Joining the likes of Kha’Zix and Rek’Sai, League of Legends is set to have another jungler from the Void.

Move over, Rek’Sai and Kha’Zix – there’s a new Void jungler in town. For Season 12 of League of Legends, Riot Games started with a bang by revealing four new champions to kick off 2022. This isn’t necessarily a surprise to long-time LoL account owners, as each year, we get multiple champions added to the MOBA. We’ve already received two champions – Renata and Zeri – and two more are confirmed to be releasing relatively soon. From what Riot Games has divulged, the next champion will be a jungler from the Void – the home of other champions such as Rek’Sai and Kha’Zix. It’s been four years since we’ve received a Void champion. Kai’Sa was the last one, but you can argue that she isn’t even a full-fledged Voidling; she’s just a Shuriman who had an unlucky break that resulted in her being sucked into the Void as a child.

The Release Date

Riot Games confirmed that the 160th Champion (the Void jungler) will be coming out later in Season 12 of League of Legends. Since we’re past Zeri’s launch and at the forefront of Renata’s debut, the Void jungler will be the third champion for 2022. Unfortunately, there’s no concrete date yet on the release. Still, if we consider the past releases so far, there’s a high possibility that LoL account owners might see the Void jungler before heading to the second half of 2022. According to BigBadBear, a leaker for League of Legends, the Void jungler should be released in Patch 12.8 – that’s around early May, give or take.

Why A Voidling?

As mentioned before, it’s been four years since League of Legends got a champion from the Void, so why did Riot Games suddenly want to give it some limelight? Many fans believe that the Void (together with the new champion) will play a vital part in the upcoming lore, which leads us to think that there will soon be a whole event surrounding the said region. The Void is the only region in Runeterra that hasn’t gotten a revamp yet, leading players to think that 2022 may finally be the time where Riot Games gives it some love.

What’s more, this mystery jungler will also be a creature champion. In their “Champions in Season 2022” video, Riot Games explained there was a lack of creature champions in the MOBA based on a survey they did. In recent times, players enjoyed humanoid champions more, but as with everything else in this world, things can change; opinions and thoughts can flip-flop. It’s about time we get a real creature back in Runeterra – preferably one that isn’t Yuumi.

The Void Jungler’s Abilities

Riot Games still hasn’t spilled the beans precisely on what to expect from the League’s new Void jungler in terms of gameplay and abilities. Given how it possessed lead champion producer Ryan ‘Reav3’ Mireles during a segment in the “Champions in Season 2022” video on YouTube, they’re likely to pack some terrifying skills we’ve yet to know thoroughly.

Based on the leaks from BigBadBear, the Void jungler will resemble Omen, a champion in previous development who didn’t make it to the actual game. This could mean that the Void jungle will have a similar kit and appearance to him. Since Riot hasn’t confirmed this, it’s best to take this information with a grain of salt. If we look at Omen’s kit, then the upcoming Void champion would have at least: a skill shot pass through (this will most likely be a Q skill), a spell to slow opponents, a projectile that detonates after a few seconds, and a long-ranged AoE ultimate (similar to Miss Fortune and Gangplank ults).

It’s not clear how much inspiration Riot Games will take from Omen. Who knows? Maybe they’ll take Omen’s visual design and design new skillsets. Nothing is set in stone yet, and we’ll have to wait for the Champion Roadmap in April 2022 to find out more.

Final Thoughts

There’s not much to sift through besides Riot’s confirmation that we’ll be getting a Void jungler in League of Legends. Lore wise, we only know that they were revealed to be working for an empress. Whether this champion is someone who’s escaped the beehive of the Void or is currently in cahoots with their supervisor, we’re not entirely sure just yet. Those interested in owning the champ should save the Blue Essence or Riot Points in their League of Legends account.

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