Elderwood Rek'Sai - Splash, Price & Chromas

First time I saw Elderwood Rek’Sai load into my game I genuinely thought it was a new champion. Not gonna lie, the silhouette reads so differently from base Rek’Sai that my brain needed a second to process what was burrowing toward me in the river. Played against one in a Diamond 2 game last January and immediately wanted it. The whole forest creature vibe just works on a champion who spends half her time underground.

How Elderwood changes Rek’Sai’s kit

The model rework here is significant for an Epic tier skin. Rek’Sai goes from void predator to ancient woodland beast, covered in bark-like armor with glowing amber veins running through her body. Massive upgrade. The head crest becomes these branching antler structures and her claws look like twisted roots. Been running this in ranked for a solid two months last season and the Q tunneling particles stood out the most to me. Green and gold energy replaces the purple void stuff, and it reads cleanly against every map surface.

W knockup has this burst of leaves and pollen when you unburrow. Kinda feels like the Rift itself is attacking the enemy team. Her E tunnel entrances get overgrown with vegetation, which is a nice touch that makes tracking your tunnel network easier in chaotic teamfights. Not sure if it’s just me but the tunnels feel more visible to me with this skin, which could be a slight competitive disadvantage if enemy junglers are paying attention.

The recall animation is where Riot put extra love. Rek’Sai curls up and a small tree grows around her. Clean work. Voice lines stay base, no VO refresh, which is expected at 1350 RP. The VFX carry this skin hard enough that you dont miss new voice lines.

Elderwood line and release context

Elderwood Rek’Sai dropped January 6, 2022. Late into season 12’s start. West Studio handled the artwork, and they captured this ancient forest guardian energy that fits the Elderwood skinline perfectly. The Elderwood collection is one of Riot’s more consistent thematic lines. Bard, Hecarim, Ornn, Ahri all have strong entries. Rek’Sai fits naturally into that roster as the predator of the enchanted forest.

8 chromas total. Obsidian is my pick, turns her into this dark corrupted treant that looks menacing during ganks. Pearl goes the opposite direction, almost ghostly white bark that pops in the jungle. Sapphire hits a cool frozen-forest look if you want something unique. (Random aside: I set the Obsidian chroma splash as my Discord avatar for like three months and nobody recognized it as Rek’Sai.) The rest fill out standard color options but those three are the standouts.

Permanent shop skin. 1350 RP, standard Epic pricing. Sits in the shop whenever you want it.

Worth locking in?

Real verdict: Elderwood Rek’Sai is arguably the best Rek’Sai skin. Blackfrost exists and has its fans, but Elderwood’s model changes are more dramatic and the VFX feel more cohesive with the theme. Took this into maybe 40 ranked games across two patches and the skin just feels good to play. The burrowed form especially looks premium, that glowing amber trail underground reads beautifully.

Could be wrong here but I think Rek’Sai mains have been sleeping on this one. I see way more Blackfrost and Pool Party in my games, seen maybe 5 Elderwood Rek’Sai players total this entire season in Diamond. The Elderwood fantasy of this ancient creature hunting through the forest maps perfectly onto Rek’Sai’s gameplay pattern of burrowing through jungle and flanking the backline.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. Strong model, solid VFX on every ability, good recall animation, and 8 chromas if you want variety. If you main Rek’Sai or even just pull her out for jungle occasionally, this is the skin. Skip it only if you’re completely locked into another Rek’Sai skin already and cant justify the RP. For everyone else who plays this champion, first choice. Simple call.