10/07/2025

League of Legends: New €250 skin - worse than a free champion?

League of Legends Neuer 250 Skin schlechter als ein kostenloser Champion

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Riot Games is once again under heavy criticism. The next "Exalted Skin" for League of Legends has been announced: Spirit Blossom Morgana. But instead of excitement, frustration is growing within the community – has Riot learned nothing from recent feedback?

Growing dissatisfaction in the community

The introduction of the "Exalted" line was meant to be a milestone in League's skin design. Instead, for many players, it has become a symbol of decline. Exorbitant prices, declining quality, and opaque monetization are causing increasing tension between developers and fans. With prices reaching up to €250 and gacha mechanics, many players feel left behind – and even betrayed. After all, that's roughly a fifth of a decent gaming PC.

YouTuber exoLL has taken a deep dive into the topic: in several videos, he compares the new skins to older legendary or even base skins – with sobering results. Visual and technical quality is dropping while prices are skyrocketing. For many veterans, this marks a break from what League of Legends once was.

Gacha elements and currency chaos

Buying a skin used to be simple. Buy Riot Points, pick a skin, done. Today, the system is a nearly incomprehensible web of events, battle passes, rotating shops, and exclusive currencies like Mythic Essence or Ancient Sparks.

Once special, Prestige skins are now battle pass end goals. Exalted skins, on the other hand, are hidden behind gambling mechanics – with guaranteed rewards only after extremely high investments. The first Exalted Skin, Arcane Fractured Jinx, was guaranteed after about €250 – and disappointed many: few new animations, barely any transitions, and a lack of detail. Veterans compared it to Ultimate skins from 2016 – and drew a grim conclusion.

Mordekaiser skin as a low point

The criticism was especially harsh for Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser. A lore-relevant skin for a small but loyal fanbase – yet it disappointed technically and was hidden behind an extremely expensive gacha system. The first version was pulled after fan backlash. But even the revised version failed to impress.

Spirit Blossom Morgana – another warning sign?

With the new patch comes the next wave of skins: Spirit Blossom. Early impressions from the PBE once again show inconsistent quality. While the new Morgana skin is praised for its art design, the praise quickly ends: no facial animations – even though her base model is particularly expressive. Animations seem recycled, fluid transitions are missing. And this for a price of up to €250.

Even more questionable: the new legendary Karma skin, supposedly priced around €15, reportedly offers less than some older €10 skins, according to exoLL. Players rightly ask: what exactly are we paying for?

Riot removes rewards – trust declines

The criticism doesn't stop at pricing. When Riot recently hinted at removing Hextech Chests, the outrage was massive. Although the change wasn't implemented as announced, access to free rewards was significantly reduced.

Trust in Riot Games is crumbling. Although there were revolutionary changes in how you control League making headlines recently, the gap between studio and community continues to grow – despite the past success of Arcane and League’s ongoing popularity. Monetization seems to be taking priority over everything – and many are asking: has Riot already passed the point of no return?

(Image source: Riot Games)