by theygamesFirst it was the infamous Dark Cosmic Erasure Jhin chroma that clocked in at a hefty $200. Then there was the Faker Ahri skin, which, if you wanted the best version, would cost you $430. Now, to celebrate Arcane Season 2, Riot has announced that there’s a new Jinx skin in the works, but it belongs to a brand-new tier of League of Legends cosmetics – Exalted. As you can imagine, the price point is pretty chunky, and it’s going down as well as you’d expect.
Announced on Wednesday October 16 during a League of Legends developer catch-up video, the Arcane Fractured Jinx skin will feature two new models across “three different forms” (I’m comparing it to Seraphine’s K/DA skin in my head) and a new voiceover that’s reflective of Jinx’s Season 2 journey. You’ll switch between these using a “slot-machine mechanic” a la DJ Sona, which is bound to ctrl-5.
That all sounds amazing, but it’s clear that the skin is going to cost a pretty penny. Defined as a “luxury good” for “players who want hyper-exclusive skins,” Riot notes that the MOBA‘s new cosmetics are “what happens when we let our teams cook, pushing our design and tech capabilities to make the best possible skin for each champion’s unique fantasy within a specific theme.”
Ready for Arcane Season 2? So are we. Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ve got planned to celebrate Arcane in all of our games. pic.twitter.com/TDv2lOSA0H
— Riot Games (@riotgames) October 16, 2024
As a result, Riot’s introducing the new Sanctum system. Instead of giving the skin a base price, you’ll use Ancient Sparks (a new premium currency system) to pull for the Jinx skin, as well as other cosmetics. Ancient Sparks cost 400RP ($4.99 / £4.49, the lowest RP bundle you can get), and don’t expire.
With bad luck protection, you’re guaranteed to get the Jinx skin after 80 pulls, or 32,000RP. Some quick maths tells me that clocks in at around $250 / £221.
Other cosmetic drops include Mythic Essence, select skins, as well as exclusive chromas and banners. Exalted Skins also won’t be added to the reroll pool, meaning you need to use the Ancient Spark system to get them.
As you can imagine, this has gone down like a lead balloon – especially given the announcement that Riot is “evolving League” by laying off staff dropped the day before (the artist who designed the $430 Ahri skin appears to have been included in those layoffs).
“Very uncool thing to do almost immediately after you fired a bunch of people,” reads one comment on the post announcing the skin. “Celebrating an amazing piece of artistic creation by laying off your hard working artists who made you so much money,” reads another.
“Capitalism rules Piltover and ruins the lives of people in Zaun. To celebrate the world of Arcane in a similar fashion we’ve decided to lay off even more staff and exile them in a chemical wasteland,” says a final commenter.
If you’ve been infected with the League of Legends Worlds bug, then check out our LoL tier list to ensure you’re picking the best champs for the job. Alternatively, if you’re looking for slightly more affordable skins, here’s a list of all the League of Legends skins that are currently on sale.
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