New Splash Art for Darius, Swain, and Renekton and Xin Zhao Skins in 4/12 PBE Update
Darius and Xin Zhao Looking Fierce, Fiddle Looking Ungodly Terrifying in New PBE Art.
Today’s PBE Update content comes to us courtesy of Surrender@20, and it includes some intense new splash art. This new art comes as part of Riot’s upcoming splash update and global splash art unification initiative. As with all changes made on the PBE, this new splash art is tentative and could be altered or scrapped before the next patch goes live, but I’d be happy to see these new images make it into the game as is. (Except for the new Fiddlesticks icon. That can go away, please.)
First up is Darius. New Darius is totally hulking out. He’s looking like a ‘roided up Bruce Cambell, and I’m loving it. He’s a lot more shouty and angry than his current brutal but conniving representation in-game, which I think more accurately captures the experience of playing Darius.
Next, we have
Swain
. This is a sorely needed splash update, as the current old, wrinkly bird ninja look is less than intimidating. New Swain has aged more gracefully. He looks like he could be more of a bird ninja boss, like he’s such an accomplished bird ninja that he’s been promoted into bird ninja management. You can see his whole swooping squad of raven employees here, stealing health with increased productivity and spookiness. One look at that uplifted pinky and you know Swain is sophisticated bird business ninja.
Onto the skins! Here, we have Galactic Renekton looking good and threatening, without a care in the universe for the impending meteor shower and/or spontaneous planetary combustion event happening above him. This one has a nice lore tie in, as we can seem him modeling the classic Captain Morgan pose atop the decapitated statue head of his rival Nasus. This looks pretty good, but honestly I’ll take pretty much anything over the current Galactic Renekton splash, in which he looks like a B-tier villain from 90’s cartoon Street Sharks.
Finally, we have this splash for Viscero Xin Zhao. Again, this is a rework of an older skin splash that falls below the quality standard of “good.” I’m not sure why this new Xin Zhao has had his lower body replaced by the head of a quarterhorse, but he looks fierce enough that I’m not about to call him out for it. I’m digging the triple rhino helmet, and this is a nice action shot of Xin Zhao smashing some kind of shield which I can only assume is a secret metaphor planted by Riot heralding the end of the tank meta.
Oh wait, I thought this update was over. Nope, just kidding, you have to look at this now!
Look, here it is again! Is he going to eat me? Why are his eyes steaming? These are the kinds of questions this deeply uncomfortable League of Legends journalist wants answers to!
This is just great. Good job, Riot. I thought maybe I would fall asleep tonight after my nightly League of Legends session or, you know, ever, but apparently Riot has other plans.
What do you think of these new splashes? How about this guy, what do you think of him?
Tell us in the comments!