At the beginning of 2022, fans voted for Skarner to receive the next visual and gameplay update (VGU), but what do we know about the update already?
The community spoke and Riot is delivering. Skarner is going to be on the receiving end of a brand-new look, feel and kit come 2023. Unfortunately it'll still be some time until the creature will be added to the Rift with his new look, but slowly more information is trickling in.
Skarner is one of the least played junglers in the game, due to his dependency on his spires, but how will Riot adjust his unique selling point, but also his biggest weakness? Let's see what we know about the next champion VGU, Skarner.
Skarner VGU: What Will Riot Change in this LoL VGU?
Riot back in March, Riot revealed the direction they're taking with Skarner in their dev blog. They outlined a new look for the scorpion, as well as which parts of his kit and lore they're completely revamping with the Visual and Gameplay Update.
Skarner Getting A New Kit
The Skarner VGU team have been hard at work to figure out which direction they want to take with the scorpion. The team felt that the look and feel of a Scorpion does not coincide with the crystal spires that have been a huge part of his identity.
Therefore, Riot have made the decision to cut the crystals from his lore and gameplay, and instead make him an elemental creature that is able to manipulate and control the very ground on which you stand. So one of his new abilities has him literally pull a big boulder out of the ground, which players can then hurl at their opponents.
Crystal Spires Removed From Gameplay
The Crystal Spires on Summoner's Rift and the Howling Abyss will be removed entirely from the game. This means that players are going to have to get used to a new gimmick for this champion.
Ultimate Is Now An AoE
Skarner's ultimate has been his most satisfying gameplay ability in his entire kit, and Riot wants to retain that satisfaction and make it even better. Therefore, as has been leaked previously, he will continue to have his pull, but it'll be an AoE pull ability once the VGU goes live.
Impale is very effective, but often not satisfying to use so it’ll be receiving a small adjustment. The fantasy of the ability is moving from being a single target pick tool to being a teamfight tool to give it some extra “oomph” and playmaking ability. Basically what I’m saying is Impale is now AoE.
The problem with impale has always been that it was by far the most powerful ability in his kit, which would be normal, but the rest of his abilities just felt a bit lackluster. Riot now plans to change that with a new set of abilities.
Skarner's new Abilities
During the champion roadmap of October 2023, the development team at Riot provided us with a first look, at Skarner's basic abilities, although they emphasize that it's still a work in progress.
| Q | From what we got to see, Skarner's new Q-ability let's him pull a boulder out of the ground, which he can then carry around to empower his basic attacks. He can also throw the boulder for a slow and a big chunk of damage, but you'll have to aim carefully as that's a skill-shot. |
| W | His W is apparently a simple slam, which does AoE damage and provides him with a shield to block incoming attacks. This is especially necessary to clear the Jungle without losing too much health and looks like it will be his source of sustain and tankiness. |
| E | With his E-ability, Skarner continually gains movement speed with limited controls and tries to collide with a target. It is pretty much a toned down version of the Sion charge that let's you pin enemies to a wall and stun them and do bonus damage. This will probably be his best tool when it comes to ganking an setting up kills for his team. |
They didn't drop any more specifics regarding his ultimate, so the new AoE version is still the best we know. On the other hand, as the developers emphasized, all of this is still a work in progress and therefore may be subject to change.
Skarner To Be Moved To New Region
While it has been rumored that Skarner is moving to a new region, in the dev blog it's been confirmed. Hard facts! So, where is Skarner and the Brackern moving to, and what will this mean for his lore?
Skarner and the Brackern will now be moving to Ixtal and out of Shurima. Riot is turning them into elemental creatures that have taught the people of Runeterra how to use Earth Magic centuries ago.
This does mean that Skarner and the Brackern will likely be taken out of other regions as well, meaning he won't have anything to do with Piltover and Zhaun anymore. This also means that Riot is likely going to adjust the Hextech lore to coincide with the one created in Arcane.
Will Riot Change Skarner's Lore?
So, with the adjustment of his region, he is also going to be getting some brand-new lore. Basically, Skarner is going to have a whole new origin story in Ixtal and without involvement of Piltover and Zhaun.
This change in lore will have an impact, not only on League of Legends, but also other games like Legends of Runeterra, as well as Wild Rift and maybe even some future Riot Forge games.
Though we're approaching Skarner and the Brackern with the intention of patching up holes and solidifying their impact on Runeterra, the Brackern are tied to several regions and champions within Runeterra, meaning that we'll be working with other teams working in the Runeterra universe.
When Will Riot Release the Skarner VGU?
The Skarner VGU has been delayed and will be released in 2024 according to the newest Dev blog from Riot. This is done to perfect his upcoming kit and improve his gameplay overall.
The Udyr VGU also took longer than anticipated, but with Riot slowly building their teams back up after being hit by COVID-19, we could see faster updates in the future. Riot is also focusing on quicker, updates for some champions, so those could also impact the release of Skarner.