Everything we know about Naafiri, the next League of Legends Assassin

League of Legends is getting a new Darkin champion very soon: Naafiri will be an assassin that’s “focused on the hunt” and the dev blog hints at her having an animal companion.

The League of Legends development team have hit a fair few snags through 2023. Between multiple delays on certain champion reworks and VGUs, the development team has had a number of obstacles when it comes to releasing new content.

That said, both K’Sante and Milio came out with little issue. Other than Milio being a little overpowered on release and K’Sante dominating at an extremely high level of play, the two champions have been fairly successful. However, that Darkin assassin that was initially teased has loomed on the horizon.

Formerly known only as Champion 163 (now 164 with Milio’s release), Naafiri has finally gotten a bit more time in the spotlight. Their kit has been heavily hinted to have some intricate macro involving a controllable animal companion.

Who is Naafiri in League of Legends?

Riot has remained pretty tight-lipped on League of Legends’ upcoming Darkin champion, but they have let the cat out of the bag on one thing ⁠— that it will be a Darkin.

“One of the things the League community hounds me about constantly is wanting to see more Darkin champions,” developer Ryan ‘Reav3’ Mireles said in an August 2022 video.

The community has long yearned for more monster or Darkin champions, and this is a step in that direction. Exact details about their lore and weren’t made public until a later dev blog.

What do we know about Naafiri’s abilities in League of Legends?

There is currently no information available about the Darkin champion’s abilities in LoL at the time of writing, but we do know they’ll be an assassin with some heavy handed puns in an official dev blog leading people to believe the Darkin assassin will have a dog companion.

“We’ll be sure to take time to paws and evaluate the results to see if there are other champions who could benefit from a more extensive dive into doge tech during her release.”

This assassin also had a dagger confirmed as being a central part of their kit.

“This one was actually entrapped in a dagger that is actually now a Darkin dagger ⁠— of course, because that’s how that works,” Reav3 said. “So edgy, so dark.”

Is there a release date for Naafiri in League of Legends?

Riot has not yet shared a release date for Naafiri, and there have certainly been a fair few delays this year when it comes to champion releases. It’s really hard to say whether or not they’ll be hitting the rift in 2023.

We’ll keep you updated with news regarding Naafiri, the new Darkin champion, as it’s made public right here.

So, there you have it — that’s everything you need to know about Naafiri in League of Legends.

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