Riot Games has a time-honored tradition of revamping characters in League of Legends with champion reworks, but which champions are getting reworks in 2022?
What constitutes a champion rework has changed over time, and there are two different types of reworks that Riot Games does in present times. From fan-voted reworks to small-scale new designs for abilities, updating outdated champions is a core part of keeping League of Legends’ gameplay relevant.
Riot Games is hoping to produce even more updates than usual in 2023, so here’s what League of Legends players can expect. From full Visual Gameplay Updates to Midscope Updates, here’s every champion that’s likely to get a rework in 2023.
What are the different types of reworks?
The three types of reworks are Visual Gameplay Updates, Comprehensive Gameplay Updates, and Midscope Updates.
Visual Gameplay Updates are more rare, involving a ground-up reimagining of a champion’s visuals, lore, and abilities. These are resource-intensive efforts on Riot Games’ part that require essentially the same resources as designing a completely new champion. VGUs were once more common but now emerge as an annual affair voted on by fans.
Comprehensive Ability Updates are ability-only updates to champions that completely redefine their kit, but not their lore or visual appearances. The most recent example of a Comprehensive Ability Update is Aurelion Sol, whose brand new kit went live with Patch 12.3. This class of reworks is meant for champions whose visual and thematic identity have aged well but whose theme hasn’t. These will become increasingly common as Riot Games shifts away from VGUs.
Midscope Updates are partial reworks to a character’s abilities that focus on a few mechanical changes to update champions whose kits are okay, but who could use some modernization. Some examples of Midscope Updates include Swain, Taliyah, and Olaf, all of whom had aspects of their abilities revitalized by Midscope Updates in 2022.
With these three classifications of reworks, here are all the 2023 reworks that are confirmed, possible, or plausible.
Visual Gameplay Update 2023 — Skarner
Skarner, the Crystal Scorpion, was the winner of the player-voted annual Visual Gameplay Update. Riot Games has gone down to only one Visual Gameplay Update every calendar year. Previously, the League of Legends community was given the option to choose who received a rework from among Tryndamere, Shyvana, Skarner, Kog’Maw, and Nocturne. Skarner was the eventual winner, and fans have recently gotten a glimpse at the new version of the new form of the Brackern.
Since his election as the next Runeterran resident to get a glow up, fans have seen a few glimpses of what the scorpion’s new form might look like. Skarner is the only known living member of the Brackern, a race of ancient crystal scorpions. Brackern are the source of Hextech in the League of Legends world, so Skarner’s design may be inspired by the new aesthetics of Hextechnology. Skarner is the only confirmed Visual Gameplay Update for 2023.
Comprehensive Gameplay Update
The only confirmed Comprehensive Gameplay Update for 2023 was Aurelion Sol, whose new abilities arrived on Patch 12.3. Aurelion Sol was the first CGU, a prime candidate due to his extremely unusual abilities but much-beloved theme. Previously, Aurelion Sol players had a unique mechanic of permanently orbiting stars that demanded a completely unusual play pattern from anybody piloting the star dragon.
His new kit makes him a much more straightforward champion, but with the potential to carry entire games with infinite scaling. This sort of modernization is most likely for niche champions, whose theme and fantasy play well, but who don’t have many players sinking hours into them. There haven’t been any other Comprehensive Gameplay Updates confirmed, but there are some champions who could be good candidates for it. Yuumi’s rework might end up being classified as a CGU, for example.
Yuumi rework 2023
Yuumi has been announced as the recipient of an upcoming rework in 2023. Yuumi’s unique nature has meant she’s been incredibly polarizing for many fans. The ability to simply attach to an ally, granting them stats, healing, speed, and peel, makes her frustrating to play against. Strangely, it’s that unforgettable nature that Riot hopes to double down on for her rework.
In a recent developer blog post, Riot Games designers talked about their desire to give her more early tools to influence the lane and less innate scaling. If her kit is given new abilities that make her more independent from her lane partner than now, that could accomplish two goals at once. One of the key problems with the enchanter’s kit right now is that she dominates pro play. An enchanter without the opportunity to be peeled off of their hyper-carry is a tool that the best players in the game can abuse.
Midscope Updates
Midscope Updates are partial mechanical changes to an existing champion without fully redesigning their kit. These toe the line with a Comprehensive Gameplay Update, but tend to only affect one or two skills. These are the expected midscope updates for reworks in 2023.
Jax Rework
The Jax rework has already hit live servers, but it is 2023’s first Midscope Update. The Jax Midscope update was different from some other in that it tried to revitalize his visual effects, as the base Jax skin is a significantly dated model in the modern day. It looked to keep his identity as a lane-dominant bully with the ability to dodge auto-attacks, amping it up with an ultimate that makes Jax tankier for jumping into the enemy team.
Rell Rework
Rell is one of the champions getting a Midscope Update in 2023, with Riot Games already talking about her mini rework. The Rell Rework will look to double down on Rell’s signature fantasy of mounted combat, trampling about on her magical steed made from manipulated metal. Previous alleged leaks of Rell’s rework would supposedly keep her stance swap, but bring her mount and dismount over to her ultimate.
To read about the supposed Rell leaks, check out our article on the possibly leaked version of Rell’s abilities.
Neeko Rework
The Neeko rework was confirmed by Riot Games in the Midscope Updates video published at the start of the year. This update would radically shift Neeko’s core identity as a shapeshifter. Right now, Neeko is restricted to transforming into champions on her own team. Apparently, the Neeko rework will let her transform into nearly anything on the map. Jungle monsters, lane minions, even jungle plants, everything’s fair game.
The Neeko rework will even allow her to imitate a Teemo mushroom, becoming an even more infuriating version of the tiny Yordle’s poisonous fungi. This is exactly what Midscope Updates aim to do. Riot designers have noted that champions where the player feels like “I want to have fun, but [this champion] isn’t letting me” are prime candidates for MUs.
