New Champion Ambessa Medarda Joins League of Legends Roster in Patch 14.22 Alongside Arcane-Themed ARAM Update
Image Credit: Riot Games, New Champion Ambessa Medarda
Riot Games is gearing up for a significant celebration with the release of Patch 14.22 in League of Legends. This update coincides with the much-anticipated arrival of Arcane Season 2 on November 9th, bringing new content that ties directly into the hit show. The most exciting addition is the introduction of Ambessa Medarda, a fierce and powerful Noxian general who fans may remember as Mel's commanding mother from Arcane Season 1.
Ambessa Medarda: The Newest Champion
Ambessa is no stranger to Arcane viewers, but now she will step into the Summoner’s Rift as a playable character. Designed primarily for experienced players, she’s a top-lane juggernaut with a toolkit that emphasizes crowd control and an aggressive playstyle. The game’s designers, Max Perlman in particular, revealed that bringing Ambessa from screen to gameplay involved balancing her established persona as a dominant and powerful figure with inventive mechanics that fit her theme. Her kit incorporates her signature twin weapons, the drakehounds, which can be swung to damage enemies or whipped around to help her control the battlefield.
Ambessa’s abilities offer a mix of mobility, defense, and high-damage output, perfect for players who enjoy outplaying their opponents with precision:
Passive - Drakehound’s Step: Allows Ambessa to dash after casting an ability, with her next attack gaining range, speed, and damage.
Q - Cunning Sweep / Sundering Slam: A two-part move where Ambessa first swings her drakehounds in an arc and can follow it up with a powerful slam for bonus damage.
W - Repudiation: Grants her a shield while bracing for impact and increases damage if she blocks an attack.
E - Lacerate: Slows and damages nearby enemies, with an extra strike when combined with her dash.
R - Public Execution: Ambessa teleports to an enemy champion, suppresses them, and deals damage with a powerful slam.
Ambessa will likely find her place in the top lane, though some players may experiment with her in other roles, including jungle or mid-lane, depending on the matchup.
ARAM’s Arcane-Themed Update
Beyond Ambessa, ARAM (All Random, All Mid) is receiving an overhaul with an Arcane-themed twist. The Howling Abyss map is transforming into the Bridge of Progress, the iconic setting from Arcane, the technological city of Piltover and the industrial underbelly of Zaun. Eduardo Cortejoso, Modes Product Lead, shared that the choice to adapt the map was an obvious one, given its bridge setting. The updated ARAM will have new gameplay mechanics/elements like buffs triggered when inhibitors are destroyed and unique nemesis quests for champions tied to Arcane.
This limited-time Arcane content will be available in ARAM until January 2025, when the map will return to its original design. With Arcane Season 2 on the horizon, this update is Riot’s way of merging its hit TV show with the beloved game and bringing those who have watched the movie to the rift (and vice versa) if they have not done so already.
Patch 14.22, scheduled for release on November 6, 2024, marks an exciting chapter in League of Legends, as Ambessa steps onto the Rift and the world of Arcane comes to life.
