It seems League of Legends will be adding a new champion this summer. Riot Games has released a trailer teasing this mysterious "River King."
The animated short is about a down-on-his-luck gambler (no, not Twisted Fate) who "owed gold and blood and had none to spare." After fleeing to a sunken town, he's approached by a giant river creature who strikes a bargain with him.
"Boy, the world's one river and I'm its king," the creature says. "Ain't no place I ain't been. Ain't no place I can't go again. And the price is a miniscule thing. See I got hungers that ain't easily fed. But those finest tables? They ain't never got a place for me. So I need men, like yourself, to let me in."
The gambler agrees and his new friend instantly whisks him away to a casino. Presumably through newfound luck, he becomes rich and marries a princess. However, the River King then shows up and eats all of their possessions. Then he devours the couple themselves.
Over on Reddit, Riot designer Daniel Klein confirmed that it's a new champion. He also revealed a few other tidbits about River King's abilities. His Q ability will have a slow and he'll have no knock-ups, no true damage, no execute. Also, interestingly, he has three passives bonuses.
The story seems to contain some hints as to his powers. For starters, he's big on devours things so maybe he traps enemies inside his mouth or eats them for bonuses? It also sounds like he has the ability to quickly travel across the map, much like Shen or Rek'Sai.
Riot actually began teasing this character before they released this trailer. Since a recent update, players who use the laugh emote in the river of the Summoner's Rift map will hear a monstrous laugh in reply:
The River King will be the third League of Legends champion released in 2015. The first, Bard, is a roaming support that can create portals. Ekko is an assassin with the ability to rewind time to punish enemies and prevent death.
League of Legends is currently in the middle of its Team Up Week. Players can group up or give gifts to each other to earn progress toward community-wide rewards.
