League of Legends Shares First Look at New Dragon Champion, Smolder

Riot Games has been dropping hints for the past couple of months about several of its new League of Legends champions, and today, we seem to have finally gotten a name for one of those new characters. The champion in question appears to be called "Smolder," and the name is quite the fitting one based on what's been shown so far. Smolder is shown by Riot to be a small dragon that possesses quite the enthusiastic personality. No release date has been announced yet, but we've got some of the past teasers for the champion to lean on when trying to figure out what, exactly, his abilities might look like.

The best teaser yet for the champion now known to be called Smolder was shared this week via the League of Legends socials. Riot didn't outright call Smolder a champion, but it's hard to see him as anything but. You can see it below to get your first look (and listen) at Smolder ahead of his full reveal that'll happen eventually.

League of Legends Introduces Smolder

Smolder’s kind of a big deal 😤🥺 pic.twitter.com/V6QFgN5TO8

— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) January 4, 2024

Dragons in League of Legends are relatively scarce outside of the elemental drakes, Syvana, and Aurelion Sol, so Smolder will be just one of several mythical beasts in that category to grace Summoner's Rift when the champion is released. We hear him before we see him in the League of Legends video below as he excitedly recounts the mythos behind dragons in the world of Runeterra much like a young child would retell a story. A fiery sneeze burns away Smolder's environmental storytelling towards the end of the clip to finally show what he actually looks like.

Smolder certainly looked and sounded like a child, and that's all but confirmed once you actually see him. Plus, he's clearly seen talking to his mom in the first champion teaser, and it's evident that he's young enough that his mom still actively worries about him.

As for his abilities, we see him breath fire, though that's hardly a teaser and should more be considered a staple of dragons in League of Legends. What that fire-breathing power will look like in his kit remains to be seen, but after seeing him, it makes the past teasers that much more interesting.

Smolder Teasers

So, what lane will Smolder go in? Months ago in a previous Champion Roadmap, Riot Games teased that it was working on "an adorable creature marksman who's slowly hatching." That's obviously a Smolder reference looking back on it, so it seems he'll be a marksman in the bottom lane.

Later in October 2023, Riot put out another Champion Roadmap where it talked about Smolder and used words like "smoldering" and "smol" which make much more sense now. The following teasers were also shared:

"You can track his progress through how his fire breathing techniques have improved. Just don't underestimate him! He might be young and smol, but small for him is literally ...quite big!

"He walks around with the swagger given only by an heir of royalty, which just comes so naturally to him. Perhaps that confidence comes from knowing that there is something lurking not too far in the distance, always watching, creating a safe space for our young dragon to grow?"

Parts of those teasers carry lore implications about him being an "heir of royalty," but the part about "something lurking" may be a reference to his mom (or parents) teased in the video above.

Smolder's full reveal should share more info about the champion soon, so be on the lookout for a full breakdown of his abilities, background, and more.