Traditional skins are actually VERY IMPORTANT

Scarborough Fair·Feb 16, 2015·233 votes·16,331 views

I saw a rioter quote saying that they don't want to keep making Traditional skins as they're not used/seen much in games. PLEASE don't do that. With champions like Karma and Trundle whose identities were completely changed, traditional skins did alot of good in giving their older players a nostalgia effect when playing them. Champions like Caitlyn and Evelynn who are going to be completely changed visually and thematically(in the case of ) need to have traditional skins to preserve their older fantasies that were favored by their players. For example, I was really disappointed when Sion changed drastically and didn't get a Traditional skin, and I bet there are others who feel the same way. So please, don't stop making Traditional skins, they mean ALOT.

136 Comments

KrizalidFeb 16, 201569 votes

Don't forget Sion. Omg. He was iconic with his Arnold quotes.

aaronconlinFeb 16, 201519 votes

WHO IS YOUR SUMMONER, AND WHAT DOES HE DO?

LANWhaleFeb 16, 201533 votes

GET TO DA CHOPPER

or my personally favorite

HAND BONE CONNECTED TO THE AXE BONE. AXE BONE CONNECTED TO YOUR FACE BONE!

But in all seriousness, I don't think they need to make a traditional skin per say. But rather an homage to it. Allow me to explain or rather give an example.

Sion, there is a reason to why they din't make a traditional skin for him. It wasn't as if they were like,"Two mush werk, must nat do." But rather they felt they did Sion a justice and felt a traditional skin wasn't needed. He still has the same concept really, this juggernaut that would plow threw your team. Sure he may not be doing the damage that old Sion did but the same feel is there. So what is it i'm proposing then?

Simply put,*** not a traditional skin but rather something close to it.***

I will use Sion as an example again. Instead of giving us Traditional Sion, perhaps they can give us something close to it. Lets call it Rotting/Zombie Sion. It would have a different name but would have some of the same looks of the Traditional Sion, with variants of course. It seems like a nice compromise to not wanting to make a Traditional Skin. It might cost as a new skin for the Champion, but seeing as how alot of people want to have a Traditional skin, I would imagine alot of people would be fine with this.

junglerboy16Feb 16, 20152 votes

He only had arnold quotes in his english VO, which is why they didn't keep them all (he still has a couple as super rare lines though).

GaleWinUnleashedFeb 16, 20152 votes

Part of the problem was that those didn't mean a whole lot in other languages.

Desmond LawFeb 17, 201524 votes

http://abyssmosis.deviantart.com/art/Classic-Sion-Skin-League-of-Legends-485208343

ftftfftftftfFeb 16, 201525 votes

I agree. I wouldn't mind having traditional skins for every old champion.

20748556DEL1Feb 17, 20152 votes

Don't forget the only reason they would VU Cait is to kill her skirt. A traditional skin with a skirt would make a VU pointless.

Tapu FiniFeb 17, 20155 votes

The clown hat certainly isn't doing her any favors, nor the random leg belts of questionable functionality.

TheFameAnimalFeb 16, 201515 votes

Traditional Sion would be cool :D

KelgFeb 16, 20156 votes

{quoted}

Traditional Sion would be cool :D

plz riot

AbrahamBaconhamFeb 16, 20153 votes

You realize the reason Sion got a massive rework was partially because of how god-awful his original model was, yeah? Surely you can't be arguing that we need that pathetic excuse for a character mesh should be brought back into the game.

Brenticus12Feb 16, 20157 votes

No one was talking about bringing the mesh back.

Just the color scheme and aesthetics like making him green and oozy with bones poking out and a green aura and change his axe to resemble his old one too.

GaleWinUnleashedFeb 16, 20154 votes

Bones are part of the problem with old Sion. China doesn't allow it.

AntiSkillshotFeb 16, 201515 votes

Still want a Traditional skin for Nasus, just for his original voice.

TBadgerFeb 18, 20152 votes

I can't even remember ... The voice , it fades...

pro crastinat0rFeb 18, 20152 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWr8TAMQXdY

Lyokocoder12Feb 16, 20159 votes

If Caitlyn ever completely changes and they don't make a traditional skin for her. I think I'd die... And no I am not joking. I love Caitlyn that much! Caitlyn

DustogreiFeb 16, 20158 votes

Whenever I play trundle I usually use his traditional skin. Can they track skin usage rate or something? To me it's just them being lazy, one less model to deal with.

Autrah FangFeb 16, 20158 votes

wait... not used? i use traditional karma all the time... it's one of her best skins imo... her only other remotely good skin being sakura(her new skin)... and if they end up completely changing Caitlyn and Eve as well then i'm really going to want traditional skins for them, as i really like how Caitlyn looks, with a traditional for Eve just being for nostalgia, but i would end up using both of those skins fairly often

GreenLoreFeb 16, 20156 votes

What would tristana look anyway with a traditional skin?

She would wear boots and have a crappy VO again,thats about it.

Traditional skins merely dress up the new version of the champ as the old version,but if there is almost no difference between them then there is no point in doing a traditional skin.

The only one who should have gotten a traditional skin,but didn't get one is Sion,but lets be honest here,new sion is cooler than old sion and there wasn't really much appealing about old sion.

Scarborough FairFeb 16, 201520 votes

Blue skin, metal gloves and boots, her stomach area was entirely covered and a completely different cannon design

GreenLoreFeb 16, 201511 votes

It still wouldn't make much of a difference,look at trundles or sejuanis traditional skins,they could be skins on their own,but the differences between old tristana and new one are rather minimal

Brenticus12Feb 16, 20156 votes

I don't think Sejuani looks all that different...

Turret49Feb 17, 20155 votes

Don't forget her blue eyes, different ears, her curly hair (new hair is spikey), and her bag of cannon balls.

jama655Feb 16, 20155 votes

UPVOTE THIS TO HEAVEN RITO PLZ

Devack The HolyFeb 16, 20155 votes

I also wouldn't mind them bringing back the old Traditional skins like they said they would, and never did.

DrukyulFeb 16, 20155 votes

Maybe the reason they aren't used much is because the champions that got them aren't used much. I very rarely see any Karmas, Sejuanis, or Trundles.

SoulOfSilverFeb 16, 20155 votes

The very first champion I bought was Veigar. I loved the way he looked cause he reminded me of Vivian from FFIX. When Riot redid his skin and took that away I was heartbroken and almost quit the game completely.

WoodakoodashoodaFeb 17, 20155 votes

Trundle was radically changed from a noble hero to a barbaric warlord.

His original lore spoke of how his particular tribe of trolls generally kept to themselves and lived peacefully, but their lives were ruined by an oppressive necromancer, ages ago, by the name of Hakolin. Trundle's ancestors eventually bested him in combat, but Hekolin cursed them with a leprous disease that would have killed them off were it not for their amazing regenerative abilities. A shaman of the tribe later discovered that the curse could be lifted by binding it to a single troll, but no such troll existed who could sustain the entire curse without perishing until Trundle's birth. His regenerative abilities greatly surpassed those of his kin, but his tribe respectfully allowed him to come of age and choose for himself whether to take upon the tremendous burden of the curse and alleviate his tribe of it. He chose to undergo the ceremony and, afterwards, lived a life of agony in which his flesh constantly rotted off his bones while simultaneously growing back. He joined the league in search of a cure.

Riot, however, decided that this lore and Trundle's original appearance did not agree with their player-base and wanted to make Trundle commercial-friendly. In an effort to avoid tremendous backlash from dedicated Trundle players, Riot "allowed" the original Trundle to remain as a skin.

Ariel the CruelFeb 17, 20153 votes

And then we find out that he chose to let them die. "Noble" up until then.

junglerboy16Feb 16, 20154 votes

Their point is that they never want to even get into a Karma/Trundle situation where the champion is so out of touch with their original design ever again. They said they were stopping with Sion, because old Sion didn't have an identity to need a traditional skin for. From this point on, their goal is supposedly that they never change the champion so much that a traditional skin ever works. They want the new skin to be exactly what the old players want, which removes the need for a traditional skin to begin with.

Brenticus12Feb 16, 20151 votes

The traditional skin is available for players who used to play these champs before their rework. You can't buy them after the rework or anything.

It's available for us because it's nostalgic for those players. It's not just becausd it looks better or anything.

junglerboy16Feb 16, 20153 votes

That isn't my point, my point is that Riot's goal is that they never have a situation where the new look or identity is so radically different that the old player base doesn't get the same feeling playing the new VU as the old appearance. They never want to change a champion as much as they did with Karma or Trundle again. Basically, this isn't about how good or bad an old skin looked, their purpose is to try and make sure that the new base skin looks as if it is already a "traditional skin" to begin with. the whole idea is that you get the exact same nostalgia from the new skin as from the traditional appearance because they never want to stray as far away again.

Brenticus12Feb 17, 20153 votes

But the thing is they did do it to Sion and didn't compensate him for it.

None of old Sion's personality is there. The goofy expression, the silly walk etc etc.

New Sion is honestly alot better, he's actually my most played champ atm but I still miss old Sion.

When they change someone like Ryze eventually I just hope they don't change his looks all that much or atleast give us a traditional skin because I actually like how he looks, a frantic mage on the run, with his cursed magical tattoos on display to the world, too powerful to be kept hidden. Some shiz like that, you know?

CatrianFeb 16, 20154 votes

I am still VERY upset about the Nasus VU not getting a traditional skin.Of all the ones we could of argued a case for that one definitely deserved it.If only to preserve the much beloved late voice actor's work.Yet it just got tossed aside without much of a second thought.

EyrgosFeb 17, 20154 votes

Sion's lack of Traditional skin is screwed up.

MrBuffingtonFeb 17, 20154 votes

Honest question: is there a problem with having traditional skins in the store? I understand for legacy stuff and what not, having exclusivity and being able to bring them back for sales and stuff is business stuff, but is there a problem with populating a champion's skin line with old skins?

Vistha KaiFeb 17, 20153 votes

I can't possibly imagine playing Karma without her Traditional skin. Her voice, personality, looks, story... This is not a "middle way", just another pitiful murderer.

I mean c'mon. Karma was literally murdered. Compare her old and new lore.

Riot didn't even care to add her Mantra quotes when using empowered spells.

AbyssionKnightFeb 18, 20153 votes

I know I only use Traditional Trundle, and for a long time used only Traditional Karma (though I did eventually cave and get order of the lotus).

These skins aren't just about themes and fantasies, but also nostalgic and remind people of special moments / their origins with a champion. Like, I personally can't imagine not using Traditional Trundle. I have so many good memories with the original, the Ssotp, his personality, even his skinny little ugly appearance.

I'm also not sure why they'd stop making Traditional Skins, simply because they aren't seen a lot.

The whole point of skins is self expression and the ability to stand out from a crowd. The skin is also supposed to not be super common. That's why it's given to players who had them prior to their rework, and don't make it a free skin for everyone that joins the game ever. You don't have a problem with legacy skins being rare, or even ultimate / legendary skins being rarely seen, so why treat Traditional Skins any differently? I can only assume money is the reason, and I find that a little disheartening, since the whole point of Traditional Skins is to be a gift to the old dedicated players who used to own and play the champion.

Please don't remove Traditional Skins. They might be rarely seen, but that doesn't mean they're bad.

steelblackskyFeb 18, 20153 votes

i agree, i refuse to use anything other than traditional karma and she was one of my first couple champion pickups. some champs i get it, the new model is core, but sometimes the throwback style strongly referenced is kind of a key thing to being able to stomach a larger rework.

i don't love the new reworks of a few champs in a few ways, but i was able to overcome that in the case of karma by having that old comfort zone on one side to live with while adapting. with sion.. i have considered asking for him to just be removed from my account. not refunded, just removed fiat because i dislike all of it including the new art so much it presents a barrier to really trying to stomach it all enough to grow into the new arrangement.

which is altogether funny when you think about it, but also fairly human in general. it isn't bad but it feels like enough of a total departure to feel bad. i mean imagine if you randomly had one champion you used removed and a random champ from the same style pool of champs granted, like they randomly remove your mundo and grant you volibear in his place. thats what it feels like when theres a kit and design rework and the new appearance and style don't line up simultaneously.

i mean even with a touched up or redone base model, the traditional skins generally tried to retain v.o.'s and thematics. the fans on karma for example aren't base model, and the "guess whats about to hit the fan" line, or the absence of the puke neonish color highlights or garishly bright white in the new base skin over the muted neutral scheme.

sivir came out okay on the update for not being a big jump on the base skin before and after. sion didn't. practically speaking neither did karma. you jump on new siv and it feels normal enough. the thing is how should they gauge level of departure for knowing when to do a proper throwback for the champs existing users?

Forbidden SirenFeb 18, 20153 votes

wait, they do realize traditional skins aren't on sale right? Do they realize the reason not many people use them is because they're stuck in the legacy vault? And the only way to obtain them is through mystery skins? Seriously, bring them out of the vault and make them purchasable again. I would love to buy traditional sejuani or trundle but I'm not gonna gamble on it through mystery gift.

KanzermanFeb 17, 20152 votes

If Evelynn Evelynn gets redesigned into a non-blue woman and we don't get a Traditional skin, I'm going to be so pissed.

Tin TarantinoFeb 17, 20152 votes

Are they taking into account the fact that the traditional skins aren't always available? I would totally use the traditional Karma skin if I could get it.

Serge THE GREATFeb 17, 20152 votes

Even though I enjoy the new Sion A LOT (he is one of my mains) I was disappointed they didn't try and give him a traditional skin. I think that is where I saw the Rioter say the comment you mentioned in your post.

BLU MedicFeb 20, 20152 votes

Please. If you're going brand new places with an old champion, well, people get attached to old champions. Trundle's changes in particular proved this. I sincerely hope to have a Traditional Cho'Gath skin, because as hideous and play-dough-y as he looks, he's still my favorite little Voidborn...

PyrocerebusFeb 16, 20151 votes

while I feel that some champions could benefit from this such as Karma and Trundle I think that traditional sej would just be bad considering that she is essentially wearing a battle bra and feel that was a symbol of everything wrong with league and her current costume IS MUCH better in my opinion but I feel that as a whole this is a good idea