Lunar Empress Ashe

First game I played with Lunar Empress Ashe was a late-night ranked session, maybe 1 AM on a Wednesday, and the loading screen splash alone made me sit up straighter. Julia Yurtsev nailed the splash. Red and gold everywhere, Ashe looking regal with that bow drawn, lanterns floating behind her. Kinda feels like Riot finally gave Ashe the royal treatment she deserved in the Lunar Revel lineup. Not every skin earns that reaction from me, but this one did.

What Lunar Empress Ashe actually brings

For 1350 RP you’re getting new VFX across the board and a new recall animation. Voice lines stay base, which is standard for this Epic tier. The arrows carry this red-gold particle trail that reads cleanly against the Rift, especially in teamfights where visual clutter usually swallows everything. Her W volley fans out with these crimson streaks that feel sharper than base Ashe. Satisfying to land poke in lane with.

The R is the highlight. Enchanted Crystal Arrow flies out wrapped in this deep red energy with golden sparks trailing behind it. Hit a long-range ult across the map and it just looks correct. Been running this in Diamond for a solid stretch and the arrow visibility actually helps me track it better on long sends. Could be wrong here but I think the hitbox reads more honestly than some other Ashe skins where the VFX bloats past the actual collision.

Recall animation has Ashe doing this ceremonial bow thing with lanterns rising around her. Clean. Not flashy for the sake of flashy, just fits the theme. The model itself swaps her usual Freljord furs for layered robes in deep red with gold accents. Crown piece sits well on the model, doesnt clip during animations from what I’ve seen across maybe 80 games.

(Random aside: the loading screen art for this skin is genuinely wallpaper-worthy, had it on my second monitor for weeks.)

The Lunar Revel line and where Ashe fits

Lunar Revel has been one of Riot’s longer running skinlines and the quality varies a lot depending on the year. Lunar Empress Ashe dropped January 26, 2023, and I think it landed in one of the stronger batches. The Lunar Revel aesthetic – Chinese New Year inspired, heavy reds and golds – suits Ashe better than you’d expect for a Freljord champion. The contrast between her usual ice queen fantasy and this warm imperial look gives the skin its own identity.

9 chromas total. Tanzanite is my pick, the deep purple swap gives the whole skin a different mood entirely. Obsidian goes dark and moody if you want something less festive, and Resplendent does this blue-green combo that honestly competes with the base version for best look. Not gonna list every single one but Ruby feels redundant since the base skin is already red-heavy. Skip that one.

Ashe has a massive skin catalog at this point. Cosmic Queen, PROJECT, Fae Dragon – she’s stacked. Lunar Empress holds its own though. The VFX work is cleaner than some of her older Epics and the thematic cohesion between model, particles, and recall is tight. Seen maybe 4 or 5 of these in my ranked games this season, so its not overplayed either.

Should you buy it?

Real verdict: 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The VFX package carries its weight, the model is sharp, chromas give you options if the red isn’t your thing. Not the absolute best Ashe skin if you have access to her Legendaries, but for the Epic tier this is top two or three easily.

Been maining Ashe with this skin on and off since season 13 and I keep coming back to it over Fae Dragon, which I thought would be my permanent lock-in. The arrow VFX alone sold me. If you play ADC and have Ashe in your champion pool, this is worth the RP. If you’re a one-trick, grab the Tanzanite chroma too. Shop has it, permanent availability, no vault stress.

Real talk though – if you only play Ashe once every 30 games in ARAM, probably skip it. But for mains? S-tier Ashe cosmetic. The Lunar Revel theme just works here and the execution backs it up. Hard to argue against 1350 RP for this level of polish.