Runeborn Xerath

First time I saw Runeborn Xerath in a loading screen I thought someone was running a custom skin. Bright orange energy crackling through ancient stone, completely different vibe from base Xerath. Been maining Xerath on and off since season 3 and this one still catches me off guard in champ select sometimes. For a 750 RP Standard tier skin released way back on October 5, 2011, it holds up better than it has any right to.

What Runeborn Xerath actually looks like in game

The whole color palette flips. Base Xerath is this blue arcane energy thing, right. Runeborn shifts everything into fiery orange and deep red tones running through darker stone. Kinda feels like they took the Shuriman mage concept and gave it a volcanic twist. The body texture reads more like carved runestone than the smooth arcane containment suit vibe of default.

VFX get tweaked here which is honestly surprising for a 750 RP skin from 2011. Your Q poke comes out with that warm orange glow instead of the standard blue. Same for W and E. Not a complete particle overhaul like you’d see on an Epic or Legendary, but the color shift is consistent across abilities. Playing this in lane, your E stun projectile reads differently enough that I swear some players react slower to it. Could be wrong here but the orange just blends into the Rift ground textures a bit more than the bright blue.

No new recall animation. Voice lines stay base. Michael McConnohie’s VO works fine with the skin though, thats not really an issue. The arrogant energy being voice fits regardless of color scheme. Ult channels look clean with the reddish particles, especially in teamfights where you’re dropping R from the backline and the whole area lights up warm instead of cool blue.

Legacy line and release context

Runeborn Xerath sits in the Legacy skinline. Available any time in the shop right now which is nice. Back in October 2011 Xerath himself was still pretty new to the Rift. Season 1 ending, early season 2 approaching. The skin dropped during a period where Riot was pumping out simpler recolors and texture swaps for 750 RP and calling it a day.

No splash artist credited in the data for this one. The splash itself is decent for its era. Xerath floating with that orange energy erupting outward, stone fragments breaking apart. (Random aside: I used this splash as my Discord avatar for like three months in 2019 before anyone even asked what it was.) Zero chromas available which makes sense given the age and price point. The Legacy catalog has a bunch of these older skins that never got the chroma treatment.

Should you pick up Runeborn Xerath for 750 RP?

Real verdict: if you play Xerath at all, 750 RP is pocket change for a skin that actually changes your VFX colors. Compare that to some 975 RP skins from the same era that literally just swap textures with no particle work. Runeborn punches above its weight class.

Not gonna lie, there’s better Xerath skins if you want the full package. Dark Star Xerath and Arcana Xerath exist at higher price points with complete overhauls. But for pure value per RP spent, Runeborn is hard to beat. Been running this in Diamond games last week specifically because I wanted something clean without all the visual noise that newer skins pile on. Sometimes simple hits different. Spammed maybe 15 games with it and the orange Q poke never got old. Worth 750 RP if you main Xerath, easy recommendation. Skip it only if you already own Arcana or Dark Star and dont need another option in rotation.