The latest League of Legends champion to hit Summoner's Rift is Naafiri, a Darkin assassin in the form of a wolf. She designed to be an easy-to-play mid-lane champion with fellow packmate wolves by her side. With her in-game emotes now live on the PBE server following patch 13.13, you can even pet her!

Naafiri's release date is July 19, when patch 13.14 is released. She will be the second champion released during Season 13, with the first being Milio the Gentle Flame.

Here's League of Legends' newest champion Naafiri, and everything players need to know, including her backstory and abilities!

Naafiri Backstory

Darkins are ancient beings in Runeterra, the universe in which League of Legends is set. There are already three Darkin in League of Legends: Aatrox, Rhaast (one of Kayn's forms), and Varus.

The Darkin used blood magic to enhance their weapons and used their power to enslave the people they once protected. The Aspects, celestial beings, grew tired of this, bound the Darkin to their weapons, and scattered them across Runeterra.

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Naafiri was bound to a dagger, trapped inside desert ruins in Shurima. A grave robber eventually managed to release Naafiri from her grave but was careful not to touch the dagger with his bare hands, using a cloth to touch it and hearing the howls of hounds in the distance.

Upon exiting the abandoned tomb with the dagger across the Shuriman desert, the grave robber fell prey to the hungry pack of dune hounds. The hounds tore him apart alongside his belongings in their thirst for blood. This included Naafiri, as the dagger shattered in their jaws. Her consciousness assimilated into the pack, becoming one mind and turning her into one of the hounds.

At first, she rejected the idea of being in a pack. Eventually, she grew to realize that in her current form, she could become the apex predator in Shurima and restore the Darkin to their former glory. Check out Naafiri's cinematic origin trailer here.

Naafiri Abilities

Passive - We Are More

Naafiri creates a Packmate after an amount of time that will attack enemies that she targets for physical damage, which is increased after she uses an ability.

Hitting champions or large monsters with abilities reduces this cooldown by 4 seconds. Killing enemies reduces this ability's cooldown by 0.5 seconds

  • Static cooldown: 30/25/20/15 (based on level)

Q - Darkin Dagger

Naafiri throws Darkin-tainted daggers, dealing physical damage and inflicting a bleed for several seconds. This ability can also be recast. Packmates will also leap to attack champions hit by this skill.

If enemies hit are already bleeding, the remaining bleed damage plus bonus physical damage will be dealt, alongside missing health physical damage. Naafiri restores health, is the target hit is a champion.

  • Cooldown: 11/10/9/8/7 seconds
  • Physical damage: 25/35/45/55/65 (+20% bonus AD)
  • Bonus physical damage per tick: 3.5/8.125/12.5/16.875/21.25 (+20% bonus AD)
  • Self heal: 45/65/85/105/125 (+40% bonus AD)

W - Hounds' Pursuit

Naafiri dashes at an enemy, and her Packmates dash alongside Naafiri, singling out a target and revealing them for 1.5 seconds. Naafiri and her Packmates collide with the first champion hit, slowing them by 99% for 0.25 seconds and dealing physical damage.

This ability gains range based on Ultimate rank.

  • Cooldown: 22/20/18/16/14 seconds
  • Physical damage: 30/70/110/150/190 (+80% bonus AD)
  • Packmate physical damage: 3/7/11/15/19 (+8% bonus AD)

E - Eviscerate

Naafiri surges forward, dealing physical damage to enemies she passes through. Upon arrival at her target location, she explodes outward into a flurry of blades, damaging nearby enemies.

Packmates vanish during her dash and are recalled to Naafiri. They are also healed to full.

  • Cooldown: 11/10.5/10/9.5/9
  • Dash physical damage: 35/55/75/95/115 (+70% bonus AD)
  • Flurry physical damage: 65/105/145/185/225 (+100% bonus AD)
  • Total physical damage: 100/160/220/280/340 (+170 bonus AD)

R (Ultimate) - Call of the Pack

Naafiri prepares her grand hunt, which lasts 15 seconds. Naafiri spawns Packmates and empowers her pack, gaining a burst of out-of-combat movement speed that decays over 4 seconds.

She also gains sight of the surrounding area for 2 seconds and reveals nearby enemy champions within a radius for 4 seconds. Call of the Pack grants her bonus attack damage, increases the maximum health of her Packmakes by 25% and reduces the cooldown of her passive by 50%.

Upon first champion hit, Naafiri gains a shield for 3 seconds. Upon first champion takedown, all effects of Call of the Pack are refreshed.

  • Cooldown: 120/110/100
  • Additional packmates summoned: 2/3/4
  • Bonus movement speed: 35/42.5/50%
  • Bonus attack damage: 10/20/30 (+15/20/25% AD)
  • Shield strength: 125/325/525 (+50% bonus AD)

Final Thoughts

Join the Pack with Naafiri as she lands on Summoner's Rift alongside LoL patch 13.14! It will be interesting to see how the mid-lane meta is changed upon her arrival with her unique pack mechanics. Many players also predict she will be a viable Jungler!

As with all new champions, Naafiri will be unavailable to play in Ranked for around a week while players get to grips with her abilities. Check out her full gameplay trailer below!

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