@Riot: New Idea for Garen's Ult

PhoenixSlayer13·2/6/2014, 1:06:44 AM·9 votes·4,915 views

For a while now people have been disappointed by how Garen's ult feels weaker than comparable ults. But I just had a fun idea that might make the ult feel better if used in certain situations.

My suggestion: when Garen's ult kills a target, the shockwave of the blast deals AOE damage to all enemies around the target.

This change would make it so that Garen still feels good about using his ult while dueling, but makes it even better in a teamfight scenario, where Garen is usually right in the middle of everything. That kick-ass shockwave animation is already there, why not make it more than just an animation?

33 Comments

Didymus II2/7/2014, 5:38:42 AM4 votes

As a summoner who plays Garen all the time, I have serious interest in this thread. I do understand that Garen's ult is useful in multiple situations, since it can easily kill literally any low health champion. However I would like to point out the comparison of Darius. His ability to repeatedly kill low health champions, albeit, through his passive's stacking effect and not low health, eclipses Garen almost completely. The input of a faster cooldown would only support the use of cooldown reduction items, thus limiting his build viability in other items (such as critical strike or AD/tank hybrid builds). The increase of damage on his ult would just make Garen powerful without the use of skill. ADC's/APC's would simply be picked off with ease, making him overpowered.

Thus, I have a proposition; if not the seeding of an idea. I do not expect this to actually happen, however I would like to throw this out there.

If Garen kills the enemy champion he ults on, he could gain one of the following effects:

Increased movement speed for a duration (similar to his Q's duration, only without the CC removal).
Increased attack damage for a duration.
Increased attack speed for a duration.
Increased Armor/Magic Resist for a duration (similar to his W's duration, only without the CC reduction).
CC removal for a duration.

I don't think that a CC effect (such as a silence, knockback, or stun) would fit Garen's playstyle, which is centered around hitting one person really hard and then getting out alive.

Either way, thank you Riot for your time in the patches with Garen, updating him, and making him even more awesome visually. I appreciate all that you have done with the game. Please keep it up.

GingyByte2/6/2014, 2:29:35 AM2 votes

Maybe Give The Ult Some CC... It doesn't have to be much, but garen is rarely seen in any ranked play. This primarily being because his lack of CC. Due to the fact that his ult does have a relatively long cooldown compared to many other ults it is more that fair that this now provides a brief stun. Additionaly it will make his ult more versatile so it wont just be a clean-up.

Maverick4952/6/2014, 5:10:38 PM1 votes

I think that the idea is a good one but Id like to see it with a bit of a slow like. "Garen strikes his target for X if he kills his target a shock wave explodes from the targets location knocking up enemies near the target location slowing by 30% for 2.5 sec". Scale the %slow and duration by rank like 15%,20%,30% 1,2,2.5 sec. That way if its used as a finisher it adds utility but it can still be used to add overall damage with out being OP.

State Capital2/6/2014, 8:45:24 PM1 votes

I feel he is already quite OP and next to unstoppable when farmed or fed, toooooooo tanky and his ult is like total annihilation to a player when timed right. Instant death.

Thorne Lionsbane2/7/2014, 9:30:54 PM1 votes

While it would be nice to have a stun or root in his kit the ult is fine where it is at currently the cool down is a little long to me though plus unlike Darius its a one shot deal if it kills great if not, well shit. so take like five seconds off at max rank?

Vic Boss2/8/2014, 11:36:21 PM1 votes

I'm Glad that there are summoners out there who does love Garen so much that they ask for a buff. When I first started trying LoL, I didn't like it one bit. What made me love it? Garen, the might of Demacia. And since that day he is my Main and play him 80% of the time wither in ranked or normal.

Garen is really really underpowered compared with so many other champions. Mainly his Ultimate and Passive.

Ultimate (R):
1-, it has a very massive cooldown. During the 'Laning Phase', after a fight where I use the Ult (Doesn't matter wither I killed with it or not) when I recall and go back to my lane, I have to wait so much time to be able to kill again because simply Garen has a very low chances of killing without his Ult and since it's on cooldown. I can't kill my enemy most likely until the ult is off cooldown.
2- It can only be used on a single target. Unlike Darius who can butcher the entire enemy team with his low cooldown ult and resets on kill that also deal true damage. Even you (Riot) knows this, you've added a taunt that Garen can use on Darius calling him a butcher not a general, honestly its true.

What are my suggestions as a very big Garen fan and player?
- Reduce Cooldown
- Either give it an AoE damage OR AoE slow. (It does have a massive blast radius. And the Ult is a big BOOM.)

Passive:
I really hate Garen's passive because its so underpowered compared to many other champions. Sure it does heal you but after staying out of a fight for 9s for it to be active and then wait a lot to heal (0.4% each second) and don't forget, staying out of a fight meaning no CS. While we have an overpowered Dr called Mundo who heals 0.3% each second 'all the time' and we have a dude called Xin Zhao that heals a lot every 3rd attack (W Passive) and a dog called Nasus that has 10%\15%\20% life steal and a ninja called Shen that can heal with his Q. Kha'zix, Renekton, Rengar and many others that can heal a lot better than Garen (Most of them not even from a passive but ability) and still don't use Mana and can stay in lane CSing and healing.

What are my suggestions as a very big Garen fan and player?
-Reduce Cooldown and Increase healing. (Simple as That)

Do I even need to mention that recently you nerfed two of his main items (Sunfire and Visage) and soon will nerf even Dorna's Shield?

Garen might have been strong when he first released but as the game progressed, he didn't progress with it. He is outclassed and outshined by so many other champions which makes him unplayable and useless at many points.

Please RIOT, Buff Garen. For Demacia!!!!

Kyleman1432/6/2014, 1:20:59 AM1 votes

Wow this idea sounds awesome Riot Plz

Knight Devout2/16/2014, 5:30:42 PM1 votes

I agree with the damage AoE as a possible buff, but rather than making it a proc-on-kill, I'd make it a costant proc, but in a small AoE.

Garen theme is that of the valiant knight/paladin, he's not one that gets stronger or more furious from spilling blood. However, a small AoE, as a punishing blaze on the enemy that tries to evade garen by using his comrades as a shield, is fitting lore-wise and gameplay wise. if the damage was to be calculated as the damage on the main target applied on a smaller percentage to nearby enemies, it wouldn't generate confusion: his best case scenario would always be on a low-health enemy, and waiting for enemy to group up would just be a risk that the Garen player has to take into account (not much harder than the decision between waiting for more damage before ulting or ulting faster but risking to miss the death blow).

Rhyto2/6/2014, 1:38:54 PM1 votes

That would make that ultimate really deadly if performed right, like a gank for example in the middle of a teamfight to scatter the enemy and run O.o? Yeah it'd be powerful I think it's fine as it is.