All new Season 13 champions for League of Legends
Riot Games has announced all the new Season 13 champions fans can expect in 2023, so here’s everything we now know about all of the new arrivals to League of Legends this year.
From midscope updates to VGUs to entirely brand-new champions, 2023 seems like it will be packed with new experiences for League of Legends players. Here’s everything we know about new champions, champion reworks, and midscope updates that Riot Games has announced for the upcoming year.
Milio, a male Ixtali enchanter
The first new Season 13 champion that will be released is Milio, a male Ixtali enchanter. There are very few male enchanters in League of Legends, and Milio is an attempt to fix that. Milio is a fire-wielding character from the elemental kingdom of Ixtali, which Qiyana is from. Milio uses his fire not to burn things, but to heal people, and is on a pilgrimage to Ixaocan, the capital city of Ixtal. Milio is described as “carrying the hopes and dreams of his family on his back, along with his trusty backpack”, giving him the impression of an upbeat explorer setting out to change the world for the better.
This makes a lot of sense given enchanters’ focus on protecting, enhancing, and healing allies, this makes a lot of sense. Milio is previewed alongside a gorgeous Ixtali piece of fabric depicting what is likely the Fire Axiom, the Ixtali aspect of fire.
Naafiri, the many-bodied Darkin Assassin huntress
Naafiri is the latest Darkin champion added to League of Legends. The Darkin were Ascended god-warriors like Nasus and Renekton, whose use of Blood Magic and trauma from fighting the Void turned them into destructive spirits bound within powerful weapons. Naafiri is bound within a dagger, and seems to have awoken to an unusual new form, and it’s implied that she actually has multiple bodies rather than one. Previous previews used language to associate her with canines, and new art for Naafiri shows many sets of red eyes peering out from the darkness in what appears to be the Shuriman desert.
Naafiri is seeking out her Darkin siblings in what is described as “the hunt”, and will be a mid lane assassin focused on macro gameplay. Given that it’s been announced that she is contained within a dagger, which has been shown before, it seems likely that Naafiri is actually wielded by a pack of many wild hounds, who can spread herself wide over Runeterra as she searches for her corrupted demigod siblings.
A “hangry” new jungler with Castlevania vibes
Naafiri and Milio are the only new Season 13 champions who got names, but two more new additions to the league were still previewed. The first is a new jungler who is simply described as “hangry” and was previewed alongside art of an imposing gothic castle, complete with spikey ramparts and an appropriately Castlevania-inspired aesthetic.
This makes it seem incredibly likely that this new jungler will be some kind of vampire, given the specific effort to invoke stories like Dracula, Castlevania, and more. This would likely lean into a sustain-focused character, growing more powerful as they drain the life from their enemies, stalking across the rift in darkness and ambushing unsuspecting jungle monsters and champions alike.
New season 13 champion brings artistry to Summoner’s Rift
The last of the entirely new Season 13 champions who was previewed is a new mid laner who was described with a single word much like the vampiric jungler, this time being labeled as “artistic.” Like the jungler, this new champion was given an associated piece of art that shows an enormous tower that’s been drawn onto some kind of scroll or parchment. Given the Asian-inspired aesthetic and the tower appearing to be made of a network of vines or branches sprouting from a tall pillar of stone, it seems incredibly likely that this new champion will be from Ionia, as the aesthetic of the building and landscape matching Ionia’s unique regional flairs. Little else can be glimpsed from this art, as the building isn’t one that’s been depicted in League of Legends’ art or lore before.
Midscope updates breathe new life into old champions
Midscope Updates are Riot Games’ middle ground between a Visual Gameplay Update and Aesthetic Sustainability Updates. Midscope updates are substantial gameplay updates to aspects of champions’ kits without doing a complete overhaul and without touching their visual identity and appearance. Examples of these Midscope Updates from 2022 include Olaf, Taliyah, and Swain. These updates are meant to amp up a champion’s playstyle and keep their kit at pace with League of Legends’ current state without taking the massive resources that full reworks would require.
Riot Games has announced that it would be doing more Midscope Updates than ever in 2022. The first and biggest of these that has been announced is a Midscope Update for Neeko. In a video announcing their intentions for Midscope Updates, Riot Games developers brought up some wild new features that her kit will enable.
The most notable of these is the scaling up of Neeko’s shapeshifting and skin-shifting abilities. Previously Neeko was only able to turn into other champions on her team, but that is being taken to the next level. As a part of Neeko’s Midscope Update, she will be able to transform into much more than just champions. In the Midscope Update video, it shows Neeko transforming into jungle plants and even allied minions.
This will lead to a whole new level of paranoia when playing against a Neeko, where every Blast Plant, Scryer’s Bloom, Honeyfruit, and minion could be a Neeko waiting in hiding to ambush you and your team. Riot Games wants to turn Midscopes into a regular occurrence in League of Legends that allows the developer to keep its roster of characters modernized and fun without having to dedicate the resources required for a full-scale rework.
Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.
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