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How To Use Skins (and IGN)

A bug in the latest version of Vainglory prevents this but there is a workaround. First, you need to know about 1A and 1B clients. In essence, 1A lets you use skins and 1B lets you change your in-game name (IGN) or username. We will make use of both clients to enable skins and IGN at the same time.

If you have trouble following this guide, visit our Vainglory channel on Discord for help.

1A and 1B clients

There are two working versions of the game (or client) colloquially known as 1A and 1B. They correspond to the different stages of Vainglory: Community Edition. 1A is an older version that allows you to use skins and talents but not change your IGN. A random IGN is generated at the start of each match.

1B is the latest version of Vainglory released on 30 September 2020. You can change your IGN but can’t use skins and talents. The region selector does not work so ignore the dropdown menu. The region you are in is shown at the upper right corner of your profile which is accessed by tapping your IGN.

Introduction

To play with skins and IGN at the same time, you need to install both 1A and 1B clients. Both clients must be connected to the same region. This is easy on Android as you can install multiple versions of the same app using the right tools. Meanwhile, iOS has always required a second device.

Fortunately, our friend Arshia on Discord found a way to install 1A alongside 1B on iOS. Although the initial setup requires a computer, this is a big step forward for convenience. Arshia provided his method in this all-in-one guide. You can see the original post on Reddit.

How does this work?

Vainglory identifies players by their UUID which is a unique string of characters. Vainglory stores this information in a file named player.2.dat on your device.

If you have the same UUID on multiple devices, Vainglory will treat them as though they are logged into the same account. This enables you to resume your game on a different device. By logging into 1A and 1B clients, we are able to change IGN and select a skin.

Instructions

What device do you use? The methods are different depending on your device or operating system. For brevity, iOS also means iPadOS. Click on a link to jump to its section:

Android

Requirements: 1B and modified 1A on a single device.

  1. Download Vainglory 1A (Modified) from Bubbleland or from Arshia. Install the .xapk file with XAPK Installer or ZArchiver.
    • This is a modified version of the app with a different package name so it will be installed on your device as a duplicate. It will not auto-update.
  2. Download Vainglory 1B from Google Play. Now you have both 1A and 1B installed on your device.
  3. Using your file manager, copy player.2.dat from /Android/data/com.superevilmagecorp.game/files/ to /Android/data/com.superevilmagecorp.game1/files/ and replace it.
  4. You are ready now. To play with skins and IGN:
    • Set your IGN in 1B and start queuing.
    • Select your hero in draft.
    • Switch to 1A to pick a skin.
    • Enjoy your game!

This is how it looks on Android when the setup is complete:

iOS with a second device

Requirements: 1B on iOS; 1A on Android or Windows. Two devices are needed. You can play on iOS, Android, or Windows.

  1. Download Vainglory 1B from App Store. Make sure to run the app once.
  2. Download and install iTunes. This is required to back up and access player.2.dat.
    • Windows 10
    • Windows 7
    • macOS - iTunes is included on Macs running Mojave (10.14) and earlier. On newer Macs running Catalina (10.15) or later, the backup feature is integrated in Finder.
  3. Back up your iPhone or iPad.
    • Connect your device to the computer via cable.
    • Select your device in iTunes. In the Backup section, choose “This computer” and uncheck “Encrypt backup”.
    • Click “Back Up Now” and wait for the process to complete.
  4. Download and install iBackupBot.
    • Open iBackupBot. It will automatically find your device backups.
    • On Macs, make sure to give “Full Disk Access” permission to iBackupBot in System Preferences’s “Security & Privacy”.
    • Select your device backup and go to User App Files/Vainglory/Library/Application Support/com.superevilmegacorp.kindred/.
    • Select player.2.dat file and export it to your computer.
  5. Copy and replace the exported player.2.dat file in the following locations on your second device with 1A:
    • Android - /Android/data/com.superevilmagecorp.game/files/
    • Windows - %appdata%\SEMC\Vainglory
  6. You are ready now. To play with skins and IGN:
    • Open Vainglory on your two devices.
    • Set your IGN and start queuing on 1B. 1A on Android or Windows will automatically enter queue too.
    • Press accept on 1A when the match found screen appears. Quickly close 1B before it enters draft.
    • Continue on 1A to pick your hero and skin.
    • Optional: To play on your iPhone or iPad, close 1A during the match loading screen and open 1B.
    • Enjoy the game!

iOS without a second device

Requirements: 1A and 1B on iOS. Windows or Mac is needed to install 1A onto iOS. You play on iOS with 1A.

  1. Follow steps 1 to 4 in the previous section to obtain player.2.dat file.
  2. Download Vainglory 1A (Decrypted) from Bubbleland or from Arshia.
    • This decrypted .ipa allows you to have two versions of Vainglory on iOS. 1A files from other sources will not work as they are encrypted and will just crash.
  3. Download and install Sideloadly.
  4. Open Sideloadly. Right click to run it as administrator on Windows. On Mac, see this if you have problem opening the app.
    • Make sure your device is connected via cable. Select it in Sideloadly.
    • Select the decrypted .ipa file downloaded earlier.
    • Click “advanced options”.
    • Check “Change app bundle ID” and add something unique like your name to the end. If you choose arshia, you will have com.superevilmegacorp.kindredarshia.
      • Note: No two users can use the same bundle ID.
    • Enter your Apple ID. You can use a dummy account if you want. This information is only sent to Apple for the side-loading process.
    • Click “Start” and wait. Enter your password when prompted.
    • Wait for the installation to finish on your device. It can take at least 20 minutes for a large app like Vainglory, so be patient!
    • Note: If you installed iTunes via the Microsoft Store, the process may fail. If so, uninstall iTunes and download it again using our links above.
  5. Trust the app you installed on iOS by going to Settings > General > Profile & Device Management.
  6. Download and install iFunbox on Windows. If you are on Mac, use iMazing instead.
    • Connect your iPhone or iPad and open iFunbox.
    • Under your device name, select “Apps”.
    • Click “All my apps” and double click Vainglory 4.13.0 to open it.
    • Go to Library/Application Support/com.superevilmegacorp.kindred1a/.
    • Drag and drop your player.2.dat file in this location to replace it.
  7. You are ready now. To play with skins and IGN:
    • Set your IGN in 1B and start queuing.
    • Select your hero in draft.
    • Switch to 1A to pick a skin.
    • Enjoy your game!
  8. If you face problems selecting a skin in 1A, e.g. black box, ask us for help on Discord.
  9. Important: All side-loaded apps will expire after 7 days unless you have a paid developer account with Apple ($99/year). Therefore, you will need to repeat the side-loading process again after a week. Remember to use the same bundle ID and the same Apple ID you entered. Otherwise, it will be installed as a new duplicate and you will have to replace player.2.dat again.
  10. Bonus Tip: You can have multiple versions of Vainglory that are bound to different regions like EU, NA, and SEA with this method. You just need to enter a different bundle ID and use a VPN set to the desired region on first launch.

When properly set up, it looks like this on iOS:

Windows

Requirements: 1B on Android or iOS. Old client on Windows. 1B does not exist for Windows so two devices are needed. You can play on iOS, Android, or Windows.

  1. Download Vainglory 4.13.0 from Bubbleland. Alternatively, get it from your Steam library.
  2. Copy player.2.dat from your iOS or Android device with 1B to your Windows PC. You can find the file in:
    • Android - /Android/Data/com.superevilmegacorp.game/files/
    • iOS - Vainglory app container > /Library/Application Support/com.superevilmegacorp.kindred
  3. Copy and replace player.2.dat in this location on your Windows PC: %appdata%\SEMC\Vainglory.
  4. You are ready now. To play with skins and IGN:
    • Open Vainglory on your PC and your second device.
    • Set your IGN and start queuing on 1B. Your PC client will automatically enter queue too.
    • Press accept on your PC when the match found screen appears. Quickly close 1B before it enters draft.
    • Continue on your PC to pick your hero and skin.
    • Optional: To play on iOS or Android, close the PC client during the match loading screen and open 1B.
    • Enjoy the game!

PC guide (6 minutes) by arsh (not Arshia) from Discord:

Credits

This guide was revamped on 25 August 2021 to include instructions from Arshia’s Reddit post with permission. The decrypted and modified files were contributed by Arshia. For further inquiries, visit our Discord of which Arshia is a member.


Posted on July 22, 2021   #vainglory   #guide

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