When it comes to League of Legends, there is a lot you can say about it. Some will complain about the multiplayer toxicity. Others will say that there is just too much to know so why both? Those are typically the gamers who have either played a few hours of League of Legends or those that had a really bad time due to toxic players.

On the other hand, there are gamers who love League of Legends and can name every character. They crave the lore and want to see the universe expand. Well, as of League of Legends PATCH 13.14, the lore will explore just a little bit more. Today, we are sharing with you information about Naafiri the Hound of a Hundred Bites.

This new champion is probably the most animalistic character within League of Legends to date. Riot Games has been experimenting more and more with what they could do with each champion, but the last animal-like champions they did were Rell and Lillia in 2020.

Now, Riot looks to release their most animalistic champion yet, Naafiri the Hound; before you ask, yes, you can pet it with your mouse cursor. Here’s a rundown on Naafiri and our initial impressions:

Naafiri Description

With the announcement of Naafiri, Riot Games has shared some insight into the character.

An ancient Darkin with incredible power, Naafiri was destined to lead her kin until her ambitions were cut short, having been entombed within a blade and imprisoned in a crypt deep beneath the Shuriman sands. One fateful day centuries later, Naafiri was set free and bound to a new host – or hosts – the Dune Hounds.

“We track for a thousand years. None can flee for that long.”

Initially furious at her new state, Naafiri soon discovered that the pack’s collective consciousness would prove invaluable to her plans. Whereas her brethren fought individually and suffered defeat, Naafiri’s strength lies in the unity, loyalty and shared strength of her pack. Naafiri now seeks to unify her fellow Darkin and will summon the full might of her pack to mercilessly tear down anyone that stands in her way.

Champion Abilities

Abilities

• Passive – We Are More
  • Naafiri creates a Packmate after an amount of time that will attack enemies that she targets for physical damage, which is increased after she uses an ability. Hitting champions with abilities or killing enemies reduces this ability’s cooldown.
• Q – Darkin Dagger
  • Naafiri hurls Darkin-tainted blades, dealing physical damage and inflicting a bleed for a few seconds. This ability may be recast. If enemies hit are already bleeding, instead deal the remaining bleed damage plus bonus physical damage and missing health physical damage. If the target was a champion, Naafiri restores some health. Packmates will leap at the first target hit, prioritizing champions and attacking them for a few seconds.
• W – Hounds’ Pursuit
  • After a brief delay, Naafiri dashes at an enemy, dealing physical damage and briefly slowing her target or the first champion she collides with. This ability gains range based on ultimate rank. Packmates become untargetable and dash alongside Naafiri, dealing additional damage per Packmate.
• E – Eviscerate
  • Naafiri surges forward, dashing and dealing physical damage to enemies she passes through, then explodes outward, dealing additional physical damage. Packmates are recalled to Naafiri and are healed to full.
• R – The Call of the Pack
  • Naafiri prepares to hunt, empowering her Packmates and spawning bonus Packmates for a short duration. Naafiri then gains a burst of out of combat Movespeed, vision, and the first time she hits an enemy champion, she gains a shield. On first champion takedown, all ultimate effects are refreshed.

Impressions

As someone who has played hundreds of hours of League of Legends, Team Fight Tactics, and the occasional Valorant match, it is interesting to see Riot making a more animalistic champion. Yuumi is probably the closest thing we have gotten as a stand-alone champion, but even then, she was supported by her spell book. From a gameplay aspect, it will be interesting to see how the character moves and interacts with others. As new characters are released, gameplay mechanics change.