Lunar Beast Aphelios

First time I saw Lunar Beast Aphelios load into a game I thought someone was running a custom skin. The red and gold color scheme hit so different from his base palette that it took me a second to register who I was laning against. Been running this on and off since it dropped in February 2021 and I keep coming back to it over Nightbringer, which says something.

What Lunar Beast actually changes on Aphelios

So the model gets a full rework into this Lunar New Year warrior aesthetic. Heavy reds, ornate gold plating, and Aphelios looks like he belongs in some celestial dynasty rather than brooding on the Rift. Each weapon keeps its identity but the particles shift into this warm crimson and gold VFX set. Severum’s heal aura has this nice glow to it. Gravitum Q root effect pops cleaner than base in my opinion.

Crescendum turrets look great. Not gonna lie, the little sentries with the Lunar Beast styling made me double-take the first time I placed them in a teamfight near dragon pit last season. Infernum R is where this skin earns its keep though. The ult fans out with these red-gold streaks that read way better in chaotic 5v5s than the default purple. Calibrum marks are easier to track too, at least for me.

New recall animation fits the Lunar Beast theme. Aphelios does this martial arts sequence with his weapons. Could be wrong here but I think the recall is one of the cleaner ones in the skinline compared to Lunar Beast Fiora or Jarvan. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is expected at this price point. The skin compensates with solid VFX across all five weapons.

One thing I noticed after maybe 30 games: the Crescendum auto attacks feel slightly different in terms of visual feedback. Not mechanically, just the particle timing reads a hair faster. Placebo? Probably. But I swear my cs was better that first week with the skin equipped. (Random aside: my duo partner refuses to play with me when I use this skin because “the red particles tilt him” which is honestly hilarious.)

The Lunar Beast line and release context

Lunar Beast dropped February 4, 2021. Middle of season 11. Francis Tneh and West Studio handled the artwork, and they captured Aphelios in this powerful stance that works way better than some of his other splash poses. The whole Lunar Beast skinline was Riot’s take on the Lunar New Year celebration that year, and Aphelios fit the theme naturally alongside Jarvan IV, Fiora, Darius, and Viego.

This is a Legacy vault skin, so you cant just grab it whenever. Gotta wait for the vault to open or get lucky with Hextech crafting. That scarcity actually makes it feel more special when you see one in game. Seen maybe 4 or 5 in my Diamond games all of season 13 and 14 combined.

7 chromas total if you managed to pick them up when they were available. Obsidian is the standout for me, takes the skin into this dark metallic direction that looks menacing on the Rift. Tanzanite shifts everything purple which honestly makes Aphelios look closer to his base fantasy but elevated. Vitality is the wildcard pick with that neon green and red combo, feels like a Christmas Aphelios which is either amazing or cursed depending on your taste.

Lunar Beast in the Aphelios skin lineup

Real talk though. Aphelios has a stacked skin collection now. Nightbringer is the flashy Legendary pick. Spirit Blossom is gorgeous. EDG has the esports prestige. Where does Lunar Beast sit? Somewhere in the solid mid-tier for me. It does everything an Epic skin should do at 1350 RP without trying to be more than it is.

The color palette is what separates it. If you’re tired of purple and dark blue on every Aphelios skin, this red and gold combo is refreshing. Kinda feels like Riot designed this for people who wanted Aphelios to look powerful rather than edgy. Different energy entirely.

I took this into a ranked session last Thursday around midnight, played six games back to back. ADC Aphelios with Lunar Beast just has this clean visual clarity that helps when you’re managing five weapons in late-game teamfights. The red Infernum particles versus the gold Calibrum marks versus the warm Severum heals, everything reads distinct. Compare that to Nightbringer where some abilities blend together in the dark VFX soup.

Might be overthinking it but the skin also has this weird confidence boost factor. Lock in Aphelios with a Legacy skin and your support plays different. Spammed this in Diamond for a two-week stretch in early season 14 and my Thresh duo started peeling harder, his words not mine.

Should you buy Lunar Beast Aphelios?

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. Full VFX overhaul across all five weapons, solid model, good recall, clean splash. The Legacy availability is the main barrier. If the vault opens or you roll it from a chest, absolutely keep it. Skip rerolling it into something else.

For Aphelios mains specifically this is a top three skin. Spirit Blossom edges it out on pure aesthetics and Nightbringer wins on feature count since its a Legendary. But Lunar Beast holds its own. The red-gold identity is unique in his catalog and the weapon VFX clarity is arguably the best of any Aphelios skin full stop. Worth 1350 RP if you main Aphelios, no question. Just gotta be patient waiting for access.