And since you’ll be spending the next five hundred hours learning how to animation cancel and wall hop while simultaneously mixing your next Nightcore album, you should at least get something pretty to look at. Lucky for you, Riven has quite the brilliant collection of skins. And I’ll be ranking them all based on community opinions, skin features, and price.
12. Redeemed Riven
Released: September 14th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Although I don’t think this skin is that bad-looking, it just charges way too much for what it brings to the table. Yes, having a hood automatically gives you a vigilante vibe. And that will always be a plus. But that’s the only thing this skin really has going for it. It doesn’t have any new animations or particles, or even chromas. I do like the splash art quite a bit. But considering the amount of stuff that other 975 RP skins are willing to dish out, this one comes off as a rip-off.
11. Crimson Elite Riven
Released: September 14th, 2011 Price: 520 RP Now this design is just straight-up ugly. There’s something about the color palette here that makes this skin quite the eye-sore. And since it doesn’t offer any new animations or particles, the character model is the only thing I can really look at. I mean, I can give it some points for putting my girl into those latex pants. But that’s truly where the list of “pros” stops. At least it has enough self-awareness to only be priced at 520 RP, if nothing else.
10. Battle Bunny Prime Riven
Released: March 31st, 2022 Price: 1350 RP This skin was just disappointing on so many levels. First off, this skin inspired the entire skin line. And yet MF is the one who gets the legendary? Secondly, I honestly think Riot forgot what this skin was even supposed to be. I say that because if you take away the bunny ears, this just feels like a mediocre PROJECT skin. The sound effects are all high-tech “beep boops”, your E is generic as all hell and the backing animation just seems lazy. The original Battle Bunny honestly had a much firmer aesthetic, and it came out a decade before this one! Your W and R technically have bunny heads incorporated in the animation, but it just felt slapped on. Like they remembered that this was a Bunny skin five minutes before the deadline. From a technical standpoint, this skin isn’t bad. The animations are clean, and the sound effects are distinct. And if you just don’t think about it, I’m sure it could be in your top five. But thematically it’s such a mess that I refuse to put it any higher on this list.
9. Battle Bunny Riven
Released: April 6th, 2012 Price: 975 RP I know this one hurts quite a bit, as old-school Riven mains basically live and breathe Battle Bunny. But it’s slightly outdated by now. Yes, in terms of particles it is rather solid, with all of them being recolored into yellow, and the new E animation is quite satisfying, with the carrots and all that. But there are simply better Riven skins out there. They might not be as sexy as Battle Bunny Riven, but others are definitely a lot more impactful and ambitious – which I have to take into account here.
8. Arcade Riven
Released: August 19th, 2015 Price: 1350 RP When it comes down to visuals and the design, I absolutely love this skin. The little auto-attack swipe particles, the K.O. animation and sound effect, the DDR pad W stun, I love it all. And Arcade Riven is very distinct, both visually and audibly, as Riven skins usually go for a slightly more subtle aesthetic than a literal arcade. That being said, I do think this skin is just slightly clunkier than the rest. And when you’re talking about an APM monster like Riven, that matters quite a lot. Overall, I basically love the skin and everything it stands for. And if you’re a casual pleb like me, you should give it a whirl. But I can’t call it the best without appeasing the Riven main gods.
7. Championship Riven
Released: September 25th, 2016 Price: 975 RP Just to be clear, this refers to both the 2016 version and the original – as let’s face it, they’re pretty much the same. Plus there’s no way to get the OG version anymore. This skin does everything right, as it feels really smooth, offers a really nice character model, and even has quite the unique look. The blue particles are very clear and easy to look at. Plus the ult animation has just enough badass energy to get your blood pumping as you jump into that Baron pit into a 1v5. Also, if you do have the OG version, you basically get a veteran’s badge of honor that you can flex profusely. So ultimately this skin has a legacy, a cool design, a good feel, and even a reasonable price. Definitely worth having a look at.
6. Sentinel Riven
Released: July 8th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP As one of the newest Riven skins to hit the scene, you already know some big bucks were put into this design. Your sword just looks like Senna’s gun, which I find hilarious. And the character model is insanely clean and detailed, plus all of the particles used have that distinct Sentinel vibe. Also, both the backing animation and the splash art are rather epic. I do have a small gripe with this skin, though: The sound cues feel just slightly janky to me. But it doesn’t throw off her entire game all that much, so it still definitely deserves to still be ranked among the big boys.
5. Pulsefire Riven
Released: May 17th, 2018 Price: 1350 RP Although this skin can’t really compete with the higher ups in the Pulsefire line, it’s still quite good. I especially like how Riot designed her blade in this skin, having it usually just be a hunk of metal and then having an energy blade pop out while you’re in your ult. It fits the thematic so well and makes you feel powerful without sacrificing logic in the process. Both the visual and audio cues are pretty clean, even if slightly generic, and your backing animation has you open up a massive vortex – which is a lot more exciting than just standing around and looking towards the sky. Pulsefire Riven even has a unique death animation, so I think it’s safe to say that you’re getting your money’s worth.
4. Valiant Sword Riven
Released: September 26th, 2016 Price: 1350 RP Valiant Sword Riven is for when you want to play Irelia, but don’t feel like going through the hassle of actually playing Irelia. It’s all about the swords! Your recall has you summoning swords, your E shield has swords, your ult execute throws swords… hell, even your homeguard animation is just riding on a sword! So at least you know the thematic is consistent. The character model here is rather simple, but very well-made. And the visual + sound cues are clean, so they don’t hinder you at all. And the fact that your initial ult activation is on the more subtle side means you can catch people off guard rather easily. Overall, this is a pretty great skin that really likes swords.
3. Dragonblade Riven
Released: January 28th, 2014 Price: 1350 RP Although this might not be the flashiest skin for its price point (it does come with a rather dull backing animation and no new homeguard or death animation), it makes up for that with a crisp experience. Dragonblade Riven feels really good to play with, as all the animations are clear and give you a real sense of control. Plus the fire particles just look amazing. The character model here is rather detailed, giving off strong army leader vibes, and the splash art is as dynamic as they come. Sometimes less truly is more.
2. Spirit Blossom Riven
Released: August 6th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Spirit Blossom Riven has the same amount of crispness as Dragonblade, but this one adds so many cool elements into the mix that it’s impossible not to love it. The splash art here is hauntingly beautiful, and the whole “Susanoo vibe” this skin has going on just makes for an amazing experience. From the somewhat tragic backing animation to the W summon and the ult purple flame plus Susanoo arm combo, this really sets the tone well – and it sticks to that tone throughout. I’d say this skin just crushes all categories, from quality of life to pure awe factor. And that’s why it feels right at home so close to the top.
1. Dawnbringer Riven
Released: June 14th, 2017 Price: 1820 RP If you’re a Riven main (or friends with one) then this really shouldn’t come as a shocker. It is a legendary skin, after all. It has all of the usual qualities that you would want from a Riven skin, like clean animations on your basic abilities, a badass character model, and nice audio cues. But it also has the most badass ult animation you have ever seen. Riot designers weren’t satisfied with just making the sword feel threatening. So they basically made you go Super Saiyan as well to balance out the badassery. If that wasn’t enough, this skin also has you flying around ominously with homeguards. And it gives you a new voice + death + respawn animation, along with a new backing animation and a pretty amazing chroma. Dawnbringer Riven basically has everything you could ever want. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
