines stay base though, no new VO. Kinda feels like Legendary skins spoil you because you always want fresh voice work, but for 1350 that’s standard.

The Elderwood line and release context

Elderwood Rakan came out December 10, 2020. Late season 10 into preseason 11. West Studio handled the artwork, they captured that ethereal forest energy perfectly in the splash. Rakan looks regal standing among ancient trees, cape spread wide. (Random aside: this splash was my desktop wallpaper for like three months straight.)

The Elderwood skinline is one of Riot’s more consistent theme sets. Think ancient forest spirits, fae creatures, that whole dark fantasy nature vibe. Rakan fits naturally since he’s already got that theatrical, larger-than-life energy. Elderwood Hecarim, Elderwood Bard, Elderwood Veigar, the whole lineup has a cohesive look. Rakan slots in cleanly alongside Xayah’s Elderwood variant which dropped the same patch.

8 chromas total for this one. Tanzanite is my personal favorite, the deep purple gives Rakan this corrupted fae look that hits different in loading screen. Emberwood is the dark and edgy option with that black-and-magenta combo. Pearl goes the opposite direction, almost ethereal white, clean but maybe too subtle for my taste. Could be wrong here but I think the base green-amber colorway is still the strongest read on the Rift.

Is Elderwood Rakan worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: if you play Rakan with any regularity this is a strong pickup. The VFX upgrades on W and R make engage combos feel crisp. I’ve been running this in ranked since season 11 on and off, swapping between this and Star Guardian depending on my mood. Elderwood edges it out for me because the visual clarity on abilities is better, especially in chaotic teamfights around dragon pit.

1350 feels fair for what you get. New model, full VFX overhaul, new recall. Standard Epic package but executed well. Shop has it permanently so no rush, grab it next time theres a Your Shop discount or wait for an event sale. For Rakan mains specifically this sits comfortably in the top three skins for the champion. Maybe not the absolute flashiest option but the most cohesive theme-to-gameplay match he’s got. Been daily driving it this split in Diamond and I keep coming back to it over newer options. The Elderwood fantasy just works on Rakan in a way that some of his other skins dont quite nail. Skip it if you only play Rakan once a month, but for anyone who locks him in regularly in solo queue or duo bot lane, this is the one.