Riot teases ‘darker themes’ for next LoL champions after Aurora

The arrival of League of Legends‘ 168th champion Aurora, the cute Vastaya bunny mage from the Freljord, may mark the last time players will see a heartwarming personality and sweet appearance join the Rift for the foreseeable future.

When sharing the story of how Aurora became a beloved champion project for the League development team, lead champion producer Lexi Gao gave us a glimpse of what the future holds for the Rift’s next additions. She described the next few champion releases as a lot “darker” than the latest ones, Aurora, Hwei, and Smolder.

While Gao didn’t add more on the topic, League players can already imagine who she might have been thinking about. Earlier this year, Riot Games confirmed Ambessa Medarda from Arcane will soon be coming to League to celebrate the arrival of the Netflix show’s second season this November. Not much is known about the warlord’s abilities, but her Noxian nature and possible storyline in Arcane season two would point at a ruthless champion in League. It wouldn’t be surprising if her abilities would match Darius.

But the League universe is so vast and full of incredibly interesting characters that it would be a pity not to play around with some of the most wicked, creepy concepts. Inhumane celestials from Targon, deepwater terrors from Bilgewater, ruthless mageseekers from Demacia, ghastly terrors from the Shadow Isles, and bloodthirsty demons are just a fraction of what Runeterra can already offer the League team as inspiration.

While Naafiri and Briar, two of the latest champions released to the Rift, have a distinct theme from the more recent Smolder and Aurora, they’re not as dark-themed as older champions like Fiddlesticks or Nocturne. Humanoid figures are easier for players to relate to, and Riot is less inclined to create monsters. But Rueneterra has plenty of cruel human figures that could be molded into a vile, almost horror-like champion.

As League players await more details concerning upcoming VGUs and champion releases, they can relish the lovable Aurora, starting in July.