Empyrean Jax

First game I played with Empyrean Jax I thought my client was bugged. The particle effects on this skin are so different from anything else in Jax’s catalog that it felt like a completely different champion for about thirty seconds. Not gonna lie, that initial reaction stuck with me through maybe 60 or 70 ranked games since.

What Empyrean actually does to Jax

The whole visual identity shifts. Base Jax is this scrappy lamppost guy, right? Empyrean turns him into something out of a cyberpunk anime. The model gets a full rework with flowing energy lines across the body and this translucent hood situation that I think looks clean in motion but a little busy in the splash.

New VFX across the board. His W proc lights up with that signature Empyrean purple-pink energy, and the Q leap trail leaves behind these ethereal particles that linger just long enough to feel satisfying. Counter Strike is where it really pops though. The E activation creates this dome effect with geometric patterns, and when the stun goes off theres this burst that reads super clearly in teamfights. Been running this in Diamond for most of season 13 and I never lose track of my E timing with this skin, which honestly matters more than people think.

The recall animation is new and fits the Empyrean theme. Jax channels some kind of dimensional energy through the lamppost. Cool enough. Not groundbreaking for an Epic tier skin but it works.

Voice lines stay base. No new VO, which at 1350 RP is expected. Could be wrong here but I think the auto attack sounds have a slight filter on them? Might just be the new VFX layering over the base audio. Either way the bonk still feels good.

The Empyrean line and where Jax fits

Empyrean dropped November 3, 2022. Late into the preseason chaos. Bo “chenbowow” Chen handled the artwork, and they captured this dimensional rift vibe perfectly with the splash. Jax is floating through some kind of void space with the lamppost crackling energy. Strong piece.

The Empyrean skinline is one of Riot’s more ambitious thematic pushes. K’Sante got his launch skin in this line. Pyke, Lux, Varus, Zed all got Empyrean treatments too. Jax fits naturally into the set because the whole “weapon master from another dimension” angle just works for a champion whose lore is already about being impossibly powerful. The Empyrean aesthetic leans into that cosmic warrior fantasy harder than something like God Staff does, honestly.

(Random aside: I use the Empyrean Jax splash as my Discord server banner and nobody has complained yet, which for my server is basically a five star review.)

9 chromas total. That’s a lot of options. Tanzanite is my go-to because the deep purple amplifies the base skin’s energy palette without clashing. Neon Flare does something wild with the red-green contrast that shouldn’t work but kind of does in a “season 9 arcade” way. Pearl strips most of the color out and gives you this clean white look that reads almost prestige-adjacent. The rest are fine but those three are the ones I rotate between.

Worth the 1350 RP?

Real verdict: if you play Jax regularly this skin competes for best in his lineup. God Staff Jax held that spot for years but Empyrean brings modern VFX quality that makes the older Legendary feel dated in some ways. Mecha Kingdoms is the other contender and I think it comes down to personal taste there.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New model, full VFX overhaul, new recall. Standard Epic package but executed above average. The particles read clean in lane and in late-game teamfights when you’re diving the backline, which is where a lot of skins fall apart visually. Last Tuesday I had a game where I flash-Q’d onto their Jinx in a cluttered dragon fight and the Empyrean VFX still popped over all the noise. That matters when you’re trying to track your own cooldowns.

Shop has it. Permanent availability so no rush.

Kinda feels like Jax mains got lucky with this one. The Empyrean line wasnt amazing across the board but Jax came out as one of the stronger entries. If you’re climbing with Jax this season and want something that feels premium without dropping Legendary money, this is the pick. Skip it if you already own God Staff and dont care about VFX upgrades, but for everyone else spamming Jax in ranked? S-tier Jax cosmetic. Been daily driving it since patch 12.21 and I keep coming back even after picking up the PROJECT skin later.