League Of Legends Champion Vel’Koz Gets Spotlight Video

Riot Games will soon add Vel'Koz to the roster of playable characters in League of Legends. A new spotlight video from the developer demonstrates this character's magical abilities.

Vel'Koz specializes in bombarding enemies from afar. Every offensive ability he uses on an enemy creates a stack of Organic Deconstruction; when the enemy reaches three stacks, they're hit with a burst of true damage. His Plasma Fission bolt hurts and slows its target, and then splits into two secondary bolts to hit additional enemies. Void Rift is a line of energy that burns anyone in its path and explodes shortly afterward for more damage. Tectonic Disruption is an area-of-effect ability that suspends enemies in the air in addition to knocking them back.

His ultimate ability is the Lifeform Disintegration Ray. Vel'Koz roots himself in place and then fires a massive laser in a line to hurt anyone in its path. Players can change the trajectory of the laser by moving their cursor.

Vel'Koz is your typical glass cannon. The crowd control from Plasma Fission and Tectonic Disruption give him some escape options. However, he's not very mobile so assassins can make short work of him if they get too close. Champions with Silence are devastating as well. In teamfights, he needs allies who can protect him while he builds up stacks of Organic Deconstruction and positions himself for Disintegration Ray.

"I'm hopeful that people will pick him up competitively, I feel like he'd be really strong if people are able to build the right team around him," Riot's Ian Holowka said in the Reddit AMA devoted to Vel'Koz. "At the same time though, it is possible to build the right team AGAINST him, so it's hard to judge."

Whether or not he turns out to be popular among hardcore players, I can imagine Vel'Koz being a sought-after Champion. After all, he's a flying squid that shoots lasers. What's not to love?

Riot first introduced Vel'Kos last week with a cinematic trailer showing his first moments in Runeterra. It's not a peaceful arrival. His mission is to investigate Valoran, but he can only learn by disintegrating things.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.