Nightbringer Vladimir Skin - Splash, Price & Chromas

Vladimir already leans into blood cult aesthetics at baseline, so Nightbringer doesnt have to fight the champion’s identity – it amplifies it. Dark feathered wings, void-black palette with crimson edges, the whole deal. First game I ran this in Diamond solo queue my Thresh support typed “nice skin” in all-chat mid-teamfight. Rare. The Nightbringer skinline fits Vlad better than most themes Riot has tried on him.

What Nightbringer Vladimir changes

This is an Epic skin at 1350 RP, so the VFX overhaul covers every ability. Vladimir’s Q – Transfusion – shifts from the base red drain to shadow-energy pulling with void-tinged particles at the edges. Looks noticeably darker and more sinister. W, Sanguine Pool, becomes a proper black abyss rather than a red puddle, and the readability stays clean which is impressive for a dark palette swap. The proc animation on W still reads clearly so you won’t accidentally walk into it thinking it’s terrain.

The E – Tides of Blood – gets dark wing VFX as the stacks build, and I think it actually helps tracking in hectic teamfights where the screen gets busy. Stacking E before a backline dive you can see the wings flare as stacks hit max, and the visual cue is cleaner than base. R, Hemoplague, fires in deep purple-black and the infection spread reads clearly across multiple targets – tracking the proc in a five-versus-five is easier with this skin, been a nice passive benefit for ranked climbing.

Recall animation is new. Vladimir summons a dark wing-throne construct and ascends. Short, readable, fits the theme. No new voice lines – base voice pack stays unchanged, which is standard for this price point.

The Nightbringer line and when it dropped

Nightbringer Vladimir released December 12, 2019, part of the Nightbringer and Dawnbringer skinline. West Studio did the splash art, and they nailed the contrast between Vladimir’s pale complexion and the dark wing span. Reads clearly at thumbnail size during champion select. (random aside: this splash has been my lock screen wallpaper on and off since 2020, that’s how well it holds up)

The Nightbringer theme works here because Vladimir is already a dark celestial type, lore-wise. Unlike some skinlines where the champion just gets recolored armor, the angel-of-darkness concept maps naturally to blood magic. Probably the best thematic fit Riot has found for Vlad outside of Blood Lord. Sits in the permanent shop.

Chromas – six options, three worth knowing

6 chromas total for Nightbringer Vladimir. Tanzanite goes deep purple and leans more into mage-lord territory than the winged darkness of base – my go-to for ranked since it reads distinctly on the Rift. Obsidian strips almost all pigment and goes near-black, which I think actually looks cleaner than base during most teamfight situations. Ruby cranks the red back up if you miss classic Vladimir’s palette but still want the Nightbringer model.

Been locking in Tanzanite for most of this season. My Vlad one-trick friend swears by Obsidian but that’s a personal call – some players like the near-invisible chroma, I prefer something that pops during a dive. Real talk though, any of the three are worth grabbing at chroma pricing if you’re spamming Vladimir in ranked.

Is Nightbringer Vladimir worth 1350 RP?

Straight talk: yes, if Vladimir is in your regular rotation. The VFX in Nightbringer Vladimir touches all four abilities, the recall has personality, and the skinline earns the Epic price point. For a champion whose base skin hasn’t aged great, the upgrade here is substantial.

Could be wrong here but I’d call this the strongest Vladimir skin for players who actually want to play him seriously in ranked – not the flashiest pick in his catalog, but everything works together. Worth 1350 RP well spent for Vladimir mains. Occasional Vlad players can wait for a sale, but if you’re spamming him through the climb, just lock it in.