Riot Games has officially revealed Naafiri, the latest League of Legends champion to hit the rift, including all the Naafiri abilities for players to know.
Naafiri, the Hound of a Hundred Bites, hits the rift in patch 13.14, which is expected to drop in mid-July, around Wednesday, July 19th 2023.
The LoL champion is described as the following in Riot’s press release and info reveal: “An ancient Darkin with incredible power, Naafiri was destined to lead her kin until her ambitions were cut short, having been entombed within a blade and imprisoned in a crypt deep beneath the Shuriman sands. One fateful day centuries later, Naafiri was set free and bound to a new host – or hosts – the Dune Hounds.
“Initially furious at her new state, Naafiri soon discovered that the pack’s collective consciousness would prove invaluable to her plans. Whereas her brethren fought individually and suffered defeat, Naafiri’s strength lies in the unity, loyalty and shared strength of her pack. Naafiri now seeks to unify her fellow Darkin and will summon the full might of her pack to mercilessly tear down anyone that stands in her way.”
Naafiri follows Milio (who was disabled at MSI 2023) as the most recent League of Legends champion to be announced.
You can see all the Naafiri abilities below.
“We track for a thousand years. None can flee for that long. Let the world hear our howls and know that death awaits.”
Naafiri
Naafiri abilities listed
Passive – We Are More
Naafiri creates a Packmate after an amount of time that will attack enemies that she targets for physical damage, which is increased after she uses an ability. Hitting champions with abilities or killing enemies reduces this ability’s cooldown
Q – Darkin Daggers
Naafiri hurls Darkin-tainted blades, dealing physical damage and inflicting a bleed for a few seconds.This ability may be recast. If enemies hit are already bleeding, instead deal the remaining bleed damage plus bonus physical damage and missing health physical damage. If the target was a champion, Naafiri restores some health. Packmates will leap at the first target hit, prioritizing champions and attacking them for a few seconds.
W – Hounds’ Pursuit
After a brief delay, Naafiri dashes at an enemy, dealing physical damage and briefly slowing her target or the first champion she collides with. This ability gains range based on ultimate rank. Packmates become untargetable and dash alongside Naafiri, dealing additional damage per Packmate.
See the full list of Naafiri abilities in action in these videos on the League of Legends Twitter page:
E – Eviscerate
Naafiri surges forward, dashing and dealing physical damage to enemies she passes through, then explodes outward, dealing additional physical damage. Packmates are recalled to Naafiri and are healed to full.
R – The Call of the Pack
Naafiri prepares to hunt, empowering her Packmates and spawning bonus Packmates for a short duration. Naafiri then gains a burst of out of combat Movespeed, vision, and the first time she hits an enemy champion, she gains a shield. On first champion takedown, all ultimate effects are refreshed.
Further reading: Naafiri champion insights on the LoL website
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
