The April 2023 Champion Roadmap has arrived, and we have tons more information about the next three League of Legends champions.
Champion Roadmaps are Riot Games’ chance to update fans
on the developer’s plans for adding new characters to the MOBA. After the release of Milio, the Gentle Flame, Riot Games is updating fans yet again on what’s coming soon.
From new Darkin assassin Naafiri to bloodthirsty jungler Briar, and the unknown artistic mid lane mage from Ionia, lots of details were revealed in this latest installment.
Naafiri brings new tech to LoL
The next champion to be released will be Naafiri, the new Darkin assassin. It’s been hinted that Naafiri will be a pack of
Shuriman hounds who got their hands, or paws, on a Darkin dagger. She’s going to be a roam-focused champion with some kind of exciting new mechanic.
As Riot Games puts it: “The assassin role can be an intimidating one to pick up. There is a lot of higher level game knowledge required to ensure you know when to roam and how to position well—especially knowing when’s the right moment to pounce and crafting an escape plan to get out alive. On top of all that, there is still the mechanical execution of the champion’s abilities. We hope to lower the burden of that execution and allow much more concentration on the macro plays with Naafiri.”
With the change to assassin gameplay that Naafiri brings, we also built a lot of new tech to accommodate her unique gameplay thematic that should help make it feel more alive, dynamic, and decluttered.” It sounds like Naafiri’s map presence might have something resembling Rek’Sai’s old ultimate. A tool that lets her rapidly move between points on the map would fit the hunting pack theme.
New jungler Briar hungers for blood
The next champion after Naafiri will be
Briar, a new Noxian jungler with a thirst for blood. Between art previewed in the last Champion Roadmap, she seems to be a vampire of some kind. The descriptions of Briar hint at a blood frenzy-like state where her appetite for the sanguine takes over. With designer Riot August on the team, she’s certain to be a unique champion.
Mysterious artistic mage third up to bat
The last champion previewed in the Champion Roadmap is the artistic Ionian mid laner that was mentioned at the very end of the last Roadmap. This time, the mage was described as sullen and forlorn, very much a tortured artist. Riot has hinted that fans will get to see more of his art in the next Roadmap.
Nicholas James
About Nicholas James
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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