But remember, 1350 is not going to become the new standard price.
EDIT: I would like to thank KateyKhaos for wading into this thread. I love all that she does and the amount of hard work and community interaction she puts into her job. But 1350 skins have been growing in number and I think it's time to admit that they aren't going to be a rare "almost Legendary" skin tier like they were first pitched as.
Riotmoonstones11 votesBaron Von Bangin,
Please keep in mind that 1350 RP skins are on sale for 975 RP when they're first released. :]
Baron Von Bangin8 votesVery true. But let's just be real and admit that price is going to become the new standard.
Just like 6300 IP.
Riotmoonstones6 votesI wouldn't call it a standard. When we develop skins, we try to capture the fantasy of a skin; sometimes that means adding sounds and particles, and in other cases, a new model works to create a completely different fantasy.
For example, Arcade Miss Fortune would be pretty lackluster without sounds to accompany the particles - you'd lose the real feel of 'arcade'. For other skins - like Marauder Warwick - he's decked out in some sweet armor, and doesn't need new sounds or particles.
Hellioning4 votesAs loathe as I am about almost agreeing with the person that can't count...
It feels that several skins are in X price tier because marketing wanted them to be in X price tier. For example, Justicar Vel'Koz (not it's actual name, don't care, it may as well be a Justicar skin). Apparently the tentacles are not just the normal tentacles recolored, which means it's 1350. But did that skin REALLY need new tentacles? And if so, does it mean that Vel'Koz is going to be another Zyra, 'this champ has so much stuff every release is gonna be expensive'?
Riotmoonstones5 votesArclight Vel'Koz wasn't 1350 RP due to his tentacles being particles, as opposed to his base. He also had voice processing, all new sounds, as well as new particle effects and a recall animation/respawn animation.
Hellioning3 votesGoing over your guidelines for pricing, the only thing that makes Vel'Koz 1350 are the tentacles and voice processing. Quoting Hippalus:
975 RP skins feature a new model, textures and splash image; some skins in this tier will feature new animations, visual effects and sounds where appropriate for the theme of the skin.
The sounds and animations should have been covered by a 975 skin. Maybe not the particle effects, but I'm not quite sure what else 'visual effects' could be. Did Arclight Vel'Koz really need the new tentacles and the voice processing to sell the theme of 'light vel'koz'? Cause to me, it seemed like they were added to bump up the price.
Riotmoonstones3 votesGenerally speaking, a skin that received a new sound suite, as well as new particles is already pushing to the 1350 RP tier.
Skins like Arcade Miss Fortune and Firecracker Jinx fall into this category. Any skin with voice processing will be 1350 RP, which is something Arclight Vel'Koz had.
Skins that have new particles are still 975 RP, and in instances like Arclight Vayne, she has new sounds on her ultimate, but she's still 975 RP.
Voice processing is added when we feel like it completes a fantasy - so for Mecha skins, it really gives the champion the complete package in terms of being/ feeling like a robot.
Hellioning5 votesI'm wondering WHY Arclight Vel'Koz had voice processing. I don't see the point; it's not a fantasy I'm particularly interested in, so maybe I'm biased, but I don't see why you'd need to process a voice for 'Vel'Koz but light'.
Riotmoonstones2 votesWe gave Arclight Vel'Koz voice processing because we felt that having a more 'heavenly' or 'lighter' voice matched better with the overall look and feel of the skin.
If you don't see the point, that's totally cool, every skin isn't for everyone. There are some skins that I'm not particularly interested in, but I can see the appeal for those who enjoy it.
Hellioning2 votesThen can Vel get a skin that isn't 1350 or higher? I don't like spending that much money on skins and I want a Vel skin.
Baron Von Bangin2 votesWhich count did I mess up on?
Sukishoo1 votesWell not EVERY release for Zyra was expensive. Her SKT T1 skin was a 750 (like the rest), so there are some moments when they've gotten a little lower tier. Of course it's a lot nicer when they do more work to the skins, so they kind of deserve the prices.
Baron Von Bangin5 votesVery true. All the new particles are good and the skins do look much better for them. Is 1350 a fair price? That all depends on what the consumer wants to spend their money on.
I'm not making and value judgements based on the skin. I'm not saying they should be priced lower. But when compared to when the "1350 price tier" that started in 2012 with Kha'Zix, of which there was two that year, and compare it to 2013 when there was four (not even including the price "readjustments") and then to 2014 when there was eleven there's pretty clearly a trend starting to happen.
Once again. Not saying the skins are too expensive or that they aren't worth it. But it's hard to deny that there's a growing trend of 1350 skins starting to overtake the cheaper price ranges when we were told that wouldn't be the case.
Deep Terror Nami2 votesThe work put into 1350 skins will not decrease into what you'd expect from 975 tier skins.
Also, plenty of the recent skins have been 975. You're only looking at a single release and making a ridiculous assumption.
Baron Von Bangin4 votesI'm looking at the amount of 1350 skins released in the recent years to when they were first started in 2012. There has been a growing trend of 1350 skins overtaking other skin price tiers.
Never said that they're worse or better. But that 1350 is starting to become a forward trend that what had been originally stated when the price was first announced. Nothing ridiculous about it.
Bralov Skirata14 votesThe current patch has one 750, three 975 and one 1350. the patch before that had none, and the patch before that had two 975 and one 1350 (for a champion with three currently available 975 skins). 5.4 had the ultimate skin and 5.3 had five 750 and one 1350 skin. Since 5.3 that makes six 750 tier, five 975 tier, and three 1350 tier. I really wish people would stop conspiracy hunting and just appreciate the variety of content riot makes at all price ranges. They need money to keep the game going, if you don't feel like 1350 rp skins give enough for the price don't buy them.
Baron Von Bangin5 votesI'm talking about the upcoming 5.7 patch which has three 1350 skins being released. We were told that 1350 was a "near legendary" amount of work and would definitely not be a common price tier.
When early on it went from two or four of those priced skins being released a year to what we have from all of last year (eleven being 1350) I think it's time to admit that 1350 is now a common skin price as opposed to a once in a while "near legendary."
Abyssphere2 votes[{quoted}](name=Baron Von Bangin,realm=NA,application-id=A8FQeEA8,discussion-id=tWJEvsyF,comment-id=0001000000020000,timestamp=2015-04-08T21:04:45.391+0000)
I'm talking about the upcoming 5.7 patch which has three 1350 skins being released. We were told that 1350 was a "near legendary" amount of work and would definitely not be a common price tier.
When early on it went from two or four of those priced skins being released a year to what we have from all of last year (eleven being 1350) I think it's time to admit that 1350 is now a common skin price as opposed to a once in a while "near legendary."
There is a difference between common and "the standard". 1350 skins are definitely more common now but including these skins there has been the same number of 750 skins this year too.
Given 1350 skins sell for 975 in week 1, I can never understand why anyone complains about them being common. You are basically getting a better skin for the same price as you get a 975. How is that bad?
Frankly I think the more 975/1350s the better, but they really are not outweighing the cheaper price tiers at all. 750s have imo been TOO plentiful this year.
QueenAqua2 votesIt's because it's their precious new price tier in which they price stuff that used to be priced at 520 to the higher price of 750. And honestly, They have said before that the more expensive skins released are less profitable for them than the ones at 750/975. So, not really sure why they are releasing so many 1350 ones recently.
EnvyDragon5 votes"When they're first released" isn't the issue here. The fact of the matter is if someone starts playing League for the first time today, and they find themselves really into Vel'koz, they won't be able to personalize him without coughing up 15 bucks because his only skin options are 1350 each.
When Mecha Kha'Zix (the first 1350 skin) went live, we were told 1350 was not going to become the main price point. Then we got an announcement from e-commerce saying that we'd be seeing a lot more 1350 skins, but 975 and 750 were going to remain the most common. The reason this is important to us is not that we want the quality level of skins to stay low - it's really cool to see stuff like Omega Squad Teemo hit live - but because we want to have lower-cost options. In my opinion the Chroma Skins are definitely a step in the right direction, but that's beside the point.
We, the players and consumers, were promised that 1350RP would not become the mainline skin price point and it absolutely is. Pointing out that you can get these higher-priced skins at a discount for the first several days feels like a deflection. It doesn't actually address the issue whatsoever.
lightdragoon887 votesOh man...this argument again...alright then...
Challenger Ahri 975 El Tigre Braum 1350 Sweetheart Annie 750 Heartseeker Varus 1350 Warden Nautilus 750 Warden Sivir 750 Marauder Warwick 750 Marauder Ashe 750 DJ Sona 3250 Arclight Vel'Koz 1350 Firecracker Jinx 1350 Warring Kingdoms Katarina 975 Warring Kingdoms Nidalee 975 Elderwood Bard 975 Special Agent Xin Zhao 975 Headhunter Akali 1350 Omega Squad Teemo 1820 Arclight Vayne 975 Debonair Galio 750 Guardian of the Sands Rammus 975 Guardian of the Sands Skarner 975 Guardian of the Sands Xerath 1350 Surprise Party Amumu (1350 RP) Definitely Not Udyr 975 RP Archduke Nasus 750 RP Order of the Banana Soraka 750 RP and Urf the Nami-tee 750 RP
So as of this moment for Season 5 we have
750 at 9
975 at 9
1350 at 7
1820 at 1
3250 at 1
Add in the ones on the PBE and it is:
750 at 9
975 at 10
1350 at 10
Seems like we have equal amounts of all these tiers of skins.
Another thing people seem to really miss-read was the announcement of the price tiers. http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/content/skin-rp-price-changes
It stats many times that the amount of skins for each tier was for 2013.
They said, and I quote
"We expect that 7-15% of skins released in **2013 **will be 1350 RP, and they are eligible to be put on sale"
2013...yet it is 2015 and I see still people say that Riot isn't keeping their word cause right now 50% of the skins being released right now are 1350 instead of 7-15%.
Abyssphere2 votesOh man...this argument again...alright then...
- So far in Season 5 we have:
Challenger Ahri 975 El Tigre Braum 1350 Sweetheart Annie 750 Heartseeker Varus 1350 Warden Nautilus 750 Warden Sivir 750 Marauder Warwick 750 Marauder Ashe 750 DJ Sona 3250 Arclight Vel'Koz 1350 Firecracker Jinx 1350 Warring Kingdoms Katarina 975 Warring Kingdoms Nidalee 975 Elderwood Bard 975 Special Agent Xin Zhao 975 Headhunter Akali 1350 Omega Squad Teemo 1820 Arclight Vayne 975 Debonair Galio 750 Guardian of the Sands Rammus 975 Guardian of the Sands Skarner 975 Guardian of the Sands Xerath 1350 Surprise Party Amumu (1350 RP) Definitely Not Udyr 975 RP Archduke Nasus 750 RP Order of the Banana Soraka 750 RP and Urf the Nami-tee 750 RP
So as of this moment for Season 5 we have
750 at 9
975 at 9
1350 at 7
1820 at 1
3250 at 1
Add in the ones on the PBE and it is:
750 at 9
975 at 10
1350 at 10
Seems like we have equal amounts of all these tiers of skins.
- People here always seems to miss-read what Riot said. When the first 1350 skin came out (Mecha Kha'zix) Riot said that "We have no plans_** AT THIS TIME** _to make 1350 a standard price point."
Another thing people seem to really miss-read was the announcement of the price tiers. http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/content/skin-rp-price-changes
It stats many times that the amount of skins for each tier was for 2013.
They said, and I quote
2013...yet it is 2015 and I see still people say that Riot isn't keeping their word cause right now 50% of the skins being released right now are 1350 instead of 7-15%.
And 50% is an exaggeration anyway. 31 skins so far and 10 of them have been 1350. That's just under 33%.
lightdragoon881 votesTrue. But usually I see these people say there are more 1350 skins than both 750 and 975 skins released this year.
disregardable3 votes1350 RP skins are the standard that people want. In a perfect world, we'd get visual effects changes and base model adjustments in 390 RP skins, but we live in this world. If you want a cool skin, you pay money for it, and people want cool skins more than they want recolors.
EvilMerodach2 votesPeople were just flooding forums like 3 weeks ago about 'rito lazy all they make is 750 skins no particles' QQ
QQ
QQ
Ya'll are never happy. 
Baron Von Bangin1 votesBecause it's always the same people complaining about two different things.
Eyrgos2 votesArclight Vel'Koz shouldn't have had voice processing.
Special Weapon ZAC should have.
lxlLilybellelxl2 votesBut 3 URF day skins were 750, maruader ashe and WW, Inquisitor Nautalis and Sivir, Sweet Heart Annie and Debonair Galio were all 750s as well. The New Shuriman skins are 975- 1350... and we've gotten one 1820 so far. I think it's been rather even considering all the skins of the year so far.
Goilo1 votestrue^
Ariaflux1 votesAnd then you also have people who wanted Riot to increase the price of skins because it would look cooler with new particles (Marauder, Warden etc.)
Now I can understand why Riot would refuse to consider that.