PROJECT: Lucian

First game I played with PROJECT: Lucian was back in September 2015 and I remember thinking Riot finally gave this champion a skin that matched his gunslinger fantasy with something futuristic. Locked it in for maybe 30 ranked games straight that month. The cybernetic overlay on Lucian just works. Not sure if it’s just me but something about the neon blue particle effects on his autos made last-hitting feel crisper. Placebo, probably. Still felt real.

VFX and the in-game feel of PROJECT: Lucian

For an Epic tier skin at 1350 RP, the visual package here is solid. Lucian’s Q fires a concentrated beam that reads as a proper laser instead of the default light blast. Clean hitbox clarity too, which matters when you’re trying to poke through the wave in lane. The W gets a digital scanner effect that fans out with this grid pattern. Looks good. Functional.

His E dash leaves behind a trail of hex fragments, kinda feels like he’s phasing through digital space. Nothing crazy but a noticeable upgrade from base. The real standout for me is the ult. The Culling turns into this rapid-fire barrage of blue energy rounds and the sound design on it carries hard. Been running this in Diamond ADC games and the ult VFX genuinely help with tracking your aim during teamfights because the projectiles read so cleanly against the Rift backdrop.

New recall animation has Lucian assembling his weapons from digital parts. Quick, stylish, fits the PROJECT theme. Voice lines stay base, no new VO which is expected at this price point. The model itself is sleek though. Full body armor with the signature PROJECT visor, glowing accents across the chest plate. One thing I noticed after like 50 games is the auto attack animations feel slightly different in rhythm. Could be wrong here but the wind-up on his passive double-shot looks tighter with the PROJECT model.

The PROJECT line and where Lucian fits

PROJECT dropped September 7, 2015 as part of the first big PROJECT wave. Joshua ‘HUGEnFAST’ Brian Smith nailed the splash. That cityscape backdrop with Lucian dual-wielding those digital pistols is genuinely one of my favorite splash pieces in the game (random aside: had it as my desktop wallpaper for like two years straight).

The PROJECT skinline is one of Riot’s most iconic. Cyberpunk-meets-champion and Lucian slots in naturally because his kit already revolves around precision gunplay. Compared to other PROJECT skins in the line, Lucian’s design leans more tactical operator than full mech. Thats the right call for his character. He reads as a spec ops agent which fits the ADC backline role better than some bulky exosuit would.

Two chromas available for PROJECT: Lucian. Reckoning goes hot orange with dark teal accents, gives off a warning-signal aggressive vibe that I actually prefer for ranked. Paragon shifts to purple and cyan, more of a prestige look. Both solid but the base blue is hard to beat honestly.

Should you buy PROJECT: Lucian?

Real verdict: PROJECT: Lucian is one of those skins that aged well. Season 5 release and it still holds up against newer 1350 RP Lucian options. The VFX are readable, the model is clean, the recall is smooth. Shop has it permanently so no rush, but if you main Lucian or play him in your ADC rotation this is a strong pickup.

Played maybe 200 games with this skin across multiple seasons and I keep coming back. Last Tuesday around 2 AM I was spamming Lucian in a late night Diamond session and realized I hadnt switched off PROJECT in weeks. That says something. There’s flashier Lucian skins now like High Noon or Pulsefire but PROJECT hits a sweet spot between stylish and not-distracting. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. If you’re climbing as an ADC main and want a skin that looks good without cluttering your screen during teamfights, this is the one. Skip if you already own High Noon though, hard to justify both unless you’re a Lucian one-trick collecting everything.