Unlike the current Udyr who’s still in 144p, Olaf’s appearance held up well, with texture and particle updates coming along in the past few years. And that means his skins are still pretty dope. But which ones are the best? Let’s see if we can come up with an answer by ranking all of Olaf’s skins.
10. Forsaken Olaf
Released: June 8th, 2010 Price: 520 RP I will give Riot one thing, they definitely chose the right name for this skin. I don’t even know whether I’ve ever heard anyone even mention this skin at any point. It’s not such a hilariously bad skin to be hated, and it’s nowhere good enough to be loved. It’s just kind of… there. Forsaken Olaf offers a very slight character model change where the colors are swapped around to make you look a bit more edgy. But that’s truly the extent of it. The splash art isn’t half bad. But paying 520 RP for a decent splash art just feels like robbery.
9. Glacial Olaf
Released: June 8th, 2010 Price: 520 RP This one is definitely not as bad as the previous skin, but it’s still pretty horrible. It just makes you look like a White Walker or something. And just like the White Walkers were a huge let-down that came in went in a matter of a week, so should this skin be forgotten. But I will give Riot some props for making the helmet horns out of ice, that’s a nice touch.
8. Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Olaf
Released: September 9th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP This skin did something very right, and other things completely wrong. When it comes to the character model, it just feels out of place here. Yes, he looks cool, but he doesn’t necessarily look like a heavy metal drum player. In fact, he just looks like some random Satanist to me. And that’s a pretty big deal when you remember the original Pentakill Olaf. However, when it comes to animations, this skin nails it. Your backing animation is a literal drum solo. And your ult now plays heavy rock music as you dive into the backline. Overall it’s a pretty good skin, however it slightly misses the mark when it comes to being a Pentakill skin.
7. Marauder Olaf
Released: September 30th, 2015 Price: 750 RP Marauder Olaf is very simple and very effective. Riot simply asked “do you want some badass armor?” and we shook our heads all the way to mom’s credit card. The skin offers no new animations or particles, but the character model change is substantial enough to justify the cost. I mean just look at him! You’ll literally feel like some sort of death lord coming from the great beyond to gank bot lane. Needless to say, a wise purchase.
6. Butcher Olaf
Released: September 7th, 2016 Price: 750 RP Although this skin is supposed to be on the more goofy side of things, it still maintains a nice level of badass energy, which is not easy to pull off. Sure, you have sausages hanging around your neck and are throwing cutlets at people. But you also have a meat tenderizer and anger issues. This skin is basically how Gordon Ramsey sees himself. Therefore, even though it doesn’t offer much when it comes to new animations or particles, this is worth getting for the concept alone.
5. Pentakill Olaf
Released: October 1st, 2012 Price: 975 RP If this could just steal the new Pentakill Olaf’s backing animation and ult sound effect, it would be number one. And that’s because it makes up for its overall lack of heavy metal sound effects with an extremely badass character model. You take one look at this dude and you know he means business! The fact that his weapons are more akin to drumsticks than axes also solidify the drummer theme quite a bit. And the fact that they’re basically on fire during your W or when dropped with your Q, showcase that you’re planning on getting that penta!
4. Brolaf
Released: December 1st, 2010 Price: 1820 RP Brolaf definitely takes the most creative approach when it comes to Olaf, but I can’t say it’s perfect. The gist of the skin is that you’re now a frat boy and only stroll the rift in search for more booze or babes. Your Q has beer particles, your E summons a keg, and your voice lines are some of the douchiest things you’ll ever hear. All of that sounds pretty great on paper. But I can’t say that it’s the best skin overall. For one, I actually think the new “summon a keg” E animation makes little to no sense. And secondly, its quality is more akin to a 1350 RP skin than an 1820 RP skin.
3. Dragonslayer Olaf
Released: January 30th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP The rest of the top skins are all the same price and equally as awesome, so just know that we’re dealing with slim margins of which skin gets which ranking. I’m going to put Dragonslayer Olaf here simply because Riot could have made it even better. The character model just looks amazing with the fiery axes and the dragon armor really making you feel like a legend. The animations and particle effects are also very well made, with the W getting some added fire and the E having a really nice dragon roar sound effect. My only real minor nitpick is that Riot didn’t play around with the ult animation a bit more. Maybe Dragonslayer Pantheon just spoiled me – but I was expecting some wings on this dragonslayer Viking!
2. SKT T1 Olaf
Released: June 27th, 2017 Price: 1350 RP I never thought that a Worlds skin would make it this high up, but those crazy bastards at Riot finally did it! The character model here is just top tier, looking more like a godslayer skin than anything related to the pro scene. Of course SKT T1 isn’t completely absent, as the Q animation does leave their logo on the ground, but the skin is so badass on its own that it hardly matters. The particle effect update also buffed this skin quite a bit, as the W animation has never looked so clean before. And don’t even get me started on the backing animation. That alone is worth the price tag. All in all a very pleasant surprise and an S-class skin.
1. Sentinel Olaf
Released: July 8th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP You would think that Olaf already had supreme Chad energy because of his base skin. But then Sentinel Olaf came along and turned everything upside down. Just look at this lad! The character model design looks absolutely impeccable. You might be thinking “sure, he looks really cool but he doesn’t look like a proper Viking anymore” but that’s also not the case. Your ult now literally gives you a Viking helmet – and yes it is as epic as it sounds! The Sentinel theme also worked surprisingly well for the champion, with your W and E now feeling a lot more holy than before. Although it gets the crown by a slim margin, I do have to say that this is the best Olaf skin in the game right now. 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.
