PROJECT: Zed

First time I saw PROJECT: Zed load into a game I thought it was a Legendary. Not even joking. The model looked that clean back in 2015 and honestly it still holds up in 2025 which says something about how well Riot nailed the cyber-ninja fantasy. Been running this skin in Diamond for multiple seasons now and it might be my most used Zed skin period.

The cyber assassin treatment

So what actually changes. The whole model gets rebuilt into this sleek cybernetic frame with glowing orange accents cutting through dark metallic plating. Zed looks like he walked out of a mech anime. His Q shurikens become these orange energy projectiles that feel sharper somehow, like they read cleaner against the Rift background. Could be wrong here but I swear the Q hitbox looks more accurate with this skin just because the projectile shape matches better visually.

W shadow placement gets the full PROJECT treatment. Your shadow clone materializes with this digital glitch effect that honestly looks intimidating when youre doing the W-E-Q combo in lane. The E slash radiates outward with orange energy arcs. Clean stuff.

R is where it really shines though. The Death Mark application has this slick holographic targeting overlay and when the mark pops the VFX burst feels way more satisfying than base. Played maybe 150 games with this skin last season and every time that ult pop kills someone in a teamfight it just hits different. The recall animation is solid too, Zed does this whole blade-assembly sequence that sells the futuristic assassin vibe perfectly.

Voice lines stay base. No new VO which is standard for a 1350 Epic. Not gonna lie, a voice filter would have pushed this into S-tier territory for Zed skins but thats asking a lot for the price point.

When PROJECT dropped and the skinline context

Released September 7, 2015. Season 5. Back when the PROJECT line was still fresh and Riot hadnt run it into the ground yet with yearly additions. Jason Chan nailed the splash, the composition with Zed mid-strike against that neon cityscape is genuinely one of the better splash arts in the game. (Random aside: this splash was my desktop wallpaper for like two years straight.)

The PROJECT skinline is massive now but Zed was part of that early wave that defined the aesthetic. Him, Yi, Lucian, Fiora, Leona. That 2015 batch set the standard. Might be overthinking it but I think the earlier PROJECT skins have a tighter design language than the later ones. Less visual noise.

One chroma available, the Reckoning variant. Shifts the color palette from orange to this burnt red-orange with darker teal undertones. Honestly I stick with base most games because the original orange reads so well but Reckoning has its place if you want something slightly edgier for your ranked games.

Is PROJECT: Zed worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: this is the Zed skin if you want clean VFX without paying Legendary price. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The ability particles read well, the model aged better than most 2015 skins, and the recall animation adds personality.

For Zed mains specifically, your competition at this price point is stuff like Shockblade and Death Sworn. PROJECT beats both in my opinion. Shockblade is too simple, Death Sworn has cool thematic but the VFX can get muddy in teamfights when youre trying to track shadows during a dive. PROJECT stays readable even in chaotic late-game fights around baron pit.

Last Tuesday I was in a Diamond game where the enemy Zed had Galaxy Slayer and I had PROJECT. His skin is flashier sure but when we both ulted each other in mid lane around level 8 I could track my shadows way easier. Small thing but it matters when you’re splitpushing and need to make fast W decisions. Shop has it permanently so no rush, but if you main Zed and dont own this one yet, lock it in. Top pick for Zed mains who want function and style without dropping 1820.