New Tethered Realms Skins Coming to VALORANT
Riot is expanding on the weapon lore in VALORANT once again with the upcoming Tethered Realms bundle. These new skins, set to debut on May 26, continue the theme of good vs. evil seen in the Forsaken and Sovereign cosmetics. Tethered Realms uses the same shader method as Winterwunderland, transitioning between two different scenes on the map depending on sunlight or shade. The bundle will also feature a dual-wield melee weapon for the first time, along with the Vandal, Operator, Guardian, and Ghost.
Divine vs. Corrupt Worlds
The goal with Tethered Realms was to depict two identical worlds: one divine and one corrupt. The art team took inspiration from games like Diablo, Darksiders, and Destiny, playing with the concepts of Light and Darkness. In one universe, the world is bright and the people are righteous, while in the other, the world is dark and the people have become corrupt.
Rather than combining the Sovereign and Forsaken themes into a single skin, the developers decided to create a “greenscreen” type cosmetic. These cosmetics pay homage to the Sovereign and Forsaken weapon models but offer moving textures and introduce a new melee type.
Premium Edition Skins
The Tethered Realms skins will fall into the Premium Edition tier and are expected to cost 7,100 VP for the set or 1,775 VP each. If purchased individually, the Prosperity and Demise melees will likely cost 3,550 VP. Level one of the melee is the Sovereign Sword, but players can upgrade it with Radianite to add the Forsaken Ritual Dagger.
Art lead Sean Marino expressed his hope that players will enjoy this type of skin as it provides opportunities to expand on the lore created for different thematic fantasies. With these skins, Riot can dive deeper into the full lore and fantasy of a skin.
Introducing the Minima Skins
In addition to Tethered Realms, Riot also discussed the new Minima skins in an exclusive interview with YouTuber aSmoogl. The minimalist bundle includes the Phantom, Spectre, Operator, Ares, and Sheriff. These skins follow the theme of “less is more,” with subtle design choices. For example, the Phantom doesn’t have a scope on the model, but it appears when aiming down sights. The Operator also features a square scope, a first for the sniper in VALORANT.
The Minima skins fall into the Deluxe Edition price tier and will be priced at 1,275 VP each or 4,270 VP for the bundle. They do not include a melee or any player cards, so players will only be paying for the five skins.
Stay tuned on our YouTube channel for more esports news and analysis.
VALORANT, Tethered Realms, skins, lore, cosmetic, melee weapon, premium edition, Minima skins, minimalist bundle