Akshan is League of Legends’ newest champion, and he can do something no one else in the game can: bring allies back from the dead. The new champion is part of the Sentinels of Light event, Riot Games’ first multigame event.
Akshan is a ranged champion with a grappling hook, but the most interesting part of his kit is the passive on his W. When an enemy champion kills one of Akshan’s allies, that enemy gets marked as a Scoundrel. Akshan gets special bonuses against Scoundrels while they’re alive, but if he kills one, whoever the Scoundrel killed is immediately revived at their fountain.
This is the first time Riot has introduced this kind of death-defying ability to League of Legends, changing one of the game’s most fundamental mechanics, which is sure to be a hot-button issue among many players. Previous abilities of this type tended to prevent death, rather than pull a player back to life after they had already died.
The rest of Akshan’s kit gives him multiple ways to shoot down his enemies with his trusty gun, and a unique movement spell that lets him grapple to the terrain of Summoner’s Rift and swing around it with his grappling hook.
Akshan is set to be released sometime later this month as part of patch 11.15, and he will go on Riot’s Public Beta Environment later this week. Before he arrives, here’s a look at all of his abilities.
Akshan full ability kit
Passive — Dirty Fighting
Every three hits from Akshan’s attacks and damaging abilities deal a burst of physical damage. If the target was a champion, Akshan also gains a shield.
After attacking, Akshan fires a second attack that deals reduced physical damage. The second shot can be canceled like a regular basic attack. If Akshan cancels the second shot he gains a burst of move speed.
Q — Avengerang
Akshan throws a boomerang that deals physical damage and reveals enemies hit, extending its range each time it hits an enemy. Enemies can be hit once as the boomerang goes out and once as it returns.
W — Going Rogue
Passive: When enemy champions kill one of Akshan’s allies, they are marked as Scoundrels. When Akshan gets a takedown on a Scoundrel he gains bonus gold, all allies killed by the Scoundrel are resurrected at their base, and Scoundrel status is removed from all other enemies.
Active: Akshan becomes camouflaged for a short duration, or indefinitely while near terrain. During this time, Akshan can see trails leading toward Scoundrels and gains move speed and mana regeneration while moving toward them.
E — Heroic Swing
Akshan fires a hookshot that embeds in the first terrain hit. While embedded, he can recast to swing around the terrain in the cast direction, firing physical damage bullets at the nearest enemy while swinging. While swinging, he can recast again to jump off in the direction of the cursor and fire a final shot.
Heroic Swing’s cooldown resets when Akshan earns a takedown on an enemy champion.
R — Comeuppance
Akshan locks onto an enemy champion and begins channeling power into his gun to store bullets. At the end of the duration or after recasting Akshan unleashes the stored bullets, each dealing physical damage based on missing health to the first minion, champion, or structure hit.
Akshan can move normally and cast Heroic Swing while channeling and firing Comeuppance.