The developers at Riot Games have been hard at work preparing their next new champion to further expand their character pool, which currently features 154 heroes. It is hard to believe that LoL featured “merely” 40 characters on launch day all the way back in 2009. The company has come a long way since then and learned a lot both through the introduction of new champions and the evolution of existing ones. Without further ado, let’s see how Gwen complements the roster.
Background
Basing on the trailer and the information released by the devs, it may be interpreted that Gwen is a doll that was brought to life by Viego (introduced at the beginning of 2021) somehow through the soul of his wife. Gwen has memories of what she experienced as a doll. She is very curious of everything as she can now finally interact with her surroundings and is amazed by the world. Isolde, Viego’s wife, was the doll’s creator and is responsible for the champion’s image, which might seem quite foreign in Runeterra. Her weapons are actually the tools of her creator – scissors, needles and sewing thread. Having received the gift of life, with a sorrowful past linked to Viego and Isolde, the girl is determined to bring joy to those that suffer.
Skills and role
Gwen is a skirmisher and as of the time of writing this short entry, she is still on the test server so her skills are subject to change. Her passive is called a Thousand Cuts. It makes her standard attack deal bonus on hit magic damage based on a percentage of her health, and it also heals her. The Q is called Snip Snip and it makes Gwen snap her scissors quickly in a cone between 2 to 6 times, with the last attack dealing increased damage. The number of “snips” will be higher depending on the number of attacks you land on the enemy before pressing Q, but will never exceed 6 or be lower than 2. Regardless of the number of attacks, the time it takes to make them is almost the same. Under the W key, we have Hollowed Mist. Gwen surrounds herself in a blue, octagonal zone for 5 seconds, receiving armor and magic resistance. Any enemies that are outside the area are unable to target the champion, and abilities will go through her without effect. The zone will change position along with the character the first time she decides to move, but will disappear if she attempts to do it again. It is worth highlighting that you can still fight and target her if you simply move inside the zone. Her E is called Skip ‘n Slash. The champion makes a short dash and unleashes a stronger attack, with improved range, speed and damage for the next 4 seconds. If you make an attack against an enemy during this time, you reduce the cooldown on the ability by half. Finally, her ultimate – Needlework – makes her launch needles at her target. The ability can be used three times provided that you land a hit within 8 seconds to unlock the second and third attack. Any successful attack within that short window will do. Every volley slows enemies down, deals damage and makes use of her passive bonus. The first attack is one needle, the second three needles, and the last one five. They are all in a straight line.
Conclusion
Gwen the Hallowed Seamstress is on her way to become a worthy addition to the game’s rich roster of champions. The new character is scheduled for release together with patch 11.8, on April 14th. 2021. If any changes are made to her skillset, they should not be too radical as we are getting close to the release.
