Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox (2022)

First time I saw Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox (2022) pop up in the collection tab I had to do a double take. Not gonna lie, the gold and white shift from the original Blood Moon palette caught me off guard in the best way. Been maining Aatrox on and off since season 9 I think or 10 dont remember, and this Prestige version hit different the second I locked it in for a ranked game last spring around midnight.

What the Prestige treatment actually does

So the base Blood Moon Aatrox is already a solid skin. Dark reds, demonic mask aesthetic, the whole ritual warrior vibe. The Prestige version takes that concept and dips it in white and gold. Aatrox’s armor shifts to this pearl-white with golden accents running through the plates, and the mask gets a cleaner, almost celestial look compared to the base Blood Moon red. Big contrast.

The VFX got reworked with gold-tinted particles. His Q slams leave these golden shockwave rings on the ground that read really well in teamfights. Could be wrong here but I think the third Q sweetspot feels more satisfying visually on this Prestige than on most other Aatrox skins. The edge indicator glows with that warm gold and it just pops against the Rift terrain. W chains come out with a lighter color scheme too, the pull-back effect has this shimmering quality.

E dash trails gold behind him. Simple change – huge impact on how the combo looks when you’re weaving Q repositions. His ult transformation is where the skin peaks though. The wings spread with golden energy and the revive aura (back when that existed, R.I.P.) had a white-gold burst. Even post-rework the Blood Moon demon form in Prestige colors looks clean. Played maybe 40 games with this last season and the ult activation never got old.

Recall animation carries over from the base Blood Moon version but with the Prestige color treatment. Voice lines stay base, no new VO. Kinda feels like that’s the one area where it could have gotten a small filter or something, but for a Prestige skin thats expected. You’re here for the visual upgrade.

The Blood Moon line and where Prestige fits

Blood Moon is one of Riot’s longest running skinlines. Aatrox fits the thematic naturally because of his whole Darkin war-god identity. The original Blood Moon Aatrox was already a fan favorite, so when Riot brought back the Prestige version in 2022 through the Mythic Essence shop rotation, people were hyped.

Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox (2022) dropped April 1, 2022. Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores nailed the splash art. The composition puts Aatrox in this ascending pose with golden light breaking through dark clouds. (Random aside: I used the splash as my Discord banner for like three months straight.) The white-gold color story in the splash translates well to the in-game model, which isnt always the case with Prestige skins.

This is a Mythic tier skin. No standard RP price tag on this one, it was Special pricing through Mythic Essence. That distinction matters because you cant just impulse buy it from the shop. Vault rotation skin, so availability depends on when Riot cycles it back into the Mythic shop. Loot eligible though, meaning you could theoretically roll it from Hextech chests if luck is on your side. Seen maybe two people get it from rerolls in my friend group across hundreds of chests. Not great odds.

No chromas on this one. Prestige skins dont get chromas which makes sense since the whole point is the exclusive colorway.

How it stacks against other Aatrox skins

Aatrox has a decent skin lineup now. Mecha Aatrox, Odyssey, Lunar Eclipse, the base Blood Moon. Real talk though, Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox competes directly with Lunar Eclipse for the top spot in my rotation. Lunar Eclipse has the darker dramatic energy, Prestige Blood Moon has the cleaner premium feel.

In my Diamond games specifically, I notice most Aatrox players either run base Blood Moon or Lunar Eclipse. The Prestige version is genuinely rare to see. That exclusivity factor matters if you care about standing out in loading screen. Three things stood out after months of play: the Q VFX clarity, the ult wings visual, and how the gold reads in chaotic 5v5s where you’re diving the backline.

One thing I noticed during a late night session last Tuesday – the golden particles on Q sweetspots can actually help your own gameplay. The visual feedback is crisper than default Aatrox, so timing the edge of each Q slam feels slightly more intuitive. Maybe just my experience but multiple Aatrox one-tricks I’ve talked to in solo queue agree.

The honest take

Should you chase this skin? If you main Aatrox and you have the Mythic Essence sitting around, absolutely. Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox (2022) is arguably the best Aatrox cosmetic if you prefer the premium white-gold aesthetic over darker themes. The VFX work carries real weight and the splash by Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores is portfolio-level stuff.

Fair warning, the vault availability means you might be waiting months for it to rotate back. Not something you can just grab on a whim. If you spot it in the Mythic shop, dont sleep on it. Been daily driving this skin for two seasons now and I keep coming back to it over newer options. For Aatrox mains who want something that feels exclusive without being ugly about it, this is the one.

Skip it if you’re not committed to Aatrox though. Spending Mythic Essence on a champion you play twice a month is a waste when those resources could go toward a Prestige skin for your actual main. But if you’re the type who’s spamming Aatrox in ranked, ganking top lane every other game and styling on people with Q sweetspots? Lock it in.