To add on to this -
The examples you mention with KOC Morde, WC Shaco, and W. Sivir are all model updates. Shaco's knife and boxes are models, Morde's club on Siphoning Strike is actually a model thing as well, and Corsair Valor is a new model.
This is correct. 750 RP skins receive a new model and texture, which means if a skin has a model, we'll also give that a new look.
Examples of model updates would be:
- Wild Card Shaco - Hallucinate, JitB, and his Shiv (this was also QoL to match the weapon he's holding). This ended up being a really high quality 750 RP skin imo because it offered a lot of change to the skin based on the types of skills he had.
- Prehistoric Anivia's eggnivia.
- New cards above Cutpurse Twisted Fate's head.
What you are talking about with Marauder Ashe, Sweetheart Annie, and QOD Syndra all involve particles.
Right, these are all particles we felt worked with the skin.
- Marauder Ashe we felt worked because the particle color of her base skills didn't clash with her new look.
- Sweetheart Annie we felt worked because part of the idea behind that skin was Tibbers could be a cinnamon bear (in which case, the orange particles make sense). Again, they also didn't clash with the overall look, and we felt that pink particles would make the skin look too pink.
- Queen of Diamonds Syndra we felt worked because her outfit had purple in it to better tie it to her base purple orbs.
We actually learned a lot from these skins, especially Queen of Diamonds Syndra.
We learned more about how players perceive 750 RP skins, and how some champions won't work as well as others, especially when they're mages, or have heavy particles. While Queen of Diamonds Syndra may not have worked well as a 750 RP skin, something like Urf the Nami-tee did because her base water particles worked well with the new thematic of the skin.
750 RP skins are still a fairly new territory, but thanks to feedback, we're getting better, and creating 750 RP skins that work for the champion and the thematic we're looking to acheive.
750RP skins will update models, but typically not particles.
Correct, the only time we change particles for a skin is when they're considered 'quality of life' (QoL) particles. These help create consistency with the thematic.
Examples of this would be:
- Warden Nautilus' anchor in his skills, to match the weapon he's holding.
- Corsair Quinn's valor in her skills, to match with the bird she changes into when she ults.
- Warden Sivir's boomerang in her skills, to match the weapon she's holding.
- Prehistoric Cho'Gath's Vorpal Spikes/Rupture to match the new spikes on his model.
It wouldn't make sense for Warden Sivir to throw a different weapon than she's holding, which is why we'll update her skills to reflect the new weapon.
There is actually only one real exception I know of, that being Warden Nautilus because the diving hatches floating around a fancy-armored behemoth don't really make sense.
Yup, this was also QoL changes due to his base shields not making sense with the theme.
