How To Unlock Prestige Skins in League of Legends?

Prestige skins in League of Legends represent the pinnacle of cosmetic achievement, offering players a chance to showcase their dedication and style.

These exclusive skins, characterized by their golden hues and enhanced visual effects, are not simply purchased with RP but must be earned through various means tied to players’ League of Legends accounts. 

Since their introduction in 2018, Prestige skins have evolved from being perceived as mere golden chromas to highly sought-after collectibles that truly stand out in-game. 

In this guide, we’ll explore the various methods to unlock these skins and add a touch of prestige to your champion pool, elevating the status of your account in the process.

Understanding Prestige Skins

Prestige skins are more than just flashy alternatives to standard skins. They represent a significant investment of time, effort, or resources by players. Initially introduced with the K/DA event, these skins have become a staple of League’s cosmetic ecosystem. 

Each Prestige skin features unique visual elements, often including gold accents, special effects, and exclusive splash art. The design process for Prestige skins has become increasingly sophisticated over time, with Riot Games putting more emphasis on creating distinct models and effects rather than simple recolors. 

While the rarity of these skins adds to their allure, it’s important to note that they don’t offer any in-game advantages beyond their visual appeal. However, they do serve as a status symbol, instantly recognizable to other players and often sparking admiration or envy in the loading screen.

The Primary Path to Prestige – Event Participation

The most common way to acquire Prestige skins is through participation in League of Legends events. These time-limited events typically feature special missions, event passes, and unique currencies like event tokens. 

By engaging with event content and completing missions, players can earn tokens which can then be exchanged for the event’s featured Prestige skin. This method requires active participation and often a significant time investment, but it allows players to work towards a specific Prestige skin they desire. 

Events usually run for several weeks, giving players ample time to accumulate tokens. Some events even offer multiple Prestige skins, allowing players to choose which one they want to pursue.

While event passes can be purchased to accelerate token earning, it’s often possible to earn enough tokens for a Prestige skin through free missions alone, albeit with more dedication required.

New Currency for Prestige – Mythic Essence

In a recent overhaul of the Prestige system, Riot Games introduced Mythic Essence as a replacement for the previous Gemstones and Prestige Points. This new currency serves as a more flexible way to acquire Prestige skins outside of specific events. 

Players can earn Mythic Essence through various means, including event rewards, loot drops, and milestone achievements. The Mythic Essence shop rotates its offerings, giving players opportunities to obtain both new and previously released Prestige skins.

This system allows for more long-term planning in acquiring Prestige skins, as Mythic Essence doesn’t expire like the old Prestige Points did. 

The shop typically refreshes every few months, introducing new Prestige skins and bringing back older ones, giving players who missed out on event-exclusive skins another chance to add them to their collection.

A Rare but Possible Path to Persige Skins – Hextech Crafting

While not the most reliable method, it is possible to obtain Prestige skins through Hextech Crafting. Opening Hextech Chests and Masterwork Chests gives players a small chance of directly receiving a Prestige skin or Mythic Essence. 

However, due to the extremely low drop rates, this method is more of a lucky bonus than a reliable strategy for acquiring Prestige skins. The odds of getting a Prestige skin from a chest are estimated to be less than 1%, making it an exciting but unpredictable way to enhance your collection. 

Some players focus on maximizing their chances by earning as many chests as possible through high performance grades on different champions, but it’s important to manage expectations when relying on this method.

Planning Your Prestige Collection

For players aiming to build their Prestige skin collection, strategic planning is key. Keep an eye on upcoming events and their associated Prestige skins. Prioritize which skins you want most, as it’s often not feasible to obtain every Prestige skin released.

Consider saving Mythic Essence for skins you missed during their initial event release, as they may return to the Mythic shop in the future.

It’s also worth considering which champions you play most frequently when deciding which Prestige skins to pursue. Some players choose to focus on collecting Prestige skins for their main champions, while others aim for a diverse collection across different roles.

Additionally, staying informed about upcoming skin themes and events can help you budget your time and resources effectively, ensuring you don’t miss out on a Prestige skin you really want.

The Future of Prestige Skins

As League of Legends continues to evolve, so too does the Prestige skin system. Riot Games regularly updates prestige skins collection with new skins and refines the ways players can earn and collect these exclusive skins. 

Stay informed about changes to the system and new release patterns to maximize your chances of obtaining the Prestige skins you desire. Recent trends suggest that Riot is moving towards making Prestige skins more distinct from their base versions, with unique animations and effects that justify their prestigious status. 

There’s also been a push to make older Prestige skins available again, giving long-time players a chance to complete their collections.