Cover-Credits:
Riot Games
League of Legends’ current Public Beta Environment (PBE) patch cycle is already shaping up to be a very exciting one with a new Kassadin splash art amongst other changes. Riot Games also revealed changes for pridestalker Rengar in the PBE. From a quick glance at the new Kassadin splash art, one can say that the champion looks so much different than his current appearance in League of Legends. Fans are speculating whether this is just another new skin for Kassadin, an Art and Sustainability Update (ASU) like that of Caitlyn’s, or a Visual and Gameplay Update (VGU). Ever since players spotted Kassadin’s new look on the PBE, screenshots of the splash art along with some memes have been doing the rounds on social media.
Kassadin received a Visual Update in 2015 but fans had been asking for his base model to be given an upgrade. A Reddit thread from three years ago stated, “I believe his base model is very simple and outdated. He is very thin and small overall, his skirt doesn't have many particles, his belt is part of his skirt and not separated, his armor is poor, his weapon is weird. I believe he needs more armor, his feet need to be shown, a more detailed belt and skirt, his weapon be more of an energy fist weapon, (be on both hands maybe), rather than some energy thing on his hand.” The original poster also attached an artwork of how he envisioned Kassadin to look like.
Kassadin dons a stronger look in new splash art
The new splash art gives Kassadin a more menacing look and he is seen wearing shoulder pads with void spikes similar to his daughter Kai’sa’s. One Reddit user commented, “I like the design reference to Kaisa with the shoulder pads. He always had them, but they've been redesigned to look more like her suit's missile launchers.”
In the same thread, another Redditor wrote, “HOOOOOLY. Assuming Kassadin actually gets a surprise ASU, I cannot possibly imagine how cool cosmic reaver will look.”
Now, his mask looks distinct and eerie, and Riot has made his horns sharper and sleeker. Also, for the first time, fans get a glimpse at Kassadin’s legs. The weapon he wields has also undergone some visual changes because now it looks a light purple shade.
According to Twitter user Spideraxe, the splash art for Kassadin was created in collaboration with West Studios and Riot. The artists who worked on it are Mingchen Shen (for the sketch) and David Villegas (for the rendering). The final polishing was done by Riot’s League Splash Team.
The splash art change for Kassadin in the PBE took the community by surprise. Riot had previously mentioned that for Season 12 it would be focusing additionally on the Void region. It teased that in this season fans would get an “overwhelming new jungler that should fill a void” in everyone’s hearts.
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