Irina "Zemlia" Sukhanova The development team detailed the creative process of Smolder to demonstrate how this dragon champion differs from other beings in LoL.
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While creating an amazing marksman was a big goal for the team, another objective was to add novelty.
We wanted to introduce a simple to play marksman because all of the ones that we've shipped recently are really mechanically complex, like Zeri, Samira, Aphelios, and Nilah… who’s like a melee marksman. We thought it was time to introduce a champ that's a bit easier to play, a bit more traditional for the role. You don't need to be Ruler to play it, kind of thing.
The theme of a "cute creature" fits well with these gameplay goals. But what is this "cute creature"? After much deliberation, the team settled on a dragon, as it has enough range to be a natural marksman.
Concept artist Oussama "Riot Whiteleyth" Agazzoum conducted several delightful concept art studies to figure out exactly how cute Smolder should be.
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To distinguish him among other playable dragon champions, the development team focused on making him unique. Riot Llama and Riot Twiners, game designers, also emphasized that Smolder starts in a relatively weak form and gradually becomes more powerful as the game progresses.
One of Smolder's most iconic abilities is his ultimate, named "MMOOOMMMMM!", where the dragon summons his mother to help unleash dragon fire on his enemies.
Smolder is a bit cocky, but not in an unpleasant way. He is also very playful, and the champion team used this trait to ensure that Smolder’s personality is distinctly different from other young champions like Nunu and Milio.
Interestingly, Riot Twiners also revealed that Smolder’s ability to fly and breathe fire was initially planned for the pre-rework of Aurelion Sol and even Shyvana. Such an understanding of the development history adds complexity to his character, demonstrating the evolution of ideas in the game development process.
Image credit: leagueoflegends.com
After the teaser release, users found Smolder's design peculiar. Riot stated that the champion's face would undergo design changes.
As final adjustments are made, players can look forward to controlling the evolving fire of Smolder, who is expected to officially join the League’s champion roster in the coming weeks.
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