Warring Kingdoms Xin Zhao

Picked up Warring Kingdoms Xin Zhao around launch back in season 3, and it sat as my main Xin Zhao skin for years after that. Red-gold imperial armor, decorated spear with tassels, helmet with a proper warrior crest. Not sure if it’s just me but locking in with this skin feels completely different from his base look – the silhouette reads more commanding in a way that’s hard to pin down exactly. There’s a reason it stayed the go-to Xin Zhao cosmetic for so long.

What Warring Kingdoms changes on Xin Zhao

Full model and texture rework. Base Demacian plate is gone and Xin Zhao gets layered red lacquered armor with gold trim and shoulder pieces that actually look proportional on his frame. The spear has red tassels near the blade – small detail but one you notice every time you proc the Q.

New VFX across the kit. Q – Three Talon Strike – lands with warm red and gold sparks on each hit, satisfying feedback especially when you’re farming jungle camps and checking whether the animation is tracking properly. E – Audacious Charge carries a warmer dash trail than base. R – Crescent Guard gets the best treatment: the protective ring around Xin Zhao has gold filigree instead of the flat blue energy default runs. Looks significantly more premium in teamfights and the difference is actually readable from your team’s perspective too.

No new VO. Voice lines stay base. Richard Epcar’s performance holds up, but a proper Warring Kingdoms voice pack wouldve pushed this from good into something genuinely special. That’s the one area where this Epic skin leaves something on the table.

Release, the Lunar Revel line, and 7 chromas

Warring Kingdoms Xin Zhao released February 8, 2013. Timed to Lunar New Year, which tracks completely with the Chinese dynasty war aesthetic. Michal Ivan handled the splash alongside Puppetworks Animation Studio. Banger splash honestly – Xin Zhao mid-charge with proper battlefield composition and the red-gold palette carrying hard even in thumbnail size.

The Warring Kingdoms skinline is part of Riot’s broader Lunar Revel collection. Strong theme overall. Xin Zhao fits it naturally – his lore as a former slave turned royal guard maps onto the imperial warrior concept better than most champions who ended up in the set. The line aged well compared to some of the later Lunar Revel iterations.

There’s 7 chromas available if you want to push the look further. Golden is the standout – it flips the color ratio so gold dominates over red, which reads distinctly different in-game from the base version. (random aside: bought the skin in 2013, played base for about a month, switched to Golden chroma and never went back.) Amethyst goes full purple, sounds off-theme for a war skin but actually holds up in practice. Rose Quartz is pastel pink, the most off-theme of the bunch – skip it unless that’s specifically what you’re after.

Shop has it at 1350 RP. Permanent stock, no rotation needed.

Is Warring Kingdoms Xin Zhao worth it?

Real verdict: yes, comfortably earns the Epic tag. Full model rework, new VFX across Q, E, and R, plus 7 chromas to customize. Winged Hussar Xin Zhao has its fans but Warring Kingdoms beats it on splash quality and VFX clarity in live games. For anyone climbing ranked with Xin Zhao in the jungle, the Q proc feedback here is actually readable in ways the base skin’s isn’t.

Been running Warring Kingdoms Xin Zhao in Diamond games since late 2013. Played probably 300 games with this skin, maybe more. At 1350 RP well spent for mains – the model quality holds up against newer releases in the same price bracket. Top pick for Xin Zhao mains, not really a competition.