Shortly after the release of Yuumi, Riot Games has already revealed their next League of Legends champion. In a teaser posted on their YouTube channel, Riot gives us a glimpse at Qiyana, the upcoming champion. We get a slight preview of how she and her weapon look as well as how her voice sounds. Additionally, they gave her the title “Empress of the Elements,” which is probably an indication at how her abilities and theme might look.
Her weapon seems especially interesting as it feels like some combination of Sivir’s Ricochet and Diana’s Crescent Blade. Furthermore, it contains three differently-colored gems, with each representing one of the three elements. Based on a previous developer roadmap, we can assume she is the next solo lane AD assassin we have been promised. While looking at her theme doesn’t show it, her weapon must be some sort of blade she uses in combat, presuming she will be a melee champion.
What is more, her release will most likely lead to new League of Legends lore and even a new region. Looking at the description of the teaser, Riot mentions the people of Ixaocan. The Ixaocan are a new faction that is currently not a part of any other lore. They supposedly worship Qiyana as either a ruler or even a goddess. Furthermore, the previously mentioned roadmap also suggests she comes from the jungles of Runeterra and supposedly uses the power of elements to play with her surroundings.
An unexpected release
While this teaser comes as a big surprise since Yuumi has just recently been released, Riot has their reasons. Even though this hasn’t been confirmed, the reworks of Morgana and Kayle were unexpectedly delayed due to many bugs they had. This pushed Yuumi’s release to a lot later than planned, meaning Riot had to speed up champion releases to stay on track.
We aren’t sure when Qiyana is getting released yet, but it might be sooner than we think. Mordekaiser is probably the next big League of Legends update, but Qiyana will most likely be released shortly after. After her, Riot is planning on releasing at least two more champion additions/updates in this year. The first is Pantheon, whose rework is already confirmed. The last one is a nontraditional marksman, which Riot teased in the roadmap, and is getting released late this year.
Are you excited about the release of Qiyana and the lore she will bring with her? Let us know in the comments below.
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