Three Honors Malzahar

Not gonna lie, when I first saw Three Honors Malzahar pop up as an honor reward I thought Riot was trolling. A Malzahar skin you cant buy? Locked behind being nice to your teammates? In solo queue? Good luck with that. But after grinding honor level 5 and finally unlocking it late in season 12, I have some thoughts.

What Three Honors Malzahar actually looks like

This is a Standard tier skin so temper expectations. No new VFX on Q, W, E, or R. Voice lines stay base. No fancy recall animation. What you get is a remodel and texture swap that puts Malzahar in ceremonial gold and white robes with honor-themed accents. Clean look.

The color palette works better than I expected in game. Gold trim against the darker base creates decent contrast when you’re standing mid lane, and the voidlings pick up the new color scheme too. Played maybe 30 games with it last December after unlocking and the silhouette reads well. Not groundbreaking but honestly its fine for what it is. The splash by Ina Wong and West Studio captures this regal vibe that the in-game model only partially delivers on, which is the story of most Standard skins.

Been maining Malzahar on and off since season 9 I think or 10 dont remember. He’s my go-to when I need to neutralize some Yasuo or Yone one-trick in Diamond and just farm it out. Three Honors Malzahar gives you a slightly different look for that experience but the gameplay feel is identical to base. No new particles on your E spread, no special ult suppression visuals. You press R on their ADC in a teamfight and it looks the same as default.

The Three Honors line and how you get it

Released December 7, 2022. The Three Honors skinline includes Shen and Akshan alongside Malzahar. Riot’s approach here was interesting: reward players who maintain high honor levels with exclusive cosmetics. Special pricing, meaning you don’t spend RP. You earn it.

(Random aside: the irony of a Malzahar player getting an honor skin when half my games involve pressing R on someone and watching them type paragraphs in all chat.)

Ina Wong and West Studio handled the splash. They went for this enlightened prophet look that fits the honor theme. Malzahar floating with golden energy, voidlings at his side but looking almost purified. The concept is solid. Zero chromas available which makes sense given the reward structure. No additional customization options.

Should you grind honor for Three Honors Malzahar?

Real verdict: if you already play enough ranked and aren’t toxic, you’ll unlock this naturally. Could be wrong here but I think most Diamond players who don’t type in chat hit honor 5 by mid-season anyway. The skin itself is nothing special compared to something like Hextech Malzahar or Battle Boss Malzahar. Those have actual VFX changes and feel different to play.

Kinda feels like Three Honors Malzahar exists more as a flex than a genuinely good skin. You’re telling your lane opponent “hey I got through ranked without flaming anyone” which, real talk though, is harder than climbing sometimes. Last Tuesday I had a Kayn jungle go 0/7 pre-6 and keeping honor intact through games like that is the real achievement.

Skip this if you’re looking for a Malzahar skin that changes how the champion feels. There’s better options in the shop for RP. But if you main Malzahar and you hit honor 5? Lock it in. Free skin is a free skin. The gold aesthetic pairs well with the void fantasy and it’s one of those skins where maybe 3 people in your game will even recognize what it is. Exclusive factor counts for something.