League of Legends enthusiasts are buzzing with anticipation as Riot Games finally unveils the arrival date of Briar, the freshest addition to the champion roster in LoL. Let's uncover all you need to know about this intriguing Jungler.
Briar's Appearance
Recently, Riot Games granted us a glimpse of Briar's final appearance. Her splash art reveals her with white hair, tinged with a blend of red and pink at the tips. A massive pillory embellished with a red gem rests atop her head, forming the core of her abilities. But what truly captures attention among League of Legends fans are her entirely white eyes, symbolizing "the sense of the full moon," and her curiously positioned feet.
Sunny Pandita, the lead concept artist, explained that Briar's robust lower body is a result of her being constructed through blood magic.
"In a subtle way, I aimed for a thicker lower half with a more delicate upper body for Briar. If she's formed from blood magic or living blood, it makes sense for her to have a slightly fuller bottom part, akin to an I.V. bag or the shape of a blood droplet," Pandita detailed.
A rendered portrayal of Briar's eyes resembling a full moon and her blood-streaked hair. She might not be as terrifying as initially thought.
Briar's Debut
Patch 13.18 will introduce Briar to League of Legends, with its deployment scheduled for September 13. The wait for Briar's unveiling is nearly over, as this release date approaches swiftly.
Following Milio and Naafiri's introductions on March 22 and July 19 respectively, Briar will join the ranks as the third champion to grace League of Legends this year.
Notably, she is the first jungler to emerge this season, adding an extra layer of excitement for the player base.
Briar's Story
Mirroring champions like Swain and Sion, Briar is a Noxian warrior created through hemomancy, a practice rooted in blood magic. Briar's main objective revolves around becoming a living weapon for the Black Rose faction.
After a failed initial mission, the Black Rose locked Briar in a pillory secured by a hemolith — a gem imbued with magical properties that restrains her and channels her focus.
Following capture by Swain's forces, Briar found herself confined within a cell due to yet another mission failure.
The interior of the containment facility, featuring Briar's cell at the far end.
Originally designed as a permanent fixture for her imprisonment, the pillory became her springboard to freedom. Over time, Briar uncovered the means to loosen the hemolith's grip, and thus emerged a hungry and determined jungler.
Briar's Abilities
Discover a breakdown of Briar's abilities, a set that might place her in a formidable position.
Absence of passive health regeneration forces Briar to continually feed. Similar to a vampire, she restores health only by dealing damage (or consuming blood) from minions or champions. As her health dwindles, her self-healing capacity escalates.
In regard to Briar's E ability, Riot acknowledges the need for a mechanism that offers control over her W (Blood Frenzy). This adjustment aims to avoid obliging players to commit to a full-fledged rampage upon activating her W.
August Brown, Riot's lead game designer, clarified that Briar isn't overly complex to operate. "She demands heightened awareness and sound decision-making. Mastering Briar's frenzy state will be crucial since her W and ultimate could lead to her downfall if mishandled," he emphasized.