Last week, League of Legends developer Riot Games released a cryptic video teaser for its upcoming Champion — entitled "The River King," which told the story of a man and wife dealing with what appeared to be a giant, demonic catfish known only as ... well, the River King.
The story ended in tragedy, sure, but fans were extremely excited to see exactly what the studio had up its sleeve with this new character. Unfortunately, the trailer didn't reveal all that much, and players were left wondering what this "River King" was all about.
That changes today: Riot Games has released a slew of new information regarding its newest champion. Tahm Kench (otherwise known as the River King) is indeed a gigantic, catfish-like monster — and his in-game abilities certainly live up to the story told in last week's teaser.
"The River King" short was centered around Kench's unwavering hunger, and most of his abilities within League of Legends reflect that. However, Kench isn't just about grabbing and eating his foes — in fact, many of his abilities are expressly designed to aid his allies ... even if that means eating them, too.
First up is Tahm Kench's Passive ability, "Aquired Taste." When the ability is active, Kench will acquire stacks of energy simply by damaging foes — when three stacks are acquired, Kench's attacks change upon hitting an enemy. For instance, Kench's Q Attack, "Tongue Lash," usually works as a simple long-range attack — but, with "Acquired Taste" at full power, enemies are left stunned and vulnerable.
The W Attack is where things start to get interesting: depending on who Kench eats, the effect of the attack changes dramatically. Minions can be devoured for standard damage, then spat back out at other enemies for a follow-up attack. The same can happen to enemy players, though Acquired Taste must be at full power before it'll work. Surprisingly, Kench can also eat his allies, and it's actually pretty helpful: friendly Champions are completely invulnerable when inside Kench's stomach, and Kench himself gets a nice boost to his speed (perfect for hasty escapes). Don't worry about trolling, either: Kench or his ingested ally can choose when to leave his belly.
Tahm Kench, the River King | https://t.co/KvxACYMGCD https://t.co/enen6crOcx
— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) June 23, 2015
Next up is Kench's E Attack, "Thick Skin." It's a purely defensive technique with two possible uses: the Passive mode converts damage into Grey Health, which is then converted to standard health upon leaving combat. The Active mode allows Kench to convert said Grey Health into a watery shield, which negates all damage for a few short seconds.
Finally, Kench's Ultimate Attack, "Abyssal Voyage," is a multi-purpose teleportation technique. Upon reaching Level 6, Kench can open his gigantic maw (which friendly Champions can climb into) before teleporting across the map. Despite its long cast time, Abyssal Voyage can be used as a way for Kench and an ally to escape a losing battle — however, it's highly likely that most players will use Kench's Ultimate Attack as a way to spring traps on otherwise occupied players. Oh, and Kench's damage scales with his Health — combine that with the attack's ridiculously long range, and well-timed ambushes can be utterly devastating.
All things considered, it looks like Tahm Kench will fit in nicely with the rest of League of Legends' colorful cast — just make sure to watch out for that bite.
Tahm Kench will be joining the League of Legends roster sometime in the near future. For even more on this new champion, head on over to Riot Games' official site.
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