Ranking Every Ultimate Skin in League of Legends
By Arlo on Jan 10th, 2026, 04:10
Did you somehow stumble upon a plethora of RP? Want to gain that “aesthetic edge” over your opponents? Or do you simply want to wow your friends with some of the best skins the game has to offer? There are 7 Ultimate skins in League of Legends and counting, complete with total animation overhauls, amazing visual skill effects, and some truly unique form-changing mechanics. They’re the best way to showcase your love and mastery for your favorite champion.
However, not all Ultimate skins are created equally. Some are clearly more polished than the others, sporting incredible designs that have stood the test of time. In contrast, others are even being criticized and questioned as to whether they’re even fit to be called an “Ultimate” skin. In this list, we’re going to be ranking them from the Worst to the Best, in a head-to-head battle of beauty, uniqueness, and overall awesomeness.
The very first Ultimate Skin in League. In terms of sheer nostalgia, prestige, and legacy, this skin dominates the list by being the spearhead of this category. This skin is the perfect amalgamation of being “Ultimate.” The cherry on top is the unique level-up mechanic, which evolves Ezreal as he progresses through different stages of the game, transforming him from somewhat normal, boring Ezreal to a fully kitted-out cybernetic machine, complete with custom voice lines, spell effects, and animations.
While these features truly make it a great skin, Pulsefire Ezreal ends up at the bottom of this list for three main reasons.
All these factors contribute to it being at the top. With Ezreal’s popularity and growing presence in the pro scene, it’s not a bad idea for Riot to revisit this skin and elevate it to the current standard.
Riot’s newest Ultimate skin sports the devilishly stylish Samira as the forefront of the Soul Fighter skin line. Featuring an extremely colorful Soul Fighter aesthetic, detailed splash art, a fantastic base model, and incredibly satisfying sound effects, this one ticks most of the boxes of being an Ultimate skin. That said, this skin has become the prime target for ridicule, harsh criticism, and, to some, a clear sign that Riot missed the mark.
While the skin looks and feels great, it’s lacking in a lot of factors that constitute the value of an Ultimate skin. For starters, Soul Fighter Samira does not deviate much from Base Samira’s animations at all. This reduces the skin's overall novelty and uniqueness, and is hard to justify given the hefty pricetag. Not to mention this deviates completely from every other Ultimate in the game, as they are always packed with their own unique animations.
This led some players to brand the skin as an “overpriced legendary” because of the various Ultimate features it lacks. Nevertheless, we would still rank this skin above Pulsefire Ezreal for two main reasons.
Technically, this is the oldest Ultimate Skin in the game, considering Ezreal’s VU completely overhauled Pulsefire. DJ Sona might be a controversial top 5 pick for some, as she doesn’t have a level-up mechanic, which is a feature shared across most Ultimate skins. However, DJ Sona is an excellent testament to creating a skin so polished that it aged so well throughout the years. Her base model, her animations, and sound effects all perfectly align to make a very unique and amazing-looking skin.
The defining feature of this skin, and the most unique, is her ability to swap forms mid-match, on demand, right at the start. By pressing Ctrl+5, you can swap between 3 unique forms, Kinetic, Concussive, and Ethereal, each with slightly different animations, skill effects, and models.
Along with this, her second most defining feature is. When DJ Sona is in the match, she can change the in-game music to a unique soundtrack depending on her form. The best part? Her teammates can also listen to this by simply pressing “Tab” and clicking on the small music note icon next to her portrait. This creates a truly unique experience not just for yourself, but for our team as well, as you vibe along with the songs.
This skin is very unique for a bunch of reasons. For one, this is the only Ultimate skin that was released alongside the champion’s release. Additionally, this is the only Ultimate skin with a leveling mechanic that operates outside regular gameplay. Upon receiving the skin, you receive special missions that allow you to “level up” the skin, unlocking two additional forms that have their own unique voice lines, ability effects, sound effects, recalls, dances, emotes, and models. Not to mention, you also unlock special emotes and icons as you unlock the different forms. This means this skin is actually a bundle of 3 skin packages.
Unlike DJ Sona, you are unable to swap skins mid-match, which was a point of controversy when this skin was released. Additionally, while this skin does have her own memorable soundtrack during gameplay, tied to her passive, unlike DJ Sona, you cannot share it with your allies.
In this case, why do we place her above DJ Sona? To put it simply, this skin is beautiful from the base models spanning from her Indie career, to her spot in K/DA, to the effects on her abilities, absolutely nailing the music vibe to the fullest with notes and waves.
Although her animations are somewhat limited (primarily because Seraphine must stay on top of her stage), the animators did a great job creating unique expressions for each form, highlighting her progression from a humble performer to a pop star.
I know what you’re thinking, “ONLY number 3?” “How is this NOT the best Ultimate in the game?!”, but please, hear me out. Elementalist Lux is, by far, in terms of purely value, the most cost-effective skin in the game. With 10 distinct elemental forms, each with its own unique visual effects, sound effects, emotes, recall, and models, this skin is a literal 10 for 1 deal with an absolutely amazing base skin to boot.
Elementalist Lux is, without a doubt, the most elegant of the bunch. The way the character looks, moves, and plays feels incredibly smooth, and every design decision feels intentional. You can tell immediately, while using this skin, that the designers poured their souls into making it the best it can be.
For a skin that was released 9 YEARS AGO, the level of polish on this skin is simply unreal. Each form uses the same animations and facial expressions. Still, the way their models are designed allows them to be expressive in their own right; the way the animations flow, and how the colors pop from the terrain all add up to creating what was, at the time, the pinnacle of League skins.
The reason Elementalist Lux is not at the top of the list is not because of any issues with the skin itself, but rather, the skins that succeed it have simply evolved so much that they’ve gotten an edge and beat this skin with the slightest of margins. Nevertheless, this skin is among the most iconic and incredible in the game. Even to this day, people consider this skin to be one of the best and most technically impressive skins Riot has made, and every new Ultimate skin uses this as the bar and the standard for excellence.
This skin takes the title for the most innovative skin in the list by far. This is one of the few skins in the game that not only enhances a character's visuals but also reimagines how the character functions in the world, totally. Instead of wielding dual pistols, Miss Fortune in this universe pilots a mech-suit with two gigantic guns; it’s such a terrific way of reinventing the character without straying too far away from the overall silhouette. Notice that, in her default pose, she has her arms crossed, which is not something Miss Fortune does in-game. But when she starts firing her gun, her animation still resembles the original Miss Fortune, keeping the character's overall silhouette and shape the same. This, along with the incredibly satisfying sound design, effects, and voice lines, makes for a truly unique experience.
This doesn’t even scratch the surface of what makes this skin so insane, because this is only one of four different styles to choose from, each with its own unique effects, sound design, and model. Their animations vary too, though only slightly; this is more apparent in their Ultimates, where each form utilizes a different stance for each cast. Not to mention, these forms do not require a level-up mechanic to unlock in-game, nor is there a cooldown to swap between them. As long as you are in the vicinity of the fountain, you can swap between all 4 different forms whenever you want, keeping your gameplay dynamic and incredibly fun.
Truthfully, I had a hard time deciding between this skin and the next skin for the top spot. With all these unique features, incredible innovations, satisfying gameplay, and, admittedly, my own personal bias, it was hard not to put it at #1. However, the next skin in the list is the best Ultimate skin in the game, if not the best in the entire game.
Before Udyr’s Visual Graphic Update, this skin was already a fan favorite, especially for its time. 5 unique forms (including base Udyr) with beautiful spell effects. When this skin was released in 2013, everyone was incredibly impressed by the evolving mechanic of the skin when you maxed out an ability. This was highly innovative at the time and became the foundation for every subsequent skin evolution.
Fast forward to 2022, and this skin had what can only be described as the biggest glow-up of the year. All new effects, models, emotes, splash art, and more. This skin stands to this day as one of the best skins in the game, even in the age of Transcendental skins (Hall of Legends Ahri) and Exalted skins (Arcane Fractured Jinx).
This skin has, by far, one of the most incredible recall animations out of any skin in the game. The way he meditates and speaks, the way the spirits all flash one by one as he gets teleported back, and how they wait for him as he returns to the fountain, each of them bowing down to the master. The aura on this skin is undisputed. Udyr is just that guy.
That’s only touching the surface of what makes this skin so impeccable. Each of Udyr’s forms has its own unique effects, animations, and emotes. The colors on this skin are incredible; they contrast beautifully with the terrain, and the detail work on each form makes them look special and elegant. Once the specific ability/form is maxed, it then evolves into another, more animalistic and complete transformation, complete with an even further boost in ability effects, truly cementing this skin as the best Ultimate skin to date.
