Warring Kingdoms Vi

First time I saw Warring Kingdoms Vi load in during a ranked game, I thought someone was playing a different champion entirely. The silhouette reads so differently from base Vi that it took me a solid two seconds to register what was happening. Not gonna lie, that initial confusion sold me on the skin immediately.

How Warring Kingdoms changes Vi’s kit

The whole aesthetic shifts Vi from Piltover enforcer into this armored warrior general vibe. Her gauntlets get a full redesign with red and gold plating, and the way they catch light on the Rift is noticeably cleaner than most of her other skins. Big difference.

VFX got a proper overhaul for an Epic tier skin. Her Q charge-up has this fiery energy trail that looks fantastic when you’re ganking through river. The E proc specifically stands out to me because the shockwave carries that same red-gold palette, and in teamfights where everything is chaos, your abilities still read clearly against the background. Played maybe 40 games with this skin the week it dropped and the visual clarity never bothered me once.

Her ult is where things get interesting. The lockdown animation when you R onto their backline ADC has this explosive burst of warm tones that feels more impactful than base. Could be wrong here but I think the particles are slightly larger too, which makes diving into a 5v5 feel even more satisfying. Been running this in Diamond for multiple seasons at this point and it still holds up.

Recall animation is custom. Vi does this martial arts form with her gauntlets that fits the Warring Kingdoms theme perfectly. Its cool but nothing groundbreaking compared to some of the flashier recalls in the game. Voice lines stay base, no changes there. Standard for a 1350 RP skin from that era honestly.

The Warring Kingdoms line and where Vi fits

Warring Kingdoms released as part of the Lunar Revel event. Vi’s version dropped January 19, 2017, right in the middle of season 7. The Lunar Revel: Warring Kingdoms skinline has some heavy hitters in it. Katarina, Jarvan IV, Azir, Nidalee. Vi holds her own in that roster though.

Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores handled the artwork on the splash. They captured this dynamic mid-punch pose that shows off the redesigned gauntlets perfectly. (Random aside: I had this splash as my Discord avatar for like three months straight back in 2017.) The color composition is strong, lots of warm reds and golds against a darker background that makes Vi pop.

No chromas on this one. Zero. Which is a shame because I think an Obsidian or Pearl variant would have gone hard with the Eastern armor aesthetic. But Riot wasnt handing out chromas to every skin back in early 2017 the way they do now.

This one sits in the Legacy vault, so you cant just grab it whenever you want. Typically comes back around during Lunar New Year events or pops up in Your Shop if you play enough Vi. Last Tuesday I actually saw someone in my game with it and asked them in post-game chat where they got it. Hextech chest. Lucky roll.

Is Warring Kingdoms Vi worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: for Vi mains this is a strong pickup when it rotates back into the shop. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX across the board, a solid recall, and an aesthetic that genuinely differentiates her from every other Vi skin in the catalog. The Warring Kingdoms fantasy works for a champion whose entire identity is punching things extremely hard.

That said, Vi has some serious competition in her skin lineup now. PROJECT Vi exists. Arcane skins exist. If you’re only buying one Vi skin and you want maximum value, kinda feels like the newer options edge this one out on particle quality alone. But if you main Vi and you like collecting, Warring Kingdoms Vi earns a spot in the rotation. I still swap to it every Lunar New Year season out of habit at this point, somewhere around late January when the event hits. The skin just fits the vibe.

Skip it if you only play Vi as a pocket pick in specific comps. Worth it if she’s your go-to jungler for climbing. Simple as that.