League of Legends is adding some romance to the bottom lane with its latest champions: lovers Xayah and Rakan.
The latest patch for popular multiplayer online battle arena League of Legends introduces two champions at the same time. True to tradition, the new champions' theme is tied to the lore: Lovers Xayah and Rakan are bird-like people called Vastaya, a mysterious humanoid race.
Developer Riot Games is off to another good month after it won a $10 million lawsuit in March. League of Legends is currently the top MOBA in the world, with more than 100 million users worldwide.
Lovers On The Battlefield
Riot Games announced the new heroes via Twitter. Rakan and Xayah are Vastaya bird-people with different roles. Xayah the Rebel carries the blade in the relationship. She is an AD carry assassin that enables her to shoot sharp feather-like blades with deadly grace and precision.
Rakan the Charmer goes to battle to support his lover. He can literally dance his way in and out of an encounter to land damage on enemies or give shield to allies. And he does it in a flashy way.
Each can hold their own against other champions. But together, Xayah and Rakan can give each other buffs and they can also sync their skills like performing a recall together.
Rakan The Charmer
Rakan plays as a mobile support champion. His skills are meant to complement those of other champions. He can also be a good initiator, provided he has carry-type allies like Xayah by his side. He can disrupt the battle's flow with quick heals, shields, and damage.
His passive ability is called Fey Feathers. Over time, Rakan's feathery coat generates a shield. The cooldown for the shield gets reduced when Rakan attacks an enemy.
His Q skill is called Gleaming Quill. Rakan throws an enchanted feather. If it hits an enemy champ or epic monster, it deals damage. After a moment, he triggers a heal in the area around him or immediately when he touches an ally.
His W skill is called Grand Entrance. Rakan leaps forward into an area and after a pause, he launches nearby enemies into the air.
His E, Battle Dance, is his main support skill. Rakan leaps to an ally and shields them from damage. He can double-cast this skill on the same ally. If Xayah is the target, the cast range is increased.
Finally, his ultimate skill or R is called The Quickness. When this is cast, Rakan breaks into a sprint. He charms and damages the enemy he touches. The first champ he hits gains him a huge movement speed boost.
Xayah The Rebel
Xayah is an assassin-type champ; she attacks fast, deals huge damage, and is paper-thin. Thus, she needs a tank ally (to soak in the damage) or a support like Rakan to keep her alive while she reaps the enemies. She is good one-on-one, but needs to be quick on her feet to escape when ganked.
Her passive ability is called Clean Cuts. After using an ability, Xayah's basic attacks pierce through all enemies in the path (reduced damage after first hit). She also leaves a feather on the ground at the end of the attack. These feathers remain on the ground for a short time.
Xayah's Q skill is called Double Daggers. She throws two blades in a line that damage all the enemies in the path. The blades then leave a feather on the ground.
Her W skill is called Deadly Plumage. Xayah unleashes a swarm of blades and gains attack damage and speed boost for the next basic attacks. If she attacks a champion while under the Deadly Plumage buff, she gains a movement speed boost. If Rakan is nearby when she casts this skill, he also gains the buffs.
Her E is called Bladecaller. All the feathers stuck on the ground return to Xayah when she uses this skill. The feathers damage the enemy on the way back. If an enemy is stuck by several feathers at once, that enemy will be rooted.
Finally, her ultimate R is called Featherstorm. Xayah jumps into the air and becomes untargetable for a moment. After a brief pause, she unleashes a storm of feather blades in a cone formation in front of her, dealing damage to enemies and leaving feathers on the ground. She can evade incoming projectiles when she casts Featherstorm at the right time.
Rakan and Xayah have a special recall called Lover's Leap. If either Rakan or Xayah is using recall, the other can join and use the skill together (performing a choreography while doing it).
