Best Riven Skins

I’ve been playing Riven for way too long. This addictive champion has racked up hundreds of thousands of mastery points for me. And along the way, I’ve discovered the best riven skins.

I know the best riven skins,
250k mastery :(
I know the best riven skins,
250k mastery 🙁

There’s something just so addicting by playing her! You either go 0-12 and get flamed or go 23-2 and hyper carry. And every 1v1 is an incredible outplay experience.

Sure, riven may be the hardest champion to play. And sure, she gets destroyed in every matchup. (picking riven in S2020 lol) But, she always has a special place in my heart as the true combo weaver champion.

Did you know that you can buy RP on Amazon too? Often times there are sales, bundles, and more! This makes it cheaper for you to buy these skins! Check out the deals here!

So I’m going to tell you the best skins on her for just about everything. And don’t forget to report me after. (Updated as of 6/1/2020)

Table of Contents hide

#10, Crimson Elite Riven, Last of Best Riven Skins

I don’t think this was a surprise to ANYONE. Crimson Elite Riven is rarely picked by, well, anybody. You never see BoxBox picking it, you never see Adrien picking it, and to be honest, most forget it’s a skin.

This is because truthfully, crimson elite riven just doesn’t give Riven justice.

Let’s assume Riot turned that skin into something actually cool. Maybe make her sword turn red or some other crazy thing and this skin would be in a much better spot.

But, the skin is lackluster at best. It looks like a chroma for Redeemed Riven.

Talking about best riven skins, the crimson elite skin comes in last.

Pros of Crimson Elite Riven

  • It has a cool story behind it.
  • If you like black (like I do) it looks nice overall.

Cons of Crimson Elite Riven

  • No “real” VFX/GFX upgrades.
  • Animation canceling feels worse on this skin. (different for everyone)

Should You Buy This Skin?

I would avoid it. In fact, in the /r/RivenMains survey, less than 0.6% of riven mains reported it being their good skin. It’s not really worth the money at all. If you get it in a chest, why not? But otherwise, skip it.

How To Obtain: To get crimson elite riven, you purchase in the shop for 520 RP.

#9 – Redeemed Riven

Redeemed riven is being placed at #6 in this list of best riven skins. Truthfully, it’s not a bad skin! And from here on out, the rest of the Riven skins aren’t bad purchases!

Many will argue if redeemed riven or if original riven are the better skins. Personally, I think the original riven is slightly better, and I’ll explain that in the next subheading.

While redeemed riven is a nice skin, it doesn’t have that “skin” feel to it.

When you buy dawnbringer riven, for instance, you know you’re getting a huge upgrade to the champion.

When you buy redeemed riven, it feels more like buying a chroma. This skin suffers from the same crimson elite disease, it just feels like these are color changes, and nothing more is done with them.

Reality is, redeemed riven and original riven are interchangeable skins. While it’s not the worst purchase you’ll ever make, spending real money on this skin just isn’t worth it.

Pros of Redeemed Riven

  • Cool story behind it. Riven shows up in armor ready to fight!
  • It looks similar to the base model, so if you like the base skin it’s not a bad transition.
  • Clean skin animations for animation cancels.

Cons of Redeemed Riven

  • The skin really has no special effects or animations.
  • It’s basically a chroma.

Should You Buy This Skin?

I mean, it’s an upgrade from the crimson elite skin. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend spending your money on this skin compared to other skins on this list. But it’s not a horrible decision.

How To Obtain: To get redeemed riven, you can buy it in the shop for 975 RP.

#8 – Original Riven Skin

The original riven skin is the core of riven. It is designed beautifully and looks awesome. You can usually just stick with the original riven skin and be just fine with the game.

The original riven skin looks great, and feels good for animation canceling and more. If you never bought a riven skin, you’d be just fine.

Pros of Original Riven Skin

  • Lures enemy team into a false sense of security when you pick it.
  • Looks great, good animation canceling.

Cons of Original Riven Skin

  • People may question your validity of being a true riven main. When you feed and go 0-7 you will have no defense.

Should You Buy This Skin?

No. Do not buy this champion if you like your mental health.

How To Obtain: To buy riven, you purchase in the shop for 880 RP and buy a subscription to your local therapy service.

#7 – Dragonblade Riven Skin

Dragonblade riven has to be the one of the most out of place skins in riven’s entire set. Truth be told, nobody really dislikes it, and nobody really likes it.

In fact, if you remember, I did a long live-stream a few years ago showcasing me getting the golden chroma for the dragonblade riven skin.

While the skin isn’t bad, it’s unique in its’ own way. It has a lot of different effects and looks cool, but people rarely pick it.

It’s mainly because dragonblade riven doesn’t really fit in with the rest of her champion. And also, most of the other skins outclass this one in just about every way.

Also, it’s a legacy skin, you can’t buy it anymore. So, this is a skin that you will rarely ever see on the rift.

That doesn’t mean it’s bad though! I honestly pick it time-to-time because I really like the red effects it brings.

Pair this skin up with neighboring dragonblade/dragonslayer skins and you will look sweet on the rift.

Truth be told, the red hues and colors of the skin make it look cool. I also love animation cancelling on the skin, as I feel it is easier to see the ranges and understand when you’re in range for your Q/W/R2.

Pros of The Dragonblade Riven Skin

  • Great red/orange theme.
  • Awesome story about riven and dragons.
  • Incredible visual changes.
  • Red.
  • Red.

Cons of The Dragonblade Riven Skin

  • Outclassed by other skins in the line-up.
  • While I find it easier to land spells like Q/W/R2, I find it harder to animation cancel in general.

Should You Buy This Skin?

I think if you have the opportunity to buy this skin, it’s not a bad idea! Unfortuantely, it’s a legacy skin. So, you’re only able to obtain it from a chest or limited time event.

If you like the dragon themed skins in this game, this is a MUST-HAVE.

If you get it from a chest or event, I’d recommend unlocking it. It’s better than the base skin but you may find yourself switching in between them. Overall, it’s not a bad skin to have, but not a must-have.

How To Obtain: To get dragonblade riven, you need to either get it from a chest OR purchase it during the Lunar revel event Riot hosts.

#6 – Arcade Riven

Personally, I have always HATED the arcade riven skin. Boxbox on the other hand, loves it.

There are some skin unique animation cancels you can do on this skin. For instance, if you use your ultimate and recall, the enemy has no idea you’ve used your ultimate. This can trick them and you can make flashy plays.

However, I just think the skin is way too much and way too annoying. There are so many changes to the skin it just distracts from actual riven. Furthermore, it just makes Riven feel like less of a ‘fighter’ and more of just a ‘joke’.

While not all agree, arcade riven is still one of the lowest picked riven skins in the game. And while it has its’ strengths, most players generally will find themselves picking something else before heading on the rift.

Pros of The Arcade Riven Skin

  • If you like the arcade skins currently in the game, this is a no-brainer!
  • Special recall animation cancel.
  • Skin is a massive overhaul, just about everything on riven is changed.

Cons of The Arcade Riven Skin

  • Some people may find the skin “too much” and overwhelming.
  • Doesn’t really fit in with Riven, but it is what it is. (what I mean by this is that you don’t see arcade pantheon for a reason)

Should You Buy This Skin?

Honestly speaking, I think you’re better off getting a different skin. Unless you’re a huge arcade fan or really like something about it, I would avoid it.

How To Obtain: To get arcade riven you need to buy it in the shop for 1350 RP.

#5 – Pulsefire Riven

Pulsefire riven is one of the better riven skins out there. While many riven mains don’t usually take this one, this is definitely a huge upgrade to the base model you’ll find yourself picking more often than not.

There is a huge controversy surrounding this skin due to Riot releasing pulsefire riven instead of project riven.

Regardless of the controversy, the skin looks absolutely fantastic!

There’s also many that don’t like this skin, but respectfully speaking, it is definitely one you can confidently pick.

The biggest feature of the pulsefire riven skin is the awesome cyan/blue hue it gives your entire character. Your ult and effects turn blue + orange, your sword turns blue, and more.

If you love blue, or love pulsefire skins in general, this is a must buy!

Pros of The Pulsefire Riven Skin

  • Blue + white/orange themed kit looks amazing!
  • FIts in with other pulsefire skins.
  • Clean animation cancels, very clean kit.

Cons of The Pulsefire Riven Skin

  • While it is pulsefire, it is a little bit underwhelming compared to other pulsefire skins.
  • Should’ve been project.

Should You Buy This Skin?

I’d recommend it! If you like the blue theme, clean animations, and pulsefire in general go right ahead. This is definitely a skin you’ll find yourself picking more often than not.

How To Obtain: To get pulsefire riven, you need to buy it for 1350 RP.

#4 – Battle Bunny Riven

Battle bunny riven has been an iconic skin since the age of time. From the 14 year old players just starting to…have hormonal changes… to some of the ancient riven players swearing that you get better animation cancels this is a fan favorite.

I personally think I have the best animation cancels on battle bunny riven. And many players swear by the same thing! I personally think it’s because they’re super “focused” if you will.

Haha- just kidding. The truth is, the animation cast times are very clean and well done on this skin. It makes it very simple and easy to figure out when you need to auto attack again, animation cancel, etc.

Also for some reason, I just seem to land her ultimate way more on this skin than others.

She has tons of chromas for this skin too. When riot does their ‘blue essence chroma sale’ you can really customize this skin a ton. There’s like 10 different colors you can choose from, which honestly is a lot cheaper than trying to switch between $100 worth of skins based on color.

Lastly, she has cool carrot effects, and her sword turns into a carrot.

Pros of The Battle Bunny Riven Skin

  • Carrots!
  • If you’re just hitting puberty…
  • Overall easter bunny design is pretty cool.
  • Intimidating skin for most people going into riven.
  • Super smooth animation cancels.

Cons of The Battle Bunny Riven Skin

  • Sort of inappropriate. You definitely don’t want your parents to walk in your room with this skin selected.
  • Lack luster. While it has great design overall, there’s no special SFX/animations/voice lines/whatever you name it. Skin is pretty base.

Should You Buy This Skin?

Definitely. Most riven mains own this skin and for good reason. It is one of those ‘smurf’ skins you see riven mains picking. Plus, it is a great skin for animation canceling. You’ll definitely pick this over the base skin.

How To Obtain: To get battle bunny riven you need 975 RP.

#3 – Valiant Sword Riven

Valiant Sword Riven is her most recent skin. Honestly, when I saw this, personally I wasn’t that impressed. And truth be told, it looks more like an Irelia skin.

However, valiant sword riven is only usually played with the prestiege edition of the skin. Look at these videos below to see the difference!

And, now the prestige edition.

Wow! Look at the differences there. The prestiege edition truly looks incredible. The gold theme fits riven very well and many people are a HUGE fan of it.

However, some riven mains dislike the skin heavily. Many feel like it is hard to animation cancel on, and some feel like it doesn’t fit riven at all. I cannot blame them for these views.

This skin feels more like you’re playing irelia than riven. While they are both lightweight sword fighters, it seems like more or less this skin just doesn’t fit well with Riven.

Regardless, it looks awesome, and probably has the most effects of any skin for riven available.

Pros of The Valiant Sword Riven Skin

  • If you like irelia, this is a must buy.
  • Red/pink/purple themed skin.
  • Prestiege edition is INCREDIBLE.
  • Complete overhaul skin, it is definitely worth the money.

Cons of The Valiant Sword Riven Skin

  • Animation cancels can feel weird on this skin.
  • Feels a lot like irelia, and not like Riven.

Should You Buy This Skin?

I recommend it for sure. If you like the color theme and like Irelia or any Ionian champ this is definitely going to be a great pick for you!

This skin is worth the money and they really overhauled riven on this one. This isn’t a jank skin and they really put time and effort into this one.

How To Obtain: To get valiant sword riven you need to buy it in the shop for 1350 RP.

#2 – Championship Riven

Championship riven is one of the best and favorite riven skins out there. When it comes for sale every year it gets Riot a ton of money. Arguably, this is the best skin for animation canceling, and is a huge intimidation factor for the enemy team.

When you queue up and load into the enemy team with this skin on, they will alrady be scared. I don’t really know why, but this riven skin just puts fear down the enemy’s spine.

I think it’s because it’s such a rare skin, that if you have it- the enemy knows they are about to face a tough lane.

They see this skin and assume you know every animation cancel, wombo combo, and you’ve been practicing riven double-casts since the moment you woke up.

Plus, this skin is awesome. Every animation feels clean and crisp. The dark blue color hue looks great and feels awesome. The skin feels like original riven with an upgrade.

It’s like a premium chroma to me. And championship riven will ALWAYS have a place in my heart, with many other riven mains. This is hands down one of the best riven skins.

Pros of The Championship Riven Skin

  • Incredible skin.
  • Great design and backstory.
  • Great animation cancels.
  • Dark blue hue.
  • Intimidating skin to pick.
  • Literally no reason to not buy this one.

Cons of The Championship Riven Skin

  • All your friends will resent you for having such a cool skin.

Should You Buy This Skin?

Absolutely. If you have the opportunity to buy this skin, do it. You will not regret it. According to the last riven mains survey, this is the second most picked skin.

How To Obtain: To get championship riven, you need to buy it from the shop during the worlds event every year. It’s around September-October.

#1 – Dawnbringer Riven

Dawnbringer riven is the best riven skin out there. While I personally don’t like it, everybody else does. It is the most picked riven skin by far. And rightfully so.

Just about everything in this skin is perfect. It has an incredible storyline against Yasuo. The Dawnbringer vs Nightbringer event was one of League of Legend’s new events with the new client and it shocked the world. Everybody loved this crazy event!

The skin goes back to how Riven and Yasuo are rivals due to Riven supposedly killing Yasuo’s master.

Not to mention her incredible animations, effects, voice lines, and more. Everything is perfect on this skin.

And when I keep saying voice lines, I mean it. In fact there are 11 minutes of unique voice lines.

And let me tell you- there’s nothing better than when you ult on this skin. The voice lines, the animation, when you flash R2 it is absolutely beautiful.

And if you thought that was the end of it. The dawnbringer chroma makes the skin 100000000x better. It makes the skin kind of like a rainbow. So if you ever get sick of the base skin (which you won’t) you can always switch it back up!

Pros of The Dawnbringer Riven Skin

  • Amazing skin, everything is changed.
  • Light blue hue is awesome.
  • Voicelines are amazing.
  • Awesome story behind it.
  • Riot spent a whole lot of time behind this one.
  • The combos and flashy places look INCREDIBLE.
  • This is a skin that is worth every cent.

Cons of The Dawnbringer Riven Skin

  • Many rivens use this skin, so sometimes you may be seen a ‘noob’ for having it. But it shouldn’t affect you, just doublecast their flame away.

Should You Buy This Skin?

Certaintly. Dawnbringer riven is the best riven skin to buy, hands down. It is also voted the favorite by the /r/Rivenmains community, and many rivens will agree that it is an incredible skin.

How To Obtain: To get dawnbringer riven, you need to purchase it in the shop for 1820 RP. This one is an expensive one!

Final Questions and Answers

Here’s a few questions asked by many rivenmains.

Best Riven Skin For Animation Cancelling?

The best riven skin for animation cancelling is championship riven 2016. It is the cleanest and best skin to do so. Additionally, many people agree that the battle bunny skin is great for animation cancelling aswell.

Valiant Sword Riven vs Dawnbringer?

If you’re looking at the skins and wondering if the differences between valiant sword riven vs dawnbringer it’s simple. Buy dawnbringer- you’ll like it better.

Overall valiant sword is like an irelia skin with orange and red hues, meanwhile dawnbringer is like a resemblance of riven and has way cooler effects.

So what’s the best riven skin?

The best riven skin is hands down dawnbringer riven. You won’t regret buying that one!A

And remember, you can buy RP cheaper on Amazon- especially if you order during a time of sale.

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