A new champion will arrive in League of Legends in the coming weeks. The developer did not want to repeat the mistakes of last year, when a start to the season with very little news gave rise to an unprecedented crisis for the video game. In this context and although there are more presentations in sight, Riot Games wanted to start 2024 with the announcement of the next character that will be available in the video game. Is about Smolder and is one of the most adorable creatures to ever set foot on Summoner’s Rift. Also the first dragon shaped hero who has joined the squad since Aurelion Sol did so almost eight years ago.
First details of Smolder, the new League of Legends champion
As is usual with new champion announcements, the League of Legends developers have only revealed the appearance of the character and his story. Smolder is a adorable looking little dragon who wants to follow in his family’s footsteps by becoming a gigantic creature that commands respect among mortals. Despite this description, he seems to have a friendly and easy-going personality. In this sense, he fulfills the promise of Riot Games. The developer had promised to launch a new character in the form of a creature, but had assured that this time they would go for a much friendlier design than that of monsters like Naafiri.
In terms of gameplay, we know for a fact that Smolder will be a shooter and will most likely be played in the bot lane as ‘adc’. As always, the developer has been leaving clues about some of its features without delving into them. An official description of the hero revealed in October 2023 mentioned the following: “he may be small now, but we know that one day he will have a mighty roar.” This could refer to mechanics related to a increase in size and power as the game progresses. It is also mentioned about him that he “knows there is something lurking in the distance, always watching from not far away and creating a safe space for our young dragon to grow up.”
Smolder, the new League of Legends champion.
Beyond some mysteries about the gameplay that should be resolved over the next few days, what does seem predictable is its release date. The character is not yet available on the PBE so, barring a major surprise, he should not hit the live servers until a couple of weeks after the start of the season. These are the key dates to take into account, based on past releases from the developer…
- Introducing Smolder’s abilities: Before January 9, 2024
- Smolder released on the PBE: Between January 9 and 10, 2024
- Smolder released on live server: January 24, 2024
It is expected that more news about the future of League of Legends will be revealed over the next few days. Although 2023 is not an example, it is common for the developer to use the first weeks of each year to announcemention many of the changes that will come throughout the new season.
