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Garen is one of the earliest champions in League of Legends and a regular part of every beginner’s game experience. The champion has a simple kit that helps players integrate into the game without worrying about learning abilities. Although easy to understand, Garen can become terrifying in the hands of experienced players, making him popular among new and old players.
Garen shows what you can achieve with proper determination through his background story that teaches honor, persistence, and duty. Simply put, not giving up is also Garen’s ninja way. The champion has two physical features that resonate through his various skins – the massive shoulder guards of his armor and the comically large sword.
The Might of Demacia has twelve skins, each presenting alternate versions of the champion but still holding on to his core identity. Of all these skins, God-King Garen stands out as the best with impressive features and powerful effects (VFX and SFX). However, since the skin is quite expensive, you can go for Demacia Vice Garen. This skin casts the champion in a fun and classy light that is guaranteed to attract anyone who likes him.
Speaking with several Garen players has shown that the champion’s most critical and lovable trait is his sense of duty. Defending the defenseless and protecting the weak has been a part of the champion’s identity. Every dedicated Garen player tends to defer to any skin that manages to push this attribute through regardless of perspective.
After reading this Garen skins guide, you will understand every skin of the champion enough to make the best decision when you need it.
Garen Skins Guide – Skin Descriptions
12. Dreadknight Garen
Price – 975 RP
Skin Lore
Once a valiant hero, Dreadknight Garen fell to the promise of power great enough to save his land. Now, twisted by the corrupting magic of Master, he commands the frozen legions in their march upon the living. Only desolation remains in his wake.
Appearance and Model
The champion is spotted wearing a different shade of armor from his original, and he looks more sinister than righteous. His splash art pictures him in the frozen wastes, which relates to the skin lore.
The skin is his original armor with a different color for his crest in-game. However, his iconic sword takes on another form with a serrated edge, ice-powered textures, and purple gems.
Note: Even though the gems have a red color in the skin’s splash art, they become purple in-game.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Dreadknight Garen has no unique VFX and SFX. All his abilities remain the same as Original Garen.
Animations
The skin adds no unique animations to the champion.
Pros
- Dreadknight Garen is one of the two skins that portray him as a villain.
- Cool concept.
Cons
- It is too expensive for skin with only a change of colours to offer.
- Every other Garen skin scored higher than Dreadknight.
11. Rugged Garen
Price – 750 RP
Skin Lore
Also known as “Handsome Garen,” this wandering warrior and extremely original NPC was created by Braum for his Riftquest game. Garen eventually adopted the character as his own, liking the fantasy of himself, but rugged.
Appearance and Model
Garen appears as the character from an adventure set in the medieval era. His armour looks made entirely of leather and girdles except for his legendary shoulder guards. The champion nailed the game character look with a hair that is arguably the longest among all his skins and a lightly shaved royal-beard style.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Rugged Garen adds no visual effect and sound effect to the champion.
Animation
The skin has no unique animation as all his taunts, laughter, dance, death animations remain the same.
Pros
- Experience Garen an adventure game character.
- Rugged Garen gave the champion an English-styled sword with a ‘normal’ shape.
- Cheap.
Cons
- The skin has no extra feature to offer beyond the change in look and armour.
- Other Garen skins offer a wardrobe change at a lesser price.
10. Sanguine Garen
Price – 520 RP
Skin Lore
Sanguine Garen has no lore as the second of the two earliest Garen skins.
Appearance and Model
The champion appears with predominantly red armour and weapon that gives the feeling of a Caesarian Roman soldier without the helmet. His sword arguably has the most fantastic shape of all his skins, and even though it remains the same all through every ability cast, it adds a level of uniqueness to the champion.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Sanguine Garen has no special visual and sound effects. However, to some of his player base, its theme colour makes up for it.
Animations
The skin has no additional animations as they all remain the same as the original model.
Pros
- The skin has a vivid red colour that makes it easy to focus on the champion in team fights.
- Cheap.
Cons
- Sanguine Garen has a potential that the game developers failed to utilize. Simply put, the skin could have been more.
Note: You can only buy this skin during special events.
9. Desert Trooper Garen
Price – 520 RP
Skin Lore
Desert Trooper Garen has no lore to back it up. The developers released it together with Sanguine Garen, making them the earliest Garen skins.
Appearance and Model
The champion appears in exquisite imperial armour fashioned in the way of civilizations existing in the desert. Garen rocks cornrow instead of his usual short hair, and it looks good on the splash art and in-game. His sword follows the style of desert nomad guards with a straight hilt and curved but wide tip.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Unfortunately, the skin lacks additional visual and sound effects, just like Sanguine Garen.
Animations
There are no unique animations for this skin.
Pros
- Experience Garen in early but unique reality.
- Excellent and well-designed armour.
- Great hairstyle.
- The skin is quite rare among players.
- Cheap
Cons
- The skin could have been more than a mere wardrobe change complete with good lore.
- No additional effects and animations.
Note: As a legacy skin, you can only purchase this skin during special events
8. Rogue Admiral Garen
Price – 750 RP
Skin Lore
A faded bounty poster from the Demacian naval authorities notes that Admiral Garen is a deadly adversary and should be engaged with caution, lest he cut off your head and send it to the capital. Each year, the Demacian naval authorities receive a disconcerting number of human heads.
Appearance and Model
The skin design team aimed to portray the champion as a villain, which succeeded. Rogue Admiral Garen wears an Admiral’s uniform (duh) and an eye patch over his right eye. Since the uniform remains unbuttoned, you can see two slash injuries across his chest, forming an ‘X.’ However, his shoulder guards take the form of metal wolf heads. However, the metalheads do not show in-game.
Finally, his sword resembles the one Desert Garen uses but has a sabre’s hilt. See it as a massive cutlass.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Unfortunately, the skin has no unique effect. All VFX and SFX remain the same as the original model.
Animations
Rogue Admiral Garen has no unique animations.
Pros
- The only skin that portrays the champion as a villain aside from Dreadknight Garen.
- Garen got white hair for this skin.
- Cheap.
Cons
- The skin has no unique effect and animation.
- It could have been more.
7. Commando Garen
Price – 520 RP
Skin Lore
Most commandos excel at amphibious attacks and military paragliding. This one spins very fast towards things while holding a giant sword. It’s the same.
Appearance and Model
Commando Garen wears a military uniform as expected but wields a massive sword instead of any firearm. However, the coolest part of his appearance is the black spectacles he constantly wears.
In summary, this is Garen in a modern-day military setting.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
The skin retains the same effects as the original champion model.
Animations
There are no animations unique to this skin.
Pros
- Experience Garen as a modern-day soldier.
- Those spectacles are cool in-game.
- Most players like the skin.
- Cheap.
Cons
- Commando Garen lacks unique effects and animations.
6. Steel Legion Garen
Price – 1350 RP
Skin Lore
Garen is a steam-powered knight serving at the head of the Steel Legion’s vanguard, feared by his enemies and respected by his allies in equal measure. His blade is one of a kind: a thaumaturgical innovation of science and magic, overflowing with sparking plasma.
Appearance and Model
Steel Legion Garen appears as a battle-hardened warrior combating particular creatures. He wears an excessively bulky armour with no helmet. His sword is a unique feature in his appearance in that it is more of sharp equipment for channelling electricity. In-game, it is constantly charged with sparks around it.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Q – Decisive Strike
Garen’s sword equipment overflows with excess electricity, sparking till he discharges it by striking an enemy or the duration expires.
W – Courage
Four holographic swords appear around Garen, then disappear, leaving behind a dense electrical field around him.
E – Judgement
Garen begins to spin, creating a charged field around him. Any enemy he strikes while the ability remains active becomes electrocuted. However, this feature does not interfere with enemy movements.
R – Demacian Justice
A massive bolt of mild lightning strikes the target, leaving behind the image of a vast holographic sword above the target for a split second.
Animations
Recall: Garen swings his weapon around, slowly charging it up. He then raises it to the sky before disappearing to base.
Death: The champion loses his armour and weapon charges and falls like he was electrocuted.
Pros
- Experience Garen wielding an exceptional weapon.
- The skin has an electrical theme that looks cool.
- Good particles and effects.
- It is one of the few skins that show Garen’s facial features in-game.
Cons
- The skin could use taunts and laughter animations influenced by its theme.
- Relatively expensive.
5. Battle Academia Garen
Price – 1350 RP
Skin Lore
‘Brother’ to Lux, Garen is the only biological child of his family but was neglected from an early age as his parents spent all their time developing the god-weapon fragment that would one day become their daughter. As he vented his anger in increasingly delinquent ways, Labrys sort him out for enrollment, where he eventually joined the Battle Club.
Appearance and Model
Garen wears an official high school uniform with his iconic shoulder guard on top of the blazer and his battle academia crest on the back. He maintains a military-style haircut and wields a comical sword. The Hero Academia anime series generally influences the skin, reflecting this in all its effects.
Garen can be seen standing side by side with Wukong, a fellow Battle club member and champion in League of Legends in the splash art. They appear to be taking a stance in readiness for a fight.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Q – Decisive Strike
Garen’s sword lights up with energy, giving off reddish-gold light for the duration of the ability or till he strikes an enemy to discharge it.
W – Courage
Four icons of his academia’s crest appear around the champion, lighting up his armour and the ground beneath his feet for the ability’s duration.
E – Judgement
Garen’s spinning creates a reddish-gold area around him that damages any enemy it hits. Also, his academia’s crest appears above an enemy he damages with the ability.
R – Demacian Justice
A tremendously large sword falls from the sky to strike his target.
Animations
Recall: Garen shoves his sword into the ground, prompting a battle platform to rise beneath him. A combat dummy appears around him while he grabs a baseball and puts on a helmet. He strikes the first dummy with the ball, displacing it and catching the ball. Another dummy spawns behind him, which he also strikes. Three dummies then appear next to the second one, and Garen pulls his sword from the ground to cut down all three in one swing.
Every other animation remains the same as his original model.
Pros
- Hero Academia anime theme.
- The skin has clean particles and well-defined ability effects.
Cons
- Experiencing Garen as a high schooler might feel a little weird to some players.
- Battle Academia Garen lacks customized laugh and taunts animations.
4. Warring Kingdoms Garen
Price – 1350 RP
Skin Lore
Brave guardian of Azir’s ancient fortress, Garen is a mighty warrior who charges fearlessly into even the most hopeless battles. He fights for the glory of his ruler and the safety of his people, a powerful, if headstrong, force for justice.
Appearance and Model
Garen appears standing in front of Azir’s fortress, wearing his battle regalia and watching over the courtyard. As a guardian and leader among the emperor’s soldiers, Garen wields a sword of gold and jade. He appears to be of Oriental descent in line with the skin’s inspiration.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Q – Decisive Strike
The Jade half of the sword begins to glow with a soft green light surrounding the weapon. This effect lasts till Garen strikes a target or the duration expires.
W – Courage
The ability retains the same effect as Original Garen. However, the colours and textures are different as Warring Kingdoms Garen reflects its predominant Jade colour.
E – Judgement
Garen spins, channelling a spectral Jade Dragon from the tip of his weapon. The dragon establishes the boundaries of the ability, damaging any enemy it touches. Immediately the ability ends, the dragon shrinks back into the champion.
R – Demacian Justice
An enormous spectral jade-coloured sword strikes the target from the sky, entering the ground up to half of the sword’s massive length.
Animations
Recall: Garen swings his sword forward, turns it back to strike the ground behind him, then flings it up to catch it and ram it into the earth in the same motion. The weapon then releases a small ball of light that floats upwards to transform into a military standard that Garen holds.
Pros
- Warring Kingdoms Garen has one of the best recall animations of all his skins.
- The skin does an excellent job of exhibiting the champion’s sense of honour and duty.
Cons
- It doesn’t have any unique animation for the champion’s taunt, death, and laughter.
Note: You can only purchase Warring Kingdoms Garen during special events when the legacy vaults open.
3. Mecha Kingdoms Garen
Price – 1350 RP
Skin Lore
Once a ruthless warlord, Garen led his armies to victory after victory, laying the foundations for the Vercentia Kingdom. When the leviathans appeared out of nowhere, he opted to put aside his dream of uniting all the Great Kingdoms under his rule and instead to match his newly-fashioned Avalon alongside his former enemies for the sake of humanity.
Note: This skin is not connected to Warring Kingdoms Garen because they exist in separate realities.
Appearance and Model
The champion appears, piloting a gigantic war armour/machine called Avalon. Celestial energies power the armour, and he also wields a daunting sword which he uses to strike a killing blow on a monster in his splash art.
In-game, he looks more like a character from the movie Pacific Rim.
Note: The skin has a prestige edition that switches everything with a golden theme but was only available for 2000 Warring Kingdoms Token. However, there is no exact time when it will be available again.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
All his voice lines and sound effects take on robotic forms.
Q – Decisive Strike
Garen’s sword charges up with celestial power, changing the colour of its edges from blue to gold. His armour lifts him slightly above the ground, propelling him through two thrusters that fire up from either half of his upper back.
W – Courage
Four shields of pure energy form around the champion, disappearing to leave behind an energized layer for the ability’s duration. A patterned matrix also forms beneath his feet.
E – Judgement
While spinning, Garen’s weapon leaves a trail of blue energy while distorting gravity and raising rocks around the ability’s boundaries.
R – Demacian Justice
A thin laser converges on the target from the skies, releasing a gigantic celestial sword to strike the target.
Animations
Recall: Garen swings his sword forward and moves backwards in a battle stance. His thrusters fire up, turning him around before he stabilizes and flies upward.
Death: While he performs the same animation as Original Garen, his suits power down as he dies.
Pros
- Experience Garen as a colossal war machine.
- The skin has wonderful sound effects.
- It has a reasonable price.
Cons
- The skin might feel too mechanical for some players.
2. Demacia Vice Garen
Price – 1350 RP
Skin Lore
As chrome eagles cry and steel panthers growl, lightning hot justice is delivered nightly by Detective Garen Stryker on the neon-drenched streets. A belt in Ionian martial arts, this katana-wielding cop pushes it to the limit with every case…Demacia!
Appearance and Model
Games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Miami Vice heavily influenced this skin. Garen is seen sitting in the driver’s seat of an exotic car in its splash art, holding his massive katana over his shoulder while smiling. He wears brightly coloured tight-fitting clothes, studded gloves, and dark pink spectacles.
In-game, his clothes sparkle, and his movements take on a more hip style.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Q – Decisive Strike
Garen grips his katana as it glows with neon lights. His extra movement speed becomes accentuated through the neon lights flowing from the back of his jacket.
W – Courage
The ground beneath Garen’s feet lights up like a neon spotlight, and four Demacia Vice crests appear around him. They then disappear, leaving him glowing from head to toe.
E – Judgement
Garen’s spinning forms an area of effect (AoE) with blue at the outer boundaries and pink in the inner space.
R – Demacian Justice
As Garen slams his sword into the ground, another massive one falls upon the target from the sky. It leaves a dance floor-like pattern on the floor beneath the target.
Animations
Recall: A dance stage forms around the champion while he swings his sword, clearly enjoying the music and spotlight.
Pros
- Cool skin concept and perspective.
- Demacia Garen is a favourite among his players.
Cons
- It lacks unique laughter, taunt, and death animations.
1. God-King Garen
Price – 1820 RP
Skin Lore
God-King Garen stands as the last scion of an ancient divinity and the final bulwark against the end of all civilization. He rules the vast kingdom of Demacia with an iron fist, jealously protecting his people as a self-styled messiah while rooting out and destroying all who would oppose him.
Appearance and Model
Garen stands at the front of his army with his celestial lion beside him. He patiently watches for the approach of the enemy. The champion wears royal armour and a crown with two transparent thin white capes on his back, one from each shoulder.
In-game, he maintains this regalia and moves with a sense of urgency and power. Even though the skin isn’t his latest (Battle Academia is his latest), it contains the most features of any single Garen skin.
Visual Effects (VFX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
Q – Decisive Strike
His sword glows with divine light, with a celestial tendril coiling up from its hilt to the tip.
W – Courage
Garen’s lion jumps out and roars while circling him before disappearing. His armour glows with divine light. The area under his feet also lights up with a divine sigil for the ability’s duration.
E – Judgement
Garen begins to spin, and upon hitting an enemy, he splits his sword into two, one in each hand and continues spinning. When the ability ends, he combines the two weapons back into one.
R – Demacian Justice
Garen slams his sword into the ground near the target, summoning three divine blades to converge on the target.
Animations
Recall: Garen points his sword forward while summoning his throne behind him. His lion appears from behind the throne, moving in a circle before settling down at the foot of the throne as Garen ascends it to stand.
Death: The champion goes limp and trembles before the lion exits his body into the heavens. He then falls to the ground. His capes also give their light and stop glowing after a while.
Respawn: Garen spawns and respawns in a kneeling position with his head bowed. His divine capes then descend from the sky to settle on his shoulders.
Homeguard buff: Garen leaps forward with the lion before sprinting into position.
Taunt: The champion grips his sword, summoning a pinpoint red light. His lion then appears and tries to catch the light while moving haphazardly.
Challenge: Garen points his sword towards the cursor’s position and says, “you stand before the presence of the God-King, kneel.” The lion also appears beside and roars in the same direction when Garen says, “kneel.”
Dance: Garen drops his sword, and the lion appears beside him. He then lifts the lion and proceeds to dance.
Pros
- God-King Garen is a complete package. Every effect and animation is unique.
- The skin captures the champion’s divine status and sense of self.
- It is the most sophisticated of all his skins
Cons
- Apart from its price, there is nothing to hold against this skin.
FAQs
Question: Which is the best Garen skin?
Answer: Based on effects and features, God-King Garen is the best Garen skin.
Question: How many skins does Garen have?
Answer: As of January 2022, Garen has twelve (12) skins and a Prestige one.
Question: How much does God-King Garen cost?
Answer: God-King Garen costs 1820 RP. You can buy it from the game store at any time.
Conclusion
As one of the oldest champions in League of Legends, Garen has one of the highest skins. An exciting feature of skins is that they all manage to retain the iconic size of his sword and shoulder guards.