Riot Reveals New "Beginner Friendly" League of Legends Champion: Naafiri, The "Pogchamp Dogchamp"

This new champion in League of Legends got that dog in her.

Naafiri is the latest addition to Riot’s MOBA. According to the development team, they wanted to fill a gameplay hole by creating a simple and beginner-friendly assassin character. She is a Darkin canine who roams with a pack of hounds. Her spirit is bound to an ancient throwing dagger, and the pack shares a collective consciousness with an ancient God-Warrior Darkin.

The passive ability of Naafiri is "We Are More," which allows her to generate Packmates that assist her in attacking enemies. Naafiri ‘s Q ability, "Darkin Daggers," permits her to throw up to two daggers that can cause bleeding damage or deal extra damage if the target is already bleeding. Additionally, Naafiri’s Packmates will leap to attack champions struck by this ability. The W ability, "Hounds' Pursuit,'' enables her and the Packmates to dash towards an enemy, colliding with the first champion encountered and causing damage.

Naafiri's E ability is "Eviscerate," which involves her dashing and damaging enemies in a specific area. This ability also recalls and fully heals Naafiri’s Packmates. Lastly, her ultimate ability, "The Call of the Pack," empowers Naafiri’s pack, leading to the spawning of additional Packmates. She gains a burst of speed, enhanced vision, and a shield when attacking another champion. If Naafiri successfully eliminates an enemy champion, all effects are refreshed.

Riot aimed to make Naafiri’s kit powerful yet approachable, and her packmates have baked-in AI to assist Naafiri in securing kills. The art direction focused on creating a pup champion with a demonic twist, drawing inspiration from African wild dogs. Her voiceover was a unique challenge though, requiring multiple voices and capturing both the physical and emotional aspects of the character.