Get ready for a new challenge, summoners.
Riot Games has confirmed the next League of Legends champion to get a visual update, and it looks like he’s still looking for a real weapon. One of the game’s most familiar top laners, Jax, will be getting a visual refresher from the developers, Riot revealed today, with art and narrative teams putting their heads down to work on him throughout this year.
Jax is one of the original champions of League, having debuted in 2009 alongside the likes of Annie, Master Yi, Alistar, and Ashe in the game’s opening patches. Although he’s had visual refreshers, his overall look has become relatively stale and outdated compared to the newer champions and VGUs that have been released over the last few years.
Related: Riot slightly pulls back the curtain, teasing 2 of LoL’s upcoming champions
As a result, Riot will be updating a plethora of Jax’s visuals, including a new model, new animations and visual effects, updated splash arts for older cosmetics, and a new voiceover. He has also been given a new backstory for why he chooses to fight with a brazier stave instead of a real weapon: The brazier is the only item he has left from his home of Icathia before it was consumed by the destructive forces of the Void.
For fans of Runeterra’s favorite crystal scorpion, on the other hand, not much information was given on Skarner’s VGU. The devs have given a tentative release date of early next year and explained that the design team is still hammering away on his ability set so it will be fun and interesting but balanced for both allies and opponents.
Related: Riot breaks down why Skarner is one of the least popular LoL champions
Skarner was released two years after League launched, making him one of the oldest champions in the game as well. His overall looks and gameplay have not drastically changed and he was even branded as one of the least-popular champs in the game in multiple different categories like visual appeal and character style.
