PROJECT: Naafiri

First game I played with PROJECT: Naafiri was around 3 AM on a Tuesday and I remember thinking Riot finally gave this champion something worth locking in. Naafiri released with a pretty thin skin catalog, so getting a PROJECT treatment felt like a statement. The cyber-augmented wolf fantasy works better than it has any right to. Not gonna lie, I wasnt expecting much going in but the VFX alone sold me within one jungle clear.

How PROJECT changes Naafiri’s kit

The packmates get a full cybernetic overhaul. Sleek metallic frames, glowing circuit lines running through their bodies. Base Naafiri’s packmates feel organic and feral. PROJECT versions feel like weaponized drones. Big difference in how they read during a teamfight.

Q sends out a digitized blade trail with sharp blue-white particle effects. Clean lines, no visual noise. The W dash leaves a data-stream afterimage that honestly looks better than some Legendary skins manage. Played maybe 40 games with this and the W still catches my eye every time. Her E packmate surge gets the full PROJECT treatment too, the wolves streak forward with trailing circuit patterns that pop against the Rift’s darker areas.

R is where it really comes together. The leap gets a heavy holographic burst on impact, the kind of screen presence you want when you’re diving the backline. (Random aside: my duo partner thought it was a different champion the first time he saw the ult animation.) The recall is new and fits the PROJECT theme. Naafiri interfaces with some kind of data terminal while the packmates circle in formation. Standard for the skinline but executed well.

Voice lines stay base. No new VO, which is expected at the Epic tier. The base voice works fine with the aesthetic though, so its not a dealbreaker.

The PROJECT line and where Naafiri fits

PROJECT dropped March 6, 2024. Season 14 was already in full swing by then. Augusto Quirino and West Studio handled the splash, and they nailed the composition. Naafiri crouched on some futuristic rooftop with the pack fanning out behind her. Very PROJECT, very clean.

The PROJECT skinline is one of Riot’s longest running themes at this point. Naafiri joining the roster makes sense thematically. She’s already about augmentation in a way, the Darkin hound controlling a pack. Translate that into cybernetics and you get a natural fit. Could be wrong here but I think PROJECT: Naafiri reads better than half the older PROJECT skins because the champion design already leans into that predatory tech angle.

8 chromas total. Tanzanite is my pick, the deep purple glow against the metallic frame looks incredible in the bot lane specifically during river fights. Sapphire runs a close second if you want that classic cold-blue PROJECT look. Pearl goes for the clean white aesthetic but I think it loses some of the edge that makes the skin work. The rest are solid but those two stood out across maybe 15 games of testing different ones.

Is PROJECT: Naafiri worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: for Naafiri mains this is an easy buy. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX on every ability, new recall, solid splash art. The packmates looking like cyber predators instead of sand dogs changes the whole feel of playing the champion.

Kinda feels like Riot put extra care into this one because Naafiri’s skin catalog was so thin at launch. Been running this as my default Naafiri skin since it dropped and haven’t switched back. The competition is Soul Fighter and Warhound, and I think PROJECT edges both for pure visual clarity in ranked. Soul Fighter has its own vibe but PROJECT’s particles read cleaner during chaotic teamfights when you’re trying to track your packmates through a five-man engage.

Skip it if you dont play Naafiri. But if she’s in your assassin rotation for mid or jungle, this is the one. Shop has it, 1350 RP, season 13 or 14 I think dont remember exactly when I grabbed it but it’s been a solo queue staple since. S-tier Naafiri cosmetic and I stand by that after hundreds of games.