Valiant Sword Riven

First time I saw Valiant Sword Riven load in, I thought Riot finally gave Riven the fantasy sword-saint treatment she deserved. Not gonna lie, the splash alone had me reaching for the purchase button before the game even started. This was back in late September 2019, maybe a week after it dropped, and I locked it in for a Diamond promo game. Won that one. Coincidence? Probably. But the skin stuck.

How Valiant Sword Riven actually plays

The VFX carry this skin hard. Riven’s Q combo gets these sweeping golden blade trails that feel cleaner than base, almost like the hitbox reads better visually even though nothing changed mechanically. Could be wrong here but the third Q knockup has this burst of light that just hits different when you’re diving the backline in a teamfight.

W stun gets a nice radial pulse effect. Quick gold flash. Nothing over the top but it reads well in lane, especially when you’re trading short combos pre-6. The E shield wraps Riven in this translucent jade energy that looks way better than most Epic skins manage. Solid work.

Her ult is where Valiant Sword Riven really earns the 1350 RP. Wind Slash sends out this massive golden crescent that feels heavier than base. Played maybe 150 games with this skin through season 10 and the R2 execute still looks satisfying every single time. The blade extends with this luminous edge during Blade of the Exile and the model change is noticeable without being distracting. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for this tier.

Recall animation has Riven performing this meditative sword flourish. Clean. Fits the Immortal Journey theme perfectly.

The Immortal Journey line and where this fits

Immortal Journey is one of Riot’s wuxia-inspired skinlines and honestly its one of the more cohesive thematic sets they’ve done. Valiant Sword Riven released September 26, 2019 alongside other Immortal Journey skins that patch. The whole line pulls from Chinese martial arts fantasy and Riven fits naturally into that space because her kit is already about blade mastery and combo execution.

Bo ‘chenbowow’ Chen handled the artwork. They captured this specific energy of a wandering swordsman mid-journey, blade drawn but not aggressive. The splash composition puts Riven center frame with flowing robes and that golden sword catching light. Really strong piece.

No chromas on this one. Zero. Which feels like a missed opportunity honestly. An Obsidian or Pearl variant would have been clean but Riot just never went back to add them. The Immortal Journey line got some chromas on other champions but Riven got skipped. Shop has it permanently at 1350 RP so at least theres no vault nonsense to deal with.

Should you pick up Valiant Sword Riven?

Real verdict: this is a top three Riven skin. Maybe top two depending on how you feel about Spirit Blossom. The VFX upgrades hit every ability cleanly, the model looks premium for an Epic, and the Immortal Journey theme suits Riven better than most of her catalog.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. Not overpriced, not a steal, just solid value. If you’re a Riven main climbing through ranked this season, Valiant Sword is the kind of skin that doesnt distract you with over-the-top particles but still looks clean enough that you feel good locking it in. Been running this in rotation with Spirit Blossom for months and I keep coming back to Valiant Sword for ranked specifically.

(Random aside: my duo partner who one-tricks Riven in Diamond has owned every Riven skin since season 5 and this is still his default pick for tournament games. Says the animations feel “tighter” which I think is pure placebo but I get it.)

Skip it if you already have Spirit Blossom and only want one Riven skin. But if you play Riven with any regularity, Valiant Sword earns its spot. Last Tuesday I pulled off a 1v2 in top lane with this skin on and the Wind Slash cleanup felt cinematic. Kinda feels like this skin was designed for the Riven player who wants elegance over flashiness. S-tier Riven cosmetic, no question.