League of Legends fans have not one, but two champions to look forward to in the coming weeks: Hecarim, the Shadow of War, and Varus, the Arrow of Retribution.
Riot Games has already revealed the new abilities for Hecarim while we gave a sneak preview of Varus from our hands-on gameplay at PAX this past weekend. However, aside from a few screenshots and character art, we haven't seen much of the champions in-game abilities.
We were actually able to get our hands on both champions and recorded some footage of both Hecarim and Varus. While the video doesn't show much of their abilities, at least we can see how they'll look in-game.
Pay particular attention to Varus and his bow which changes color when you get three stacks of Blight on the enemy champion – and the ridiculous range of his Q.
(Excuse the shakiness of the camera, the League of Legends booth was VERY crowded! The Varus footage starts around the 3:30 mark)
Hecarim Abilities:
- Warpath (Passive) – Hecarim ignores unit collision and gains attack damage equal to a percentage of his bonus movement speed.
- Rampage – Hecarim cleaves nearby enemies dealing physical damage.
- Spirit of Dread – Hecarim deals magic damage to nearby enemies for a short duration. Hecarim gains health equal to a percentage of any damage those enemies suffer.
- Devastating Charge – Hecarim gains increasing movement speed for a short duration. His next attack knocks the target back and deals additional physical damage based on the distance he has traveled since activating the ability.
- Onslaught of Shadows (Ultimate) – Hecarim summons spectral riders and charges forward, dealing magic damage in a line. Hecarim creates a shockwave when he finishes his charge dealing additional magic damage to nearby enemies causing them to flee in terror.
Varus' Abilities:
- Passive: Living Vengeance: On champion kill or assist, Varus gains 40% Attack Speed for 6 seconds. On minion kill, Varus gains 20% Attack Speed for 3 seconds.
- Q: Piercing Arrow:
- First Cast: Varus starts drawing back his next shot, gradually increasing its range and damage
- Second Cast: Varus fires, dealing 77 to 115 physical damage, reduced by 15% per enemy hit (minimum 33%). While preparing to shoot Varus' Movement speed is slowed by 20%. After 4 seconds, Piercing Arrow fails but refunds half its mana cost. **This was with 3 points in it.
- W: Blighted Quiver: Passive Varus' basic attacks deal 10 bonus magic damage and apply blight for 6 seconds (stacks 3 times). Varus' other abilities detonate Blight, dealing magic damage equal to 2% of the targets maximum Health per stack (Max 360 total damage vs Monsters). **This was with 1 point in it.
- E: Hail of Arrows: Varus fires a hail of arrows that deals 60 phsycal damage and desecrates the ground for 4 seconds. Desecrated Ground slows enemy Movement Speed by 20% and reduces healing effects by 50% **This was with 1 point in it.
- R: Chain of Corruption: Varus flings out a tendril of corruption that deals 150 magic damage and immobilizes the first enemy champion for 2 seconds. The corruption then spreads towards nearby uninfected champions, applying the same damage and immobilize if it reaches them. **This was with 1 point in it.