Riot Games’ latest Champion Roadmap dropped early in June and let fans know the developer was counting the days to release two champions at the same time in a “big” summer event.
Though Riot didn’t include any names so far, the tease of a “dreamy” jungler was enough confirmation of Lillia’s arrival, who was first datamined in January. Jungle mains have been on the lookout for a new champion for a while since Kayn, the last official jungler, was released back in 2017.
Although there are still many unknowns, here’s everything we know so far based on the trail of clues the Riot left behind for players to follow.
Who is Lillia?
Lillia comes from a hidden magical forest in Ionia. She was born when a tree from the Garden of Forgetting, nurtured by Ivern, had one of their dreams captured in a bud. When the bud hit the ground before having a chance to bloom, Lillia emerged from inside.
A fawn-like creature had never been born in the Garden of Forgetting, which made Lillia feel lonely since she was only surrounded by her mother tree and “the dreams that drifted to the garden each night.”
Being shy by nature, Lillia never left the garden and helped to tend the buds. She started learning about humanity during this time, and experiencing emotions humans could only feel in their dreams.
They say never meet your heroes, and when Lillia finally saw the human race for herself, she saw nothing but war and fire. Lillia knew something off was going on in the outside world since she started feeling fewer dreams, and her mother tree “grew infected with burls.”
The garden’s magic started decaying, and it became weak to a point where warriors entered the forest to pillage. Outed by the warriors, Lillia forced them all to sleep with panic.
Lillia was shocked by this power and how different the humans were from her dreams. She cast another spell by accident and woke all the humans, but they didn’t even remember what they were there for.
Lillia, both impressed by her talents and still shy from being around too many people, picked up a branch and left the garden to make her way to the world of humans.
Though we were able to get a glimpse of her voice during the teaser, there isn’t enough information to truly guess what kind of a personality she has.
A couple of mysterious voice lines found in the Public Beta Environment (PBE) also bring up the possibility that Lillia could have a sinister background behind her clumsiness.
“They took your home, Lillia.” says the first voice. “Do not forget this loss. Let it course through you.”
“Poor lost spirits beckoning to bloom…” says the second voice. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
While we don’t know who or what reads these lines, it inevitably thickens the plot of Lillia’s backstory.
What are Lillia’s abilities?
Riot officially released all of Lillia’s abilities today, showing off the champion’s kit prior to her release on live servers.
Passive—Dream-Laden Bough
“Lillia’s abilities apply Dream Dust, dealing a portion of the target’s maximum health as magic damage over a duration.”
Q—Blooming Blows
“Lillia swings her branch in the air and deals magic damage to nearby enemies, dealing true damage to those at the outer edge of the circle. When she successfully lands the attack, Lillia also gets movement speed.”
W—Watch Out! Eep!
“Lillia winds up for a huge strike with her branch, dealing magic damage to enemies. Enemies at the center of the impact receive more damage.”
E—Swirlseed
“Lillia lobs a Swirlseed overhead, dealing magic damage to enemies and slowing them for a duration. If Lillia’s Swirlseed misses, it’ll continue to roll until it hits an enemy or collides with terrain.”
Ultimate—Lilting Lullaby
“Lillia casts a lullaby over her enemies and those affected by her Dream Dust become increasingly slowed before falling asleep for a duration of time. When awakened by damage, enemies will take additional magic damage.”
When does Lillia release on live servers?
Riot mentioned that both Lillia and the other teased champion, speculated to be Yone, were planned to be released onto Summoner’s Rift during the big summer event.
A new loot item called “Lillia’s Haiku” was found in PBE, and it reads, “you have discovered Lillia in the forest.” The item’s description also includes a line saying it would become openable on July 22 at 2pm CT.
Lillia’s recent inclusion in the 10.15 PBE patch means that she will be released on live servers when 10.15 becomes available on July 22, according to Riot’s patch schedule. Though this also confirms the prior leak, Riot can occasionally delay the champion releases by a couple of days so she may not be available as soon as Patch 10.15 drops on live servers.
