And no, I’m not talking about their lore, their builds, or their win-rates – but rather their skins. Since Caitlyn boasts a respectable library of skins plus a Prestige, there’s quite a bit to choose from. And in this ranking we’re looking over all of her skins, considering their features, visuals, and prices.
11. Safari Caitlyn
Released: May 10th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Caitlyn skins are a bit weird, as there’s never a middle-ground. They’re either polished to hell, with dozens of new particles and sound effects, or they do the bare minimum to even be called a skin. Safari Caitlyn definitely falls within the latter category – it just changes the character model. In terms of the actual design, it’s not the ugliest one of the bunch. But the fact that it’s charging you a whopping 975 RP is just the nail in the coffin. The idea is cool, the shades are nice, and the hat is a good fit. But this is just way too little for such a price.
10. Sheriff Caitlyn
Released: January 4th, 2011 Price: 520 RP Ok I just hate this one. The idea is perfect for the champion, and had it been up to High Noon standards, it would have easily broken the top three. But this rendition is just somewhat stupid. There’s nothing about Sheriff Caitlyn that even screams “sheriff” unless you’re willing to zoom in completely and look at her badge. Also I just hate the hat. It looks so out of place and more suited for a Disney villain than a respected sheriff.
9. Resistance Caitlyn
Released: January 4th, 2011 Price: 520 RP Resistance Caitlyn is the final god awful skin for this list, I promise. But there’s just a complete disconnect between what this skin was going for, and what you actually end up with. The name and the splash art would suggest that you’re this badass, strong guerrilla warrior fighting for what you believe in. But the actual in-game model just looks like a girl scout who happened to stumble upon a gun. It’s true that if you zoom in, her getup doesn’t look all that bad. But that is a bit unrealistic.
8. Lunar Wraith Caitlyn
Released: January 27th, 2016 Price: 1350 RP So this one feels a bit mediocre all around. Although when it comes to the character model, there are some highlights, like the fact that your gun has eyes. But there’s also some off-putting elements, like whatever’s going on with your hair. It just doesn’t strike a specific theme – but rather feels like a lot of ideas were just thrown together. The ability animations are just okay with most of them feeling like recolors of the base particles, except the W which is extraordinarily bland. And the unique backing animation is just underwhelming here, as you just lunge at the air for no reason. Overall it’s not really worth such a high price point.
7. Arctic Warfare Caitlyn
Released: December 29th, 2011 Price: 750 RP With Arctic Warfare Caitlyn you get exactly what you paid for. If you like the splash art, you’ll like the in-game model. And it’s kind of sad that this isn’t true for most skins. But this one is just Caitlyn bundled up in some warmer clothing and her iconic bullet-firing partner. It doesn’t offer any new animations – but considering it does go for the realistic approach, it doesn’t really need them anyway. Not much more to say, you get what you see.
6. Arcade Caitlyn
Released: June 28th, 2019 Price: 1350 RP So this one might be a bit controversial, as I know this skin has some diehard fans. But it’s simply not S-class material for me. Let’s get the good parts out of the way first: The visual and audio effects are really great. The typical arcade beeps and boops always make for a good skin, and the pixel-ized abilities add some nice flavor. Plus this skin boasts one of the best backing animations that Caitlyn has ever received! However, I just can’t get behind the character model. This might just be my boomer talking but it makes Caitlyn look like a Fortnite player. And that is not something I want to see while playing League. I do like the Prestige version a bit better, but not enough to bump the whole skin up in the rankings.
5. Officer Caitlyn
Released: October 5th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Although this is yet another character model overhaul with no new particles, Caitlyn mains can’t get enough of Officer Caitlyn. You could say that it’s just because the skin makes her look extremely hot and you finally get to live out your bad cop fantasies – and ok, sure. But I do think there’s more to it. First off, the gun looks a lot more threatening than before. That scope looks like it can shoot a rabbit on the moon. And the shades + hat combo makes me think that this Caitlyn would be up to that task as well. It’s a bit expensive for a skin without new particles, but I still think it’s worth the purchase.
4. Battle Academia Caitlyn
Released: March 18th, 2021 Price: 1820 RP How much you appreciate this skin will heavily depend on your love for anime. Because man, is this skin weeby. Your emotes are now extremely anime with chibi characters and immense blushing. Your backing animation has you pull a Satsuki Kiryuin, and your ult literally has a little cutaway that’s like the nakama power moment in every shounen known to man. With that being said, not all new features are that good. I honestly could not get into the new voiceover. And the emote spam is far less fun than with other skins here. I do think Battle Academia Caitlyn is worth it if you really love anime – but otherwise I would suggest looking at the rest of this list for more ideas.
3. Headhunter Caitlyn
Released: September 3rd, 2014 Price: 975 RP I’d say hands-down this is the best value Caitlyn skin. The character model is just brilliant, with Caitlyn wearing very dark futuristic armor and even sporting a skull on her hip. But the skin also comes with new animations and particles. In particular, her gun has little transformations for certain abilities that just make it feel a lot more impactful. For example, the fact that claw-like pieces shoot out as you’re firing your Q makes it feel a lot more powerful. The skin also has a very decent backing animation as you search for your next pray. All of this being priced at only 975 RP is an absolute steal – and considering the price of the following skins, I think Headhunter Caitlyn is the best one to get if you’re not mister/misses money bags.
2. Pool Party Caitlyn
Released: August 2nd, 2018 Price: 1350 RP The thing with ADC skins is that the AA animation and sound cue can make or break the character. Luckily for pool-loving Caitlyn mains, this one has it down to a science. Everything is water-based for this skin. And the sound cues are so crisp that you literally feel like your CSing skills have been buffed. Or maybe it’s just the fact that you’re squirting them with a water gun that sort of dulls some of the pressure. Your abilities are no different, with very well-timed and responsive designs that make everything go smoothly. Everything is so smooth here that your backing animation just has you go to sleep while being fanned by a crab. They knew what they were doing with this one!
1. Pulsefire Caitlyn
Released: May 24th, 2017 Price: 1820 RP So this is one of those skins that’s so good that you would have to main Caitlyn until your deathbed if you ever happened to get it in a chest. Pulsefire Caitlyn just has everything – and it does everything well. It’s just as smooth and crisp as Pool Party, but offers even more cool stuff. Your gun has slight transformations for when you use your abilities, like Headhunter, an overlay for your ult, like Battle Academia, and a literal motorcycle for your homeguard animation, like all of my dreams. It also boasts completely new emotes that are miles ahead of the competition. Your taunt is literally just telling someone “mine is bigger than yours”. And knowing the League community, it will get used frequently. I also love the dancing hologram emote. I could keep on gushing about this skin and all of the things that it does right, but I think you get the gist. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
