League of Legends is a game with a wide variety of characters, ranging from peppy magical girls to brutal, showboating executioners, so it's not exactly a surprise to learn that new champion Vex, the Gloomist, has some serious personality quirks. However, the new Champion Spotlight trailer dedicated to this tiny terror demonstrates that League of Legends is willing to balance her character on the fine line between humor and horror.
Introduced as a beleaguered lackey to Viego the Ruined King, Vex is basically a depressed teenage Yordle who only joined up with the undead monarch to spread darkness and despair across Runeterra. She was responsible for the Black Mist that covered the world during Viego's latest Harrowing and now she can be responsible for wreaking absolute havoc on the enemy team.
The video begins by contrasting Vex's depression and lack of motivation with a number of other young champions, including Lux, Fizz, and especially Zoe. The other champions are playing around, showing off their powers, and generally having fun--at least, until Vex's living shadow manages to prod her awake she begins blasting her way through their ranks. Vex may be known as the Gloomist, but her abilities are quite flashy and gorgeous to watch. The visuals wouldn't be out of place on a list of great League of Legends-inspired tattoos.
As of this writing, Vex's abilities appear to include sending her shadow out in a single powerful ranged attack, possessing an enemy and jumping straight to them, and having her shadow quickly carry her around the map. She also seems to be able to inflict AOE fear or conjure a shield around herself, though the shield seems to drop and leave her vulnerable while she's attacking. Her kit appears to have a focus on mobility, as she's repeatedly shown sending her shadow to attack foes well out of her range and then immediately leaping directly to the location. In fact, Vex is often shown charging straight into the middle of the enemy team and causing mass destruction with her devastating spells, though the trailer doesn't provide any clear indications of how hard the newest League of Legends champion will be to play.
Vex's dialogue and animations imply that she is every bit as grumpy, sleepy, and vaguely sadistic as her previous appearances would suggest, but at the same time, she isn't exactly malicious. One comment under the YouTube video notes that she is basically the incarnation of one's edgy teenage years. She also appears to sigh over Viego briefly before defensively stating that he's all right, she guesses, which may lead to some interesting interactions between Vex and Viego.
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