League of Legends is shaking things up with its latest champion, Briar. This fierce jungler brings a whole new level of hunger to the game, along with some exciting mechanics that will keep players on their toes. One of her standout abilities is a near-global ultimate that allows her to swiftly traverse the map and hunt down her prey.
In a recent developer blog, Riot Games shared insights into the creation of Briar, including her early iterations, character lore, and ability design. The team even revealed a scrapped version of her ultimate that would have been incredibly overpowered, dealing massive damage while allowing her to revive herself.
Originally, Briar’s ultimate had a passive effect similar to Aatrox’s old design, where she could revive herself by absorbing blood from nearby enemies. Additionally, the ability had an active component where she would deal one million true damage to herself, triggering the revive and draining health from surrounding enemies. This combination of self-revival and immense damage proved to be too broken and had to be reworked or removed entirely.
Even Briar’s current ultimate had to undergo changes. The developers had to remove its true global range to prevent players from abusing it by shooting projectiles into the enemy base and forcing Briar to die in the opposing fountain. However, the new ultimate still allows for unique engagement opportunities from various locations on the map, without putting the user at risk.
While Briar may not be the most difficult champion to play mechanically, she requires a high level of awareness and decision-making. Players must learn to manage her Blood Frenzy state, as her W and ultimate abilities can easily lead to her demise if not used carefully.
League of Legends continues to evolve with the introduction of Briar, a champion that brings a fresh dynamic to the game. Players can look forward to mastering her unique mechanics and unleashing her hunger on the battlefield.
Source: DOTESPORTS
