Mecha Aurelion Sol

First time I saw Mecha Aurelion Sol load in, my immediate reaction was just “yeah, that tracks.” A cosmic space dragon turning into a giant mech feels so obvious it’s weird Riot didnt do it sooner. Been running this skin since it dropped in 2018 and honestly the mech fantasy hits harder than you’d expect for an Epic.

What the Mecha upgrade actually changes

So the big deal here is the model. Aurelion Sol goes from flowing celestial dragon to full-on Gundam. Metal plating, jet thrusters, mechanical joints. His passive stars become orbiting drones, which is a clean touch. The whole silhouette changes enough that he reads completely different on the Rift.

VFX got a full rework for this tier. Q charges up with this electric blue energy field instead of the cosmic swirl. Looks aggressive. W toggle sends the drones outward with mechanical trails, and his E flight path leaves behind thruster exhaust. Might be overthinking it but the E animation specifically feels smoother on this skin than base. Could be placebo, probably is, but I swear the roaming feels crisper.

The ult is where it really delivers. R sends out this massive energy wave with a metallic sheen and impact particles that make it feel heavier. Landed a four-man ult in a teamfight last week around midnight and the visual payoff was worth every RP. The recall animation has him transform and take off like a jet, which is a nice flex after you shove lane and back with prio.

Voice lines stay base though. No VO refresh. Neil Kaplan still doing the cosmic dragon thing while you’re piloting a mech, which creates this funny disconnect. Not a dealbreaker but a Legendary version of this concept with mech-specific voice lines would have been insane.

The Mecha line and where this fits

Mecha Aurelion Sol released August 16, 2018. Mid-season 8. Xu ‘Crow God’ Cheng nailed the splash – the composition with the mech rising out of clouds with those glowing eyes is genuinely one of the better Epic splashes in the game. Worth zooming in on the detail work.

The Mecha skinline is one of Riot’s older thematic sets. Mecha Kha’Zix, Mecha Malphite, Mecha Rengar, Mecha Aatrox. Aurelion Sol fits the line naturally because his base design already has that structured, segmented body. The translation from organic to mechanical works better here than on most champions in the lineup.

7 chromas total if you want variety. Obsidian is my go-to, the dark color scheme makes the mech look like a stealth fighter. Sapphire runs a deep blue that reads well against Summoner’s Rift greens. Pearl goes white and silver which gives off prototype mech energy (random aside: Pearl Mecha Aurelion Sol is genuinely my desktop wallpaper at work). The rest fill out the collection but those three carry it.

Is 1350 RP the right call here?

Real talk though. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New model, full VFX overhaul, new recall. That’s the Epic checklist and Mecha Aurelion Sol checks every box without cutting corners. Permanent shop availability means no rush.

The competition for Aurelion Sol skins has gotten stiffer since the rework. Storm Dragon exists now, Inkshadow exists, Porcelain exists. But Mecha occupies a completely different fantasy. If you want the space dragon to feel like a weapon instead of a god, this is the one. Been spamming this in Diamond on and off for seasons and it still holds up visually against newer releases.

Not sure if it’s just me but the skin also feels like it has more visual clarity in teamfights. The metallic particles pop against ability clutter from other champions. Could be the color contrast, could be cope. Either way I notice my Q stun timing is better when I can actually see the star expanding clearly.

Skip this if you only play Aurelion Sol casually and already own Storm Dragon. But for mains who want rotation options, Mecha Aurelion Sol earns its spot. 1350 RP well spent, especially if you grab the Obsidian chroma alongside it. S-tier Aurelion Sol cosmetic for the mech enjoyers. Season 8 skin that still competes in season 14, thats saying something.