Invoker, meet Hwei — League's newest arcane artillery champion.
The conclusion of the League of Legends World Championship saw Riot Games drop some big news, which also included the location for the Worlds 2024 grand finals. But the biggest news of them all was the introduction of Hwei, the Visionary into the Summoner's Rift.
Hwei is also the 166th champion to join the ever-growing roster of champions as the mid-lane mage brings his artworks to life with the Rift as his canvas. The brooding artist hails from the land of Ionia as he looks to right the wrongs of people who have been undone by the cruel injustice that is part and parcel of League lore. With his paintbrush by his side, Hwei is able to reign down destruction, bring aid to those that need it, or simply control the thoughts and emotions of those around him — all with a simple stroke of the brush.
Hwei, the Visionary
Abilities
Passive: Signature of the Visionary
- Hwei marks enemy champions with his signature finishing touch by first damaging them with his abilities. Hitting an enemy with two damage-dealing spells will place Hwei’s signature on the ground beneath them. The signature detonates after a short delay, dealing magic damage to all enemies in range.
Subject: Disaster (Q)
- Hwei paints visions of disaster that deals a large amount of damage to enemies.
Devastating Fire (Q+Q)
- Hwei paints a blazing fireball that flies out in the target direction. It explodes on the first enemy hit or at maximum range, dealing magic damage plus percent max health magic damage to all enemies in an area.
Severing Bolt (Q+W)
- Hwei paints a long-range, devastating bolt at the target location. After a delay, the bolt strikes, dealing magic damage. Immobilized or isolated enemies take increased damage based on missing health.
Molten Fissure (Q+E)
- Hwei paints a field of exploding volcanic eruptions, creating lingering lava in its path. Every eruption deals magic damage to enemies hit. Enemies in the lava area are dealt magic damage per second and are slowed.
Subject: Serenity (W)
- Hwei paints visions of serenity that provides utility for himself and allied champions.
Fleeting Current (W+Q)
- Hwei paints a current of swift waters in a line for a few seconds that grants movement speed to himself and allies.
Pool of Reflection (W+W)
- Hwei forms a protective pool at the target location that lasts for a few seconds. Allied champions inside the area gain an immediate shield, increasing in value over a few seconds while in the area.
Stirring Lights (W+E)
- Hwei paints three swirling lights that circle him for several seconds. His next 3 attacks or spells deal bonus magic damage and grant mana on hit.
Subject: Torment (E)
- Hwei paints visions of torment that control enemies.
Grim Visage (E+Q)
- Hwei launches a terrifying face that strikes the first enemy it hits, dealing magic damage and causing them to flee for a brief duration.
Gaze of the Abyss (E+W)
- Hwei paints an abyssal eye at the target location that grants vision and locks onto the nearest visible enemy champion. After a short delay, the eye fires at the locked-on champion, rooting the first enemy in its path for a few seconds and dealing magic damage to them.
Crushing Maw (E+E)
- Hwei paints crushing jaws that deal magic damage to enemies hit and pulls them toward the centre, slowing them by a set amount that quickly decays.
Ultimate: Spiralling Despair (R)
- Hwei launches a vision of pure despair that sticks to an enemy champion for a few seconds. The vision expands and overwhelms all enemies it touches, dealing magic damage per second. Enemies within the zone are afflicted with stacks of Despair over time. Each stack of Despair applies a stacking percent slow. Upon completion, the vision shatters, dealing magic damage.
Invoker Incarnate for League?
While many League fans have come to appreciate a new champion with a new level of depth when it comes to Hwei's kit, Dota 2 fans have noticed a striking resemblance with their own mid-lane mage, Invoker. Much like Hwei, the Arsenal Magus comes with a plethora of spells to choose from that must be combined from three basic abilities. However, looking into the inner workings of both characters, there are differences that set them apart.
For one, Hwei's entire style is centred around his paintbrush (he's not Grimstroke either!), which is his weapon of choice to cast his spells. As for Invoker, he doesn't carry any weapon, instead deciding to rely on his hands to conjure his magic. Hwei's magic is also dependent on his mood as he does have an entire section of spells dedicated to shielding and healing his allies. Invoker's entire arsenal, on the other hand, is strictly offensive and defensive with a pinch of crowd control thrown in as well.
The devs at Riot Games were able to draw certain distinctions between the two with much of Hwei's kit tied down to his backstory and lore. As he is in a constant battle with his inner turmoil, he was able to compartmentalise his emotions into three subjects: disaster, serenity, and torment. The names are a nod towards what Hwei is capable of doing — disaster is all about offensive spells; serenity focusing on utility, and torment is all about crowd control.
However, the biggest difference between the two mages are their mana dependencies. While Invoker relies on mainly mana to string together a combination of spells, Hwei will be all about cooldown management. This is because no matter what spell is cast, all the spells in that subject will be on cooldown as well. This will make deciding on which spells to use all the more important as each spell has varying levels of damage and utility.
When will he be making his Hwei?
Hwei is expected to drop on Monday, November 20 to the League of Legends Public Beta Environment (PBE), one day before patch 13.24 is to be released. Be sure to check out his entire kit and test out his might in the mid-lane.