Riot Games has unveiled 5v5 character-based shooter Valorant’s first batch of Ultra Edition weapon skins, which inexplicably morph guns into scaly, sentient pet dragons, of all things.
Awaken the fire within. Unlock VALORANT’s first Ultra Edition Skins: Elderflame. Available in the store July 10. pic.twitter.com/1qrSKAjRTX
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) July 8, 2020
The Elderflame weapon pack will be available from Friday, July 10th, via the in-game store for slightly less than $100. That’s around one hundred big ones to taunt the other team with pretend dragons and flaunt the wild things you’re willing to do with your disposable income in a video game.
Riot has produced a trailer to hype up the new skins. You can take a gander below.
As you can see, fire breathing dragons replace the game’s weapons and even respond to in-game happenings with specific animations. Downing an opposing player, chucking in a fresh batch of ammo, and swapping weapons, trigger a squirmy response from the legendary serpentines.
The miniature creatures emit adorable squeak-like roars and spruce up fired bullets with a fiery sheen. Their wings also come together to create a scope when aiming down a sight. It’s clear Riot doubled down on making a show of the first Ultra Edition skin pack – they’ve got to justify that princely sum somehow, right? It’s safe to say the new skins far surpass what Valorant players have seen to date. The sheer detail and complexity are impressive.
In an interview with Polygon, the design team behind Elderflame laid bare the trial and error – and fair share of frustration – that came hand-in-hand with creating the skins and making them feel balanced and fair to players. It’s an intriguing read that highlights just how much goes into crafting something as seemingly straightforward as an in-game cosmetic.
The Elderflame weapon pack will set you back 9900 VP (Valorant Points), which roughly equates to around $95. That’s according to a break down tweeted out by Valorant’s revenue lead Joe Lee. The bundle reportedly includes four parts, each priced at 2475 VP matching the skin price tiers published by Riot back in May. A single Elderflame weapon skin costs $25 alone.
Price tiers reminder: https://t.co/MgWQFSc78c
So the bundle is 2475 x 4 = 9900 VP
— Joe Lee (@SWAGGERNAU7) July 8, 2020
The developer has yet to provide exact details, but the trailer suggests the full pack includes five skins – one Operator skin, one Judge skin, one Frenzy skin, one Vandal skin, and one Tactical Knife/bespoke melee weapon skin.
The animations, audio, finishers, and visuals of each skin can be upgraded by spending Valorant’s Radianite in-game currency obtained by ticking off Battle Pass and Premium Pass levels or spending real-world cash in the store. These upgrades exist as levels, each one unlocking a specific piece of new Elderflame flair. If we break this down: a fully decked out Elderflame weapon pack will likely cost significantly more than the initial $100 price of entry unless you’ve diligently amassed a glut of Radianate for a special occasion just like this one.
Judging by the reaction to the Elderflame reveal, there’s no shortage of players willing to fork out for the skins. I’ve never quite managed to wrap my head around justifying hefty sums for cosmetics but all power to those that have.