Inside Warwick development

Riot·Jan 24, 2017·3 votes·17,511 views

Welcome to the latest League Podcast, a series in which we take you behind-the-scenes with the people who help make League possible. Expect new guests and new stories every couple of weeks or so, and make sure to hit us with those comments and ratings so we can keep striving toward a Challenger-tier podcast.

This week, artist Larry “The Bravo Ray” Ray, designer Brad “certainlyT” Wenban, and writer David “Interlocutioner” Slagle share behind-the-scenes stories on the development of Warwick.

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123 Comments

HacccchanJan 24, 201718 votes

i have a bone to pick with the people behind this rework

CivilityJan 24, 201715 votes

The only thing I don't like about this rework is ugly thing on his back. No value added there.

EarthenDragonJan 24, 20173 votes

I hated it at first but its pretty cool to have little flaws like that that don't totally ruin the design. I like it now.

SpyglassJan 24, 20173 votes

I wonder why they didn't go with removing the hextech bits and bobs for the "Feral" skin instead of making him ... whatever that skin is ...

Call Me TwistedJan 25, 20173 votes

they all look like shit now :/

TheHappyReaperzJan 25, 20178 votes

All of WW's skins are way better now. Riot updated them from the literal 0 particle changing effect skins they were, into something actually worth using.

SheTöökTheKidsJan 25, 20174 votes

Hyena Ww had a different Bloodscent running animation [slayer-jinx-unamused]

TheBoyInTheMoonJan 25, 20172 votes

I agree with you

smallratJan 24, 20173 votes

Agree, he is cuter now, if he have no the ugly thing on his back XP

The Wise CiceroJan 24, 20174 votes

You guys have read his lore right how he injects himself with that shit to be stronger than his human self is

KatMissMatchJan 25, 20172 votes

umm. actually NO. he dosnt. SINGED was pumping that stuff into him to try and make him a chimera. it worked. and now he cant remove them as it causes him too much pain to try and gouge them out. he has tried. repeatedly

Wind WhistlerJan 24, 201714 votes

Thanks for finally deciding not to remove another champion from the game. Instead, you updated him. He kept pretty much all parts of his kit, but you added counterplay and overall just modernized him. Amazing job. Please do this with Galio and Urgot, too!

ZakyiJan 24, 20173 votes

Who was previous removed?

MagicFlyingLlamaJan 24, 20178 votes

Nobody.

Maybe just people salty about the fiora rework.

5000000000000000Jan 24, 20178 votes

I've heard people referencing Sion, Poppy, and Yorick as removing champions. The argument was that they are completely different characters pre and post rework.

PacothegintJan 25, 20177 votes

They came out of the updates in a much better state than they were before. Besides in most cases the reword stayed true to orgional character. Sion able to infinity stack health, Poppy being a disrupter, Yorick being a minionmancer.

5000000000000000Jan 25, 20177 votes

Poppy lost her iconic ultimate, and Yorick couldn't spam minions at the enemy's face until they backed off or died. Never got to play (or play against) the old Sion, so can't say much there. I definitely agree that they came out in a much better state, but that has to come with changing the gameplay significantly, and some inevitably feel bad about their champion getting "removed" from not being able to play like they used to.

Well, actually, Poppy is still unkillable and kills everyone, so maybe her core gameplay remains the same.

DocdingleberryJan 25, 20174 votes

Taric item 3070 Taric "The Shield Of Valoran" had his shield taken away [slayer-jinx-unamused]

MontethePythonJan 24, 20174 votes

I don't think a champ has ever been removed from League as of yet, might wanna rephrase that.

ArgothJan 25, 20175 votes

Old Sion was a completely different champ Sion < this is not the same champ in anyway.

MontethePythonJan 25, 20175 votes

That's still a rework, it holds the same core idea, lore, and general game theme. Removing a champion and completely reworking are still different. Plus they had insanely unhealthy gameplay before, or with sion just a clunky and less satisfactory kit. You might say they were completely reworked, but that's not the same as removing.

EagleskingJan 25, 20172 votes

Core idea? usually, yes. General game theme? sure. I'll agree with most of what you said. Except...

Lore? Absolutely not. They might be from the same place or have been in the same areas, but a lot of the lore updates are literally "delete all of this and try again... add more death... perfect." Gangplank actually did die for a little while. I know he wasn't really dead, but the client and Riot said he was. And if that's not indicative of "more death," read the Warwick stuff.

I like most of the new lore, but to say that the reworks and updates aren't changing things in a system they entirely remade is just silly. (RIP Summoners)

Wind WhistlerJan 26, 20171 votes

{quoted}

That's still a rework, it holds the same core idea, lore, and general game theme. Removing a champion and completely reworking are still different. Plus they had insanely unhealthy gameplay before, or with sion just a clunky and less satisfactory kit. You might say they were completely reworked, but that's not the same as removing.

Disagree. What makes a champion a champion is their visuals, voice, lore, and gameplay. That's all there really is to them, after all. If all of those things are completely altered to the point where they're beyond recognition, it's safe to say that that champion no longer exists in the game, and therefor was removed.

Also, what exactly was "unhealthy" about Yorick's kit?

ArgothJan 28, 20171 votes

only thing the same is the shield and his old kit was unstoppable

ATinyLionJan 25, 20172 votes

I agree! People will continue to complain about these reworks when, in reality, are just quality-of-life updates towards a meta that is in constant motion. The term "modernized" is a very complete description because that is really the heart of what a rework is. Re-designing a champion requires a lot of thought about what makes that champion unique, and I feel that a lot of people lose touch of the fact that the game is pretty old at this point. Certain elements become irrelevant, while others become "meta". Instead of complaining, I think we should count on Riot to update the champions in the game, while they also work day and night on new models for gameplay/mechanics as well as consistent new champs. You can't have a 4 year-old champ maintain a healthy balance in a game that has constant new material added into it. It doesn't work like that.

Wind WhistlerJan 26, 20171 votes

Thanks, but you do know the difference between a champion being updated and a champion being REMOVED, right?

xSicaxJan 24, 201711 votes

How much time until the update? Warwick

TheBoyInTheMoonJan 24, 20174 votes

2 hours to go

TormentulaJan 24, 201714 votes

Its tomorrow when the new patch goes live.

GoatSpooksJan 24, 20176 votes

This whole update is downright looney...

Cursed ChickenJan 24, 20175 votes

It may be rip adc in 2017 But im still ganna blow all ma money on the blood moon jhin skin Cos as always said Skins=wins [slayer-jinx-wink]

Btw got tundra hunter warwick in a chest ages ago and I feel so happy cos of the amazing work they did on his reworked skin, amazing quality considering its 520 rp.

fallofpennyJan 24, 20174 votes

not with annies frost fire skin ive gotten lost in the minions so many times its not funny XD

Zandalari SolJan 25, 20175 votes

Why are his ears so looonnggggg tho?

big frickJan 25, 20175 votes

he is supposed to be a mix of a bat wolf human fox thing

Call Me TwistedJan 25, 20173 votes

it looks horrible :/

SibJan 25, 20176 votes

You mean awesome and way better and more iconic than he ever was before.

Wasabi795Jan 25, 20175 votes

I swear people complain about everything.

PlagueDoctorXYZJan 26, 20171 votes

agreed

SteelCrowJan 26, 20171 votes

You swear too much.

Maker LiveJan 24, 20174 votes

This outta be fun.

Tatoon0621Jan 24, 20174 votes

They already got the Patch notes released on the Client. Although an Illaoi skin would be pretty awesome.

hollywoodtjJan 24, 20173 votes

when will he be released and is the sandbox mode coming with him or is it gonna be separate?

DecideJan 24, 20173 votes

Rengar

DocdingleberryJan 25, 20173 votes

Love this rework! The new abilities are awesome. No more boring brainless click R to win and heal through all damage...Plus he scales with AP again! My only real issues are 1)they ruined the hyena skins move animation, 2)the thing on his back is kinda weird and seems pointless/stupid, 3) The feral skin could've been reimagined better..Other than those minor issues, which are only cosmetic anyways, I think Riot hit the nail on the head. [slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

EarthenDragonJan 24, 20172 votes

THIS REWORK IS GOD TIER! (In perspective with old Warwick)

BroyhdJan 25, 20172 votes

Graves WHO NEEDS HIS CIGAR WHEN WE HAVE WW NOW

Black JesusVJan 25, 20172 votes

Can i just say ~ that this champion visually looks great, seems great. but the frames that you guys put into him is/are lack luster. This is the PBE side. Maybe live will be different. but his ult. COME ON, I understand he needs to be "fast" but he literally jumps like 100 pixels. Its like a Flipbook missing 20 pages and straight to him in your face. I can see a lot of problems with this, and a complained about champion in the future.

Cold of AquariusJan 25, 20172 votes

does urf ww will come back?~~~~

Retro LunaJan 25, 20172 votes

the thing is i feel this rework wasnt like Sion, Poppy, Taric or Yorick(changing the lore and the core kit). It was more in the lines of Tristana, Alistar, Shen, Ryze(hopefully won't need another rework) still keeping their lore but modernized it and kept the core parts of their kits and just made it better just like Warwick.

Wind WhistlerJan 26, 20172 votes

{quoted}

the thing is i feel this rework wasnt like Sion, Poppy, Taric or Yorick(changing the lore and the core kit). It was more in the lines of Tristana, Alistar, Shen, Ryze(hopefully won't need another rework) still keeping their lore but modernized it and kept the core parts of their kits and just made it better just like Warwick.

Actually, Sion's lore wasn't changed very much at all. Warwick's was changed more than Sion. But for Taric, Poppy, and Yorick? Yeah, completely changed.