In the first week of 2023, Riot Games hosted a media roundtable with executives from various departments explaining the direction for League of Legends Season 13 and some of the things to look forward to throughout the year while showing its new LoL Pls video, which was released publicly the following week. Like any other year of LoL, new champions will be added to the game, and two of the biggest highlights of the roundtable were a first look at two new champions, Milio and Naafir.
Milo
Milio was the first champion announced by Riot in 2023, and is assumed to be the first new champion to hit Summoner’s Rift this year. Milio, a young boy from the Ixtal region, is a fire-wielding enchanter who uses his pyromancy for healing instead of destruction. Carrying the hopes and dreams of his family on his back, Milio combines an upbeat attitude with a prodigal grasp of the Fire Axiom’s power for a potent combination.
Milio will be the first male enchanter since Taric, who was released in 2009, and the first male support since Rakan, who was released in 2017. Little else is known about the adorable enchanter from Ixtal at this point in time, and specific details regarding his abilities have not been made public.
Naafiri
The second champion Riot Games gave a first look at was Naafiri. Naafiri is one of the Darkin, the corrupted God-Warriors sealed within weapons after the Void War. There are three other Darkin champions in League of Legends. Varus is a Darkin made of two different beings, and Rhaast, a potential “evolution” path for Kayn, is also a Darkin. Aatrox is the only pure Darkin champion on the League of Legends roster – until Naafiri’s release.
Little is known about Naafiri except that she hails from Shurima and is geared toward being a mid lane assassin from a gameplay perspective. However, Riot Games has stated that her kit will be more straightforward than assassin mechanics in recent years. “I know some of you love complex champions and novel-length skill descriptions, but others want to focus on macro play, and pounce into action with a straightforward kit,” said Alexis “Riot Lexical” Gao during Naafiri’s reveal.
Like Milio, Naafiri’s actual abilities and kit details have yet to be revealed, and since she was announced just after Milio, it’s likely she will be released in the few months following Milio’s release. Stay tuned for more updates on the newest League of Legends champions that will be hitting Summoner’s Rift in early 2023.
Published: Jan 15, 2023 06:27 pm