Fiddlesticks has been in League of Legends for years, and he is finally getting the update he deserves. While some might hate his creepy exterior, others have fallen in love with “The Harbinger of Doom.” After months of teasing future changes for the champion, we’re now getting closer to its release. As such, Riot Games’ development team has finally provided details on Fiddlesticks’ newest visual updates, animations, abilities, and more.
Some background on Fiddlesticks
Fiddlesticks, a mage scarecrow played in multiple roles such as Support, Top, and Jungle, is known as League‘s spookiest champion. He was released in 2009 as part of the original League of Legends champion list. While many champions around him have received visual updates throughout the years, he has stayed the same.
His official biography on the League of Legends Universe reads, “Once a lonely man accused of bringing famine to his village, he was tied up and left to starve in his own barren field. Resurrected by the savage murder of crows that fed on his remains, Fiddlesticks now relishes terrorizing his victims before claiming their lives.”
Update on lore
As the Fiddlesticks VGU Team analyzed his backstory, they decided that it was time to add in some more depth. Everyone understands that his background is this dark, mysterious story. Now the team is brainstorming on where exactly this champion falls. Necromancer? Warlock? The fact that he is this inhumane, scary character further adds to the dilemma. Where exactly does he fit in?
In the post, the devs list a few possibilities for his updated lore before settling on one main theme: “An ancient malevolence with unclear origins, gone from the world long enough for warning to become stories, stories to become myths, and myths to become simple children’s tales … until now.”
A new voiceover
Riot is also moving his story towards a creepier direction: “Fiddle lacks internal organs, a brain to think, or vocal cords to form sentences … its voice could be a crude mimicry of people is has come across/ killed.” They added, “It’s something we want to implement for his VO.”
It seems they’re turning his chilling laugh and banter into something even bigger.
Do you wanna see a spooky demon with a scythe because I want to see a spooky demon with a scythe https://t.co/gpEkhTVXDL
— Jason 🌹 (@Lanky_Tree) January 14, 2020
Update on visuals
To no one’s surprise, Fiddlesticks is a walking nightmare. As scary as he is, his abilities are just as frightening. His strength is to cause fear in his enemies, to drain their health, and to unleash his crows. With the newest update heading his way, we get to see how his new visuals will affect his abilities.
Fiddlesticks’ new visual update is incredibly detailed, giving the audience what they want to hear. He’s creepier and more terror-inducing. The artists working on his concept art wanted him to act as unnaturally as possible. They also looked into changing some major parts of his character to fit in the categories mentioned.
“I wanted to find the best way to make its arm look like a huge weapon and move in the same direction of its body, but to also make it look creepy and unnatural,” said Dawon “Riot WONY” Lee, Technical Artist. “My goal was to create a setup that supports both unnatural and natural movements that feel similar to a demon or ghost.”
Additionally, Fiddlestick’s scythe is a staple to his physical appearance. As his color palette undergoes a complete overhaul, players will see his weapon covered in red and black blood.
Keeping the Crowstorm flying
Walking around the rift, Fiddle is followed by his crows. As they kept most of his previous identity intact, the VFX team looked to enhance his ultimate ability. What players usually do is channel this ability, Crowstorm, inside of a bush. Once its 1.5-second channel reaches its limit, he flashes out of the bush into a group of enemies. This damages everyone in his path and gives his team a chance to get some kills.
“Crowstorm is a pretty unique ability—it takes up a lot of screen space, lasts for a while, moves with Fiddlesticks, and Fiddle can cast other abilities while it’s active,” wrote Jason “Riot Lanky Tree” Chisolm, a VFX Artist. He went on to add, “I focused on what I wanted players to feel, both for the channel and for what happens once Fiddlesticks blinks into the fight looking for kills. […] I played up a lot of the initial blink with thematic-reinforcing elements such as demonic script, bursts of dark smoke, a bit of distortion, and of course lots of crows.”
What’s next for Fiddlesticks?
While players eagerly await Fiddlestick’s new update, they’re keeping their eyes open for other champion reworks. Riot has been pretty generous with project roll-outs and detailed dev videos for their fanbase. We’ll keep you updated on the next few updates regarding everyone’s favorite scarecrow. Stay in the loop with us here at Daily Esports.
