PROJECT Gangplank

First game I played with PROJECT Gangplank was around 3 AM on a Wednesday, right after the patch dropped. Loaded into a ranked game, locked in Gangplank top, and honestly the model caught me off guard. Not sure if it’s just me but the cybernetic pirate angle works way better than I expected. The whole kit feels sharper visually. Clean.

How PROJECT Gangplank actually looks in game

The base model turns Gangplank into a full cyberpunk operative. Gone is the classic pirate captain look. Instead you get armored plating, glowing circuitry lines, and a redesigned Parrrley pistol that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi shooter. The color palette leans into that signature PROJECT blue-orange contrast that Riot loves for this skinline.

New VFX across the board. Q shots have a distinct energy trail, cleaner than base and easier to track in lane. Barrel chains on E pop with digital particle effects when they connect. Been running this in Diamond for about two weeks straight after release and the barrel explosions specifically feel more satisfying to land. Something about the holographic shrapnel just reads better in teamfights when you’re trying to zone their backline.

The W heal gets a tech overlay effect. Nothing groundbreaking but it sells the fantasy. R is where things get interesting though. Cannon Barrage drops with these digitized projectiles raining down, very distinct from base Gangplank ult. You know what surprised me? How readable it is for your team. Had a jungler last week actually follow up on my ult immediately because the visual was so clear on where the damage zone sat.

New recall animation too. Gangplank does this whole holo-map sequence, fits the PROJECT operative theme. Voice lines stay base though, no new VO. Kinda feels like a missed opportunity given Matthew Mercer’s range, but for an Epic tier skin at 1350 RP thats pretty standard.

The PROJECT line and release context

PROJECT Gangplank dropped March 6, 2024. Late into season 14. Eric Xie and West Studio handled the artwork, and they cooked on the splash. The composition puts Gangplank in this cyberpunk cityscape, blade drawn, looking like he’s about to solo invade someone’s jungle.

The PROJECT skinline is one of Riot’s longest running themes at this point. We’re talking years of releases across dozens of champions. Irelia, Vayne, Pyke, Jhin, Senna. Gangplank fits naturally into the roster as the grizzled veteran operative type. PROJECT has always done well with champions who have strong silhouettes and Gangplank’s model translates nicely into the tech-armor aesthetic.

8 chromas total. Sapphire is my pick personally, the deep blue shifts the whole skin into a cooler tone that reads well against Summoner’s Rift. Amethyst goes purple which gives him this rogue agent vibe. Pearl is clean if you want something lighter but I think it loses some of the contrast that makes the base skin pop. (Random aside: the Citrine chroma looks suspiciously close to a Deus Ex color scheme and I’m here for it.)

Shop has it. Permanent availability, grab it whenever. No vault rotation to worry about.

Is PROJECT Gangplank worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: for Gangplank mains this is an easy pickup. The VFX upgrades on barrels and ult alone justify the price. Been daily driving this over Dreadnova and Pool Party for about a month now and I keep coming back. The skin doesnt reinvent Gangplank’s gameplay feel but it polishes everything up in a way that makes cs-ing and barrel combos feel crisp.

Could be wrong here but I think this might age into one of the better Gangplank skins in the catalog. The PROJECT aesthetic is timeless at this point. Compare it to something like Sultan or Minuteman and its night and day in terms of visual quality. Even against FPX Gangplank which has the pro play nostalgia factor, PROJECT holds up on pure skin quality.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. If you’re a Gangplank one-trick climbing through ranked this season, lock it in. If you only play him occasionally in normals, maybe wait for a sale. But for anyone who’s been spamming barrels in solo queue since season 9 or 10, this skin earns its spot in the rotation. Not the flashiest Epic skin Riot has ever made but it’s solid top to bottom. No complaints after maybe 40 games with it.