High Noon Varus

First game I played with High Noon Varus was sometime around 1 AM on a weeknight, right after the skin dropped in patch 12.9. Locked it in for a Diamond ranked game on a whim. The load screen splash hit and I just sat there for a second. Ina Wong and West Studio nailed the splash, the whole demonic gunslinger thing with the bow morphed into this twisted revolver-crossbow hybrid. Immediate lock-in for the rest of that week.

What High Noon Varus actually brings to the table

This is an Epic tier skin at 1350 RP so you’re getting the standard package: new model, new VFX, new recall animation, but no new voice lines. Voice stays default. For Varus specifically though, the visual overhaul carries hard.

The Q charge-up is where it shines. Piercing Arrow gets this orange-red energy buildup that looks like you’re pulling back a cursed round. The release animation trails fire across the Rift and honestly reads cleaner in teamfights than base Varus Q by a mile. Been running this in Diamond for a couple seasons now and the Q visibility alone makes it worth considering.

W passive stacks show as these burning marks on targets. Not sure if it’s just me but I feel like I track my Blight stacks better with this skin than default. The proc animation when you pop three stacks with an ability is this satisfying burst of hellfire. Small thing but it matters when you’re trying to cs and poke in lane simultaneously.

E is solid. Hail of Arrows drops this burning ground effect that fits the western theme. Nothing groundbreaking but it reads well. The R though. Chain of Corruption sends out these spectral chains with a fiery tether and watching it spread through the enemy backline during a teamfight is genuinely one of the better Varus ult visuals across all his skins. Trapped their Jinx and Lulu in dragon pit last week with it. Beautiful.

Recall animation has Varus doing this whole demonic transformation sequence. Standard High Noon fare where the cursed energy takes over for a moment. Good stuff.

The High Noon line and where Varus fits

High Noon released May 12, 2022. Season 12, right in the middle of the durability patch era. The High Noon skinline is one of Riot’s most consistent themes and Varus fits it naturally. The whole “deal with the devil” aesthetic works perfectly for a Darkin champion. Kinda feels like Riot designed this skinline with Varus in mind even though he came in way after the original batch.

9 chromas total for High Noon Varus. Thats a lot of options. Obsidian is my go-to because the dark color scheme makes the fire VFX pop harder against the contrast. Nomad is interesting with that cyan and red split, gives off a different vibe entirely from the base. Pearl looks clean if you want something lighter but I keep coming back to Obsidian.

(Random aside: the Obsidian chroma with the dark backdrop on Summoner’s Rift at night during certain events looks absolutely incredible. Screenshot material every game.)

Shop has it permanently. 1350 RP, standard Epic pricing. No vault rotation or loot-only nonsense to worry about.

How it stacks up against other Varus skins

Varus has a decent skin catalog at this point. Dark Star Varus exists and that’s always been the fan favorite. Cosmic Hunter is solid. Project Varus has its crowd. But High Noon Varus occupies this specific niche where if you want something thematic and grounded rather than sci-fi or cosmic, this is it. Best executed of the western-themed ADC skins honestly.

Real talk though. Could be wrong here but I think High Noon edges out Project for the second best Varus skin behind Dark Star. The VFX are cleaner, the theme is more cohesive, and the chromas give you way more variety. Played maybe 50 games with Project before switching and dont regret the move at all.

For Varus mains specifically, the Q readability thing I mentioned earlier is not a small deal. When you’re playing poke Varus in a comp where you need to land long range Qs for lane prio, having clear visual feedback on your charge matters. Season 12 I think or maybe early 13 I was hard-stuck Diamond 3 and switching to this skin actually helped me focus better on my Q timing. Placebo? Maybe. But the visual clarity is real.

Should you buy High Noon Varus?

Straight talk: 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The VFX package is above average for an Epic skin. No new VO hurts a little but that’s standard at this price point. If you main Varus or even just have him in your ADC rotation for ranked, this is a strong pickup. The 9 chromas mean you can keep it fresh for a long time without getting bored of the look.

Skip it if you already own Dark Star and feel satisfied. That skin is still arguably the best Varus skin full stop. But if you want something different, something with more grit and less cosmic sparkle, High Noon Varus delivers. Been daily driving it since season 12 and I keep coming back even after picking up Snow Moon and Empyrean later. Says something about the staying power.