Jan 292014
Lunar Revel 2014
The Moon looks down from her dark throne on the ravaged land below as warring kingdoms vie in incessant skirmishes and drawn-out battles. Their mundane stakes don’t concern her divine interest but the courage of those that protect the defenceless elicit her blessings. Whether with a dragon-blade or a humble stick this Lunar Revel they’ll find their bravery shines like never before.
Lunar Goddess Diana
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| Category: | Regular |
| Price: | 975 RP |
| Concept: | Diana as a Moon avatar with a lotus motif. |
| Model: | New model for Diana and her crescent blade. |
| Particles: | New particles for her abilities and auto-attack. |
| Animations: | New recall animation. |
| Sounds: | New sound for Moonfall. |
| Splash Art: | The background is a fitting starry night with a crescent Moon dominating behind. In spite of the appropriate setting it feels empty despite the clouds made of dyed cotton and dust-like stars. Diana fares better thanks to the fascinating shading. The clothes almost seem ethereal which added to the moonshine adds a supernatural aura to her depiction. Unfortunately, the quality isn’t consistent and her legs seem dull amidst the clouds as well as the ends of her dress. All in all, it’s a fantastic yet uneven portrayal of Diana framed by a letdown of a background. |
| Rating: |  |
| Conclusion: | Lunar Goddess Diana seems like an adaptation of the Moon’s Scorn to Chinese mythology. Instead of simply becoming the avatar of the Moon she becomes an embodiment of Chang’e, the Chinese Goddess of the Moon. In that regard her aspect tells little of any ethereal or even supernatural power. In fact, at a glance she merely looks like a flamboyantly dressed lady; maybe even underdressed considering she’s a warrior avatar. This makes a contrast with the simple elegance of her crescent blade and also with the clear though somewhat whimsical lotus-based theme of her particles. Although Diana isn’t exactly bad looking in this skin she doesn’t instil a sensible touch of spirituality or even a satisfying Chinese style. In particular, the leggings not only look out of place but also discordant with the flowing aesthetic proposed by her dress. Ultimately, Lunar Goddess Diana is an uneven skin that also doesn’t communicate its concept well. In other words, the implementation fails at clearly realizing the theme. While the particles do a lot to help the skin stand out they simply can’t battle the general issues. Even if taken aside from its proposed Chang’e theme it still seems like it does many things without a unifying direction. |
Dragonblade Riven
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| Category: | Legacy |
| Price: | 1350 RP |
| Concept: | Riven as an armoured, eastern warrior. |
| Model: | New model for Riven and her sword: broken and re-forged. |
| Particles: | New fire particles for her abilities. |
| Animations: | New animations for her hair and sword tassel plus new recall animation. |
| Sounds: | New sounds for her abilities. |
| Splash Art: | The setting is a battlefield flooded with flames and soldiers. At a glance, it’s an eye-catching panorama but a closer look is marred by diffuse scenes that don’t clearly show what’s going on. The result is that much is suggested but little can be perceived. That’s not the case with Riven, quite the opposite actually, as she’s clearly depicted leaping in a furious attack. The clothes are well done yet the fabric looks simple. However, the fantastic lighting adds a lot of depth to her portrayal. Her sword also grabs attention despite being behind her. The expression on her face is also very explicit but a tad unfitting for her usually calm demeanour. Maybe if it harkened to her violent Noxian past it would make more sense, there’s still some of that in her, yet it seems like an exaggeration. On the whole, it’s a vivid piece that gives a great first impression. It works quite well as a portrayal but suffers from some minor but significant ailments on the whole. |
| Rating: | |
| Conclusion: | The idea behind Dragonblade Riven is clearly that of a warrior with an eastern style. The armour is believable enough as it seems well adapted to an agile fighter without sacrificing protection. Also, the blade has an attractive design that balances ornamentation with practicality. Add to that her animated hair and sword tassel and Riven’s appearance has a lot to offer. However, most of these additions are difficult to notice at a distance: most are rather subtle and the homogeneous colour palette makes her aspect seem simpler than it really is. Fortunately, the red particles provide an eye-catching display; especially for Wind Slash. This makes the skin quite good all around but not enough for its actual price. In particular due to the extremely subtle new sounds and brief new recall animation. It’s, technically, an attractive skin but it also feels overpriced as the changes don’t add up and many elements are almost imperceptible. Therefore, Dragonblade Riven is an appealing skin better caught while on sale as it provides a lot but not at the level expected for its regular price. |
Warring Kingdoms Tryndamere
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| Category: | Legacy |
| Price: | 975 RP |
| Concept: | Tryndamere in the image of Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms period. |
| Model: | New model for Tryndamere and his sword. |
| Particles: | New particles for his fury, Spinning Slash and Undying Rage. |
| Animations: | New recall and critical hits animations. |
| Sounds: | No new sounds. |
| Splash Art: | The background presents a snow-covered land with, perhaps, an invaded fort. It’s mostly a guess because everything is so diffuse that it’s difficult to identify any elements except for Tryndamere. The Barbarian King receives an impressive presentation but one that is also uneven. One look reveals excellent shading and reflections for his armour and sword as well as for his clothes. However, the lower body looks dull and his left arm covers most of his body due to a ostentatious pose. Therefore, it’s difficult to get a clear image of how he looks like. The glowing eye may also be a bit too much as it suggests some demonic energy coursing through him. While it could simply be an effect of his rage it’s the only indication which, added to the lack of context, makes it an unclear element. All in all, it’s a adequate presentation for Tryndamere but one that doesn’t display him in the best of ways. |
| Rating: | |
| Conclusion: | Warring Kingdoms Tryndamere implements its concept rather well though in a conventional way and without any extra effort. To start with, the beard and armour resemble the popular depictions of Guan Yu to an extent though he preferred to wear a robe over his armour. While there’s a lot of ornamentation and a reliance on bronze his appearance doesn’t stand out apart from depicting the famous Han General. His great sword is also decorated though Guan Yu favoured an also imposing guan dao. That could’ve been implemented as he could wield the weapon in the same manner and just leave the pole behind it. However, that would’ve meant readjustments were needed for some animations to prevent clipping. The new particles and animations feel like decoration as they neither further the theme nor add anything visually striking. Then, what we are left is a furious barbarian adapted into a Chinese warrior paying homage to Guan Yu. The result is good but brimming with untapped potential. Even as a traditional Chinese warrior Tryndamere doesn’t feel particularly exciting or interesting. Ultimately, fans of Tryndamere or Romance of the Three Kingdoms will find that the skin is satisfactory but classically uncompromising in its choices. |
Conclusion
This year’s Lunar Revel skins end up being more interesting in theory than in practice. That’s because the concepts are very appealing but the executions don’t make the most out of them.
The recommended skin is Warring Kingdoms Tryndamere, not because of its irresistible features but, sadly, due to the absence of something better. The skin manages to give him an aspect similar to Guan Yu but closely following its classic blueprints. It’s a good skin but seems like more of the same for the barbarian.
Lunar Goddess Diana faces identity problems: her appearance embodies neither Moon nor mysticism. Additionally, the lotus-based particles are nice looking but they don’t flow with the theme either. If taken on her own, Lunar Goddess seems whimsical and erratic. Unfortunately, fans of Diana will find it a bit of a letdown.
Lastly, Dragonblade Riven is a skin that proposes sensible yet unexciting armour and an interesting blade. The particles also add to the visual display but aside from a new recall that’s, mostly, all there is. Thus, it’s a reasonably appealing skin that doesn’t offer enough for its high price. If you like it, better catch it while on sale.
10 Responses to “League of Legends: Lunar Revel 2014 Skins’ Review”
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Hello Zero,
You mentioned a good points in your review on the skins but I have a question,
you wrote about Riven’s skin “If you like it, better catch it while on sale”.
So if considering the skin is bought for 975 how much will you rate it? (similar to the situation where you mentioned on udyr’s review, that it’s worth if the skin is on sale)
Thanks!
You could add a star in that case. We wouldn’t add one permanently as the discount is temporary and quite brief. Additionally, legacy skins are expected to give something extra due to their restricted availability and ineligibility to go on regular sales.
It’s possible that in subsequent years the Year of the Horse bundle will receive a 25% discount, like the other bundles, and so Dragonblade Riven’s price would be discounted to 1012.5 RP. However, it comes with the compromises that a bundle asks for and it would again be temporary and quite brief.
In the end, now is the time to get Dragonblade Riven as it offer the most generous discount of 27.8% off. At 975 RP you can add a star as the skin feels better suited for that price range. It’s a rather nice skin but it’s certainly a better option while on sale.
I guess I’ll buy it now, 4 stars seems alright to me!
Your opinion means a lot to me, and you are right, those special event skins are exepected to have extra features, and some of these skins fail at that.
Thank you for the quick reply and keep up the good work!
We are glad you find our reviews useful, we put a lot of effort so that you can rely on them.
Indeed, if a skin is supposed to be special then it shouldn’t simply be labelled as such it should be obvious at a mere glance. Dragonblade Riven is a nice skin and does have a unique style but on the whole it doesn’t feel as exciting and impressive as it could.
We’ll keep working hard and trying to improve to make the best reviews possible.
Hi zero, thank you for your fast review, accurate as always. After reading it i decided to buy dragonblade riven. It seems to me that she has a new sound for her W ability, like a fire sound. It may the same for her R. Keep up with the good work.
Thanks for the kind words. We didn’t notice new sounds but we could’ve missed them so we’ll check again.
Zero is great. Thank you Zero,
I have mixed feelings about this sale. Its honestly pretty good even though its not “discounted”.
Riven is 975 instead of 1350 and if you buy all 3 then it costs 2931 but you get a free lunar ward thats worth 640.
If you waited you “might” get half off Diana 487 + 731 (25% off Tryn) + 1021 (25% off Riven) and it would cost you 2239 rp. Throw in 640 for the ward skin and the price would be 2879.
If you were going to buy the ward skin then the price isnt very different. If not then it might be best to wait. Still, I wonder if the 2 “legacy” skins will ever go on sale for 25% or if Riot will vault them. You might can hope they will be 50% but you never know. If it were to happen then Id guess it would be in a mid month sale.
These are ok skins and Zero has them reviewed perfectly and put them right where they should be. Id really like to see a skin worthy of Zero 5 star review but its been awhile.
Honestly, Im disappointed in the Dragon bundle. 25% isnt a big sale and youdve thought they could have been less greedy and include a ward skin with it if you bought the bundle. I will buy the ward skins and wait on the bundle skins and pay about the same price when the bundle skins go on sale for 50% off.
I did buy the Serpent bundle for the same reason. There were 3 975 skins that I didnt have. The total cost for me was 2931.andn it would have been 2502 to buy the ward skin and then wait for all 3 to go on 50% off. It was less than $3 difference to pull the trigger now.
Fortunately I owned the champions. Zero doesnt say so, but I think that hed agree that none of these packs are worth the money if you have to spend rp to buy the champions along with the skins. Its a better deal to farm ip and get the champions for free.
Overall, I spent about $5 extra to buy the 2 packs that I bought instead of waiting for a better sale. I doubt that the 3 new Lunar Revel skins will go on sale for better than 25% off and the 3 serpent skins that I added to my collection were all skins that Zero had rated at 5 stars so Im hoping they are as exceptional as he says they are. I trust Zero so even though they were a reach, Im willing to spend an extra $5 for good quality that advances my collection.
Guess, Im offering another perspective on price. Have a nice day everyone.
Thanks again for your hard work Zero
You are too kind.
You make a valid point in that the ward skins can tip the scales for someone interested. With regards to sales, chances are that the Lunar legacy skins won’t receive 50% discounts. However, they probably will be available next year in a bundle at a 25% off; just like old Lunar skins are offered now.
We agree even though we didn’t explicitly state it: if you need to buy the champions then the bundles can be too expensive. The Lunar 2013 or Year of the Serpent skins are great despite the Warring Kingdoms ones being a bit overpriced. Still, as they are regular skins just like the Lunar 2012 or Year of the Dragon, a regular sale can be the best option; unless you’d like a ward skin as well.
Thanks for providing a different view on the bundles.
Dragonblade riven should be at least 4 stars, her particles are very appealing and her ascetics make this skin very noticeable. Giving trynda 4 and riven only 3 stars, I personally think Riven was more well done than the Trynda, I would appreciate if you show riven some love, even though she’s satan’s worshiper but we can skip that part 😉
Riven is a lovely Battle Bunny so we’ll have to disagree on that; carrots are healthy as well as deadly.
With that clear Warring Kingdoms Tryndamere costs only 975 RP while Dragonblade Riven costs 1350 RP. However, Dragonblade doesn’t have any additions that really reflect the high price: everything it offers fits at 975 RP. The particles are nice as well as the sounds and animations but they don’t stand out or add up to define a special identity. For the most part it’s just the fiery particles that one remembers. Because it’s a legacy skin it can’t go on sale which further emphasizes the importance of the price.
In the end, we agree that it’s a pleasing skin for fans of Riven but it’s also a bit expensive for what it offers. The problem lies in how the different additions work on their own and together to realize the theme.