New Volibear splash art leaked ahead of champion rework release

Olivia Richman Published 08/05/2020

Riot Games is planning a stream to unveil more about Volibear’s rework after the champion’s new splash art leaked out.

In May 2019, developer Riot Games left it up to the Leauge of Legends community to decide which champions would receive reworks. They would be completely redesigned from the ground up, Riot explained, “including their gameplay, visuals, story, animations, voice acting…the works.” 

Fiddlesticks and Volibear were the most popular choices in the poll. The scarecrow came first and was reimagined as an “ambush champion” with a kit revolving around fear. This included a haunting new look and an entirely new set of abilities. The Terrify passive makes Fiddlesticks’ victims flee in the opposite direction when damaged. When active, Terrify targets and damages an enemy based on their current health. It does double damage to a recently terrified enemy. 

Volibear rework leaked ahead of release

Now that Fiddlesticks has a new look and is viable again, Riot has turned their attention towards Volibear. At the time of the poll, developers admitted that Volibear’s gameplay has proven unsatisfactory to the point that he was the least played champion in the poll. 

According to gameplay designer Nathan “Lutzburg” Lutz, the original goal was to explore “what it means to be a bear,” meaning explosive and powerful attacks, and chasing down wounded enemies. This potentially included not being affected by crowd control. Since then, Riot has changed the direction of the rework. 

“We moved away from the permanent unstoppability idea and have instead been testing a new direction, making Volibear feel more like a god of storms, bringing thunder down on his enemies and the structures they hide behind,” said Riot Games in their October 2019 Roadmap.

While none of his abilities or reworked kit details have been leaked, Volibear’s new look was accidentally leaked by Riot Turkey ahead of the announcement. Riot then reuploaded the teaser on their own Twitter last night. 

Riot’s goal of making Volibear a powerful Freljordian demigod seems to really come through in his new look. Ferocious and primal, Volibear now looks a lot more mythical and all-powerful as he harnesses an incoming storm. 

The global livestream event will be tonight at 8 PM PST. It’s not clear what will be revealed, but it will most likely be a closer look at Volibear’s new look and upgraded kit, although some players are hoping for even more. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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