Skarner was, by most metrics and player polls, the least popular Champion in all of League of Legends. That made him a prime candidate when it came to the possibility of a rework, and this season, it’s happening. Riot Games has given Skarner a new look, a revised set of abilities and passives, and will be unleashing him into the jungles of Summoner’s Rift soon enough. Ahead of that, we got to see a demonstration of everything the new Skarner is about. He’s quite different, but those who did enjoy Skarner will find some key parts of his identity intact.

Skarner’s packing new stingers

The most striking part of Skarner’s rework is undoubtedly his new three-tailed look. He’s always been a rocky scorpion, but in his new iteration, he ditches the crystalline aesthetic of the past for a new rocky and painted look… with three scorpion stinger tails instead of one. Once you get past the nightmare fuel aspect of it, Skarner is more stalwart than ever. He’s a dutiful beast after all.

His lore goes that he’s not the only being of his kind anymore. However, Skarner still stands as a protector of his land of Ixtal and its people by keeping his home cut off from the rest of the world. When sentiment grows as to whether that is right to do, Skarner grows paranoid - he will protect Ixtal by any means necessary. That translates to an aggressive, engaging tank that can disrupt enemy positions and separate vulnerable opponents from the pack.

Also? No more power pads. The Crystal Spires passive is gone in favor of a new damage passive, meaning no more frantically running around the map trying to play Keep Away with Skarner's defensive and offensive stats on the line.

Skarner League of Legends rework abilities & skills

Riot Games also shared a look at Skarner’s refreshed skills and abilities. They are subject to changes ahead of release, but can be seen as they were revealed in the preview just below:

• Passive - Threads of Vibration: Skarner’s attacks, Shattered Earth, Upheaval, and Impale apply Quaking stacks to enemies. Enemies that reach three stacks of Quaking take a percent of their max HP in damage over time. This can be applied to multiple targets at once.
• Q - Shattered Earth/Upheaval: Shattered Earth: Skarner rips a rock out of the ground and uses it to empower his next three basic attacks with bonus damage, range, and attack speed. His third attack slams the rock into his target, slowing and dealing significant bonus damage, as well as ending the effect.
• Upheaval: Skarner may recast his Q following Shattered Earth to throw the rock as a projectile that explodes against the first enemy hit, dealing the same bonus damage and slow of the third hit of Shattered Earth and ending the buffed effect.
• W - Seismic Bastion: Skarner gains a shield and slams the ground beneath him, releasing a shockwave that damages and slows nearby enemies.
• E - Ixtal's Impact: Skarner charges forward, ignoring terrain, and grabs the first enemy champion or large monster he collides with. He may push them a short way, damaging and stunning them if they collide with a wall in the terrain while in his clutches.
• R - Impale: Skarner impales up to three enemy champions, damaging and suppressing them. Skarner gains bonus movement speed for a short time after and can carry all three champions with him until the end of the effect.

A stronger, scarier Skarner?

Skarner’s new design seems to incorporate a lot of sets of three. Three tails, many of his attacks taking three hits to activate something big, his Impale affecting three enemies instead of one now… With that in mind, he looks like a character that would enjoy benefits of attack speed, cooldown reduction, armor, and magic defense to keep his claws swinging, his Quake stacks flowing, and his carapace sturdy. He might not change up the game as much as a Baron rework, but Skarner looks versatile enough to see more play and popularity in League of Legends' future.

Skarner’s rework is set to hit PBE servers on March 19, 2024, and then he should be coming to live servers on April 2 in an accompanying patch. For more coverage and updates, follow the League of Legends topic here at Shacknews.

This preview is based on a hands-off presentation by the publisher. Details are subject to change ahead of the Skarner rework’s release in League of Legends on April 2, 2024.