PROJECT Irelia

First time I saw PROJECT Irelia load into a game, the blade design caught me off guard. Not in a bad way. The whole aesthetic just clicked with Irelia’s kit in a way I wasnt expecting from a PROJECT skin. Been maining Irelia on and off since season 8, and this one immediately went into my rotation when it dropped August 2019.

How PROJECT changes Irelia’s kit

The blades. Thats the first thing you notice. Irelia’s floating blades get this full cybernetic rework with bright neon edges that trail light when she moves. Base voice lines, no changes on the VO side, but honestly the VFX carry hard enough that it doesnt matter.

Q resets feel incredible with this skin. Every Bladesurge dash leaves behind a clean digital trail, and when you’re chaining resets in a teamfight the particles stack into this satisfying neon blur. Played maybe 200 games with PROJECT Irelia across Diamond and the Q animation actually feels smoother to me, even though I know the frame data is identical. Could be wrong here but something about the visual feedback makes the timing easier to read.

W channels with this hexagonal shield effect. Crisp lines, easy to see the damage reduction window. E marks targets with a PROJECT-style overlay that reads well against the Rift. R sends out a wall of digital blades that looks threatening enough to zone the backline even before they check the hitbox. The recall is where they went extra: Irelia gets scanned by some PROJECT facility tech, blade array floating around her. Clean animation, not too long.

(Random aside: I use the recall animation as a BM after solo killing the enemy top laner. Works every time.)

The PROJECT line and where Irelia fits

PROJECT dropped as a massive skinline back in season 9. August 1, 2019 specifically. Irelia came in the same batch as PROJECT Pyke and PROJECT Jinx if I remember right. Maki Planas Mata nailed the splash, the composition with Irelia mid-dash surrounded by her blade array against that dark cityscape is one of the better PROJECT splashes period.

The PROJECT universe is one of Riot’s longest running sci-fi lines. Irelia fits naturally because her blade mechanic translates perfectly into the cybernetic theme. Some champions feel forced into PROJECT. Not sure if it’s just me but Irelia genuinely looks like she belongs in that world. The color palette leans purple and blue with sharp white accents, and it reads differently from her other skins which tend toward warmer tones.

No chromas on this one. Straight base skin only. For an Epic at 1350 RP you get the new VFX, new recall, and the full model overhaul. Voice stays default which is standard for the tier. Shop has it, permanent availability, so no need to wait for vault rotations or pray to the Hextech gods.

Where PROJECT sits in Irelia’s skin lineup

Real talk though. Irelia has a stacked skin catalog. Divine Sword, iG, Spirit Blossom, Porcelain. The competition is rough. PROJECT Irelia holds its own because the theme is so different from everything else she has. If your whole collection leans fantasy or traditional, this is the one that breaks the pattern.

Not gonna lie, I think PROJECT is the best tech-themed Irelia skin. Sentinel exists but the color scheme on that one never hit right for me. Last Tuesday I was going through my Irelia skins in champ select and kept coming back to PROJECT for ranked. The VFX clarity in lane specifically gives you a small edge on reading your own Q reset windows, and in a splitpush scenario where you need to process information fast, that matters.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. You’re not getting Legendary-tier new voice lines or transformed animations, but the visual package is complete. Every ability looks distinct from base, the model is sharp, the recall adds personality. For Irelia mains climbing through Diamond this season, PROJECT is a top three pick. Maybe top two depending on how you feel about Divine Sword.

Kinda feels like Riot peaked with the season 9 PROJECT batch honestly. The newer PROJECT skins dont carry the same energy. If you play Irelia even occasionally, this Epic skin earns its price. Skip it only if you already own iG or Divine Sword and dont need variety. For everyone else, PROJECT Irelia is the tech skin in her roster and nothing else competes in that lane.