How to get free “Eldritch Horror-style” Volibear VGU LoL skin

League of Legends players will be able to get a free ‘Eldritch Horror’-style skin for Volibear with his upcoming Visual and Gameplay Update (VGU).

Volibear is currently undergoing a complete overhaul which will not only give him a new set of abilities, but also a new character model and visual design.

Riot recently gave fans a preview of the new look, and while the update has been positively received, many fans were hoping for it to go in a slightly different direction.

After recent lore such as the ‘Silence for the Damned’ story described a more demonic side to Volibear, some players were anticipating that the VGU could take the character in that direction, and some of Riot’s concept art for the redesign even explored what that might look like.

Unfortunately for fans of this look, Riot ultimately decided that this design, which has been compared to the aesthetic of tabletop strategy game Eldritch Horror, was too great a departure from the existing live version of Volibear.

• Read more: Game-breaking League of Legends bug permanently sticking players to Sett

There is a silver lining, though. While Volibear’s new default look won’t lean into the demonic or horrific elements of the character, Riot will be making a skin that does – and what’s more, players will be able to get their hands on it for free.

How to get the ‘Eldritch Horror’-style Volibear skin

Getting your hands on the skin is incredibly simple: you just need to own the champion. Anybody who already has Volibear when his VGU goes live, or purchases him during the patch he is released in, will receive the skin. If you don’t already have the champion, you can unlock him for 4800 Blue Essence or 880 RP.

While Riot Games haven’t yet announced exactly when the Volibear will be released, there are typically two weeks between each League of Legends patch, so players can expect to have roughly that much time after his arrival to grab him while the skin is still free.

• Read more: Riot tease two new League of Legends champions in “big Summer event”

It also means that those who don’t already own the champion will be able to wait and see how much they like the new design and rework before deciding whether to pick up Volibear, without risking missing out on the free skin.

After the free period, the skin will become a purchasable look like any other. While Riot state that they don’t plan to offer free skins with VGUs in future, in this case they “felt like it was the right decision.”