Riot Games are looking ahead to the future of the Rift with three new champions for League of Legends in 2020, starting with a skirmishing jungler and a new assassin.
The roster of 148 characters is going to be consistently adding more names to its ranks as Riot is targeting six new champions every year. These will consist of one entry for every role, with the exception of the mid lane where there’s going to be a new mage and assassin.
But for the immediate future, there’s going to be a new jungler that sounds like they will be just as in tune with nature than Ivern with all of the nature-loving hints Riot has been dropping.
Dreamy new Jungler
The next champion is probably going to have an ability that inflicts a Drowsy status effect. So far the only LoL character that can do that is Zoe, but the devs are really selling the idea of a jungler that’s going to put people to sleep in-game.
“Dreams of a New Jungler,” the devs wrote in the latest Champion Roadmap. “The world around us is becoming slow… NO! We have to stay awake! But… it’s so warm and safe… Must… sleep… ZzZzZzZzZz…”
They also included a brief animation showing either a projectile or version of the champion in a rolling form. Either way, players will be getting to know the champs in some form during July’s summer event.
The Masked Assassin
An assassin that sounds like it will have a champion-changing element to their kit similar to Kayn and Rhaast or Gnar when his rage meter gets full.
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“Where am I? I feel a presence inside me—something dark yet dormant. Something I subdued. Is that masked figure in the distance… me?” the devs said.
A teaser for the upcoming character shows a masked figure with red and blue flares emanating from their eyes. Highlighting the mask in red, Riot covered the rest of the image in dark shadows, a perfect environment for an assassin.
Marksman with Blades and Bullets
Seeing as this the last champion isn’t anywhere near release, the teasers here are much more abstract. The devs seem to be showing evolving runes of some sort.
One thing is clear already, this marksman isn’t going to be for passive players.
“Does the idea of diving straight into the fray, firing a whirlwind of blades and bullets, then hopping back out with a sliver of health excite you?” Riot wrote.
The League of Legends devs are packing their schedule to the brim with new releases, and with three champions coming in 2020, there’s plenty for fans to get excited about.