Champions 2023 Skin Bundle Review – Lack of Variety Devalues Previous Releases

If you already own a Champions 2021 Vandal skin, getting another of the same weapon from the Champions 2023 skin bundle may not be your ideal choice

Champions 2023, the biggest Valorant event this year, is at our doorstep – and just like previous Champions, Riot Games has released a skin bundle matching the theme of the competition. The unique aspect of these skin releases is that 50% of sales of the skins are divided amongst the team participating in the tournament. 

The #VALORANTChampions skins just keep getting better! 🔥

Snag the limited edition 2023 Champions bundle for your VALORANT collection, featuring a gilded Vandal and melee! Available starting Friday, August 4th. pic.twitter.com/n2EdeoMvxS

— VALORANT (@VALORANT) July 29, 2023

The Champions 2023 bundle will feature a Vandal and a knife skin along with a gun buddy, in-game spray and a player card and is likely to cost around 6200 VP, meaning you may have to spend in the ballpark of $60.

Another Champions Vandal Skin

Similar to Champions 2021, Riot Games decided to feature another Vandal skin in this bundle, making it their second Champions Vandal skin instead of opting for another weapon in the game, such as the Operator. This was a missed opportunity, of course, as described by Forbes in their criticism of the bundle – “While the money aspect is great for teams, it feels like a missed opportunity to do more, and offer even more content to players to increase the amount of money teams can make.”

It makes sense to have weapons like Phantom and Vandal be part of this bundle, as those are the most used in the game. However, getting almost the same Champions color scheme and design patterns on the same weapons is not the most intriguing, especially for a bundle costing around $60. 

Champions 2023’s Vandal Heavily Resembles Prime Skin

It’s clear that this new Vandal is heavily inspired by the Prime skin, and many on social media criticized it as a “re-skin of the Prime.” Having the Champions Vandal look a lot like the Prime Vandal can be excellent for fans of the Prime bundle, but as part of a $60 package where the Vandal alone can cost around $25, expecting brand new ideas isn’t asking for too much. 

No Unique Animations on Champions Knife

Credit: Riot Games

The previous year’s Champions butterfly knife used the same animation as other butterfly knives in the game. Similarly, this Champions knife has the same animation as the Valorant Go! Vol. 1 knife and also looks like a bigger version of it. 

No animation on the knife gotta be a joke. I'll pass. Jeez what a disappointment

— Furkan (@thekaimusician) July 29, 2023

Not having a completely new animation disappointed many, but it was likely to happen, given the previous bundles of the Champions saga. 

Is the Champions 2023 Skin Bundle Worth It?

Credit: Riot Games

Given the bundle has the second Champions Vandal skin and the knife skin isn’t very remarkable, it will be a pass for us. However, the choices in Valorant skins can be pretty subjective, and given that 50% of the sales go to the pro teams, it can be a good spend for some fans.