A few days ago there was a potential leak of an image which was supposedly a look at the League of Legends Karma visual rework. Riot has now confirmed that it was indeed the new Karma model and have decided to go ahead and show us what they’ve got so far for The Enlightened One. As you can see, the fans are gone, as are the demure clothes and demeanor, and Karma has a much more Ionian champion look to her. The devs have said that the old look never did fit in with Karma’s playstyle and lore in League of Legends.
Karma now carries the Ionian Draconic symbol with her as a conduit for her Mantra instead of the fans, and the visual effects of her abilities do the job of conveying an inner strength which is the core of her power and abilities. As you can see from the panels below, the glowing effects seem to be a visual indication of when her Mantra is activated.
We still do not have any information about her ability rework, but from the glowing and the beam in the above panel, we can assume that there will be at least some similarities between her new and old kits. We do know that the kit is being reworked into a support-mage, meaning she will have a mixture of damage and utility which should allow Karma to affect the outcome of team fights in League of Legends. Hopefully the devs can figure out a way to overcome the typical loss of effectiveness with champions who attempt to bridge the gap between multiple roles. I have a feeling that they are looking for Karma to fill a role in a lane similar to situations you would use Zyra in, but again, we will have to wait on the ability rework to know for sure.
Summoners who own Karma before the complete rework goes live will also be receiving a “traditional” Karma skin once the changes hit live servers. This skin depicts Karma in apparel similar to her current look, except minus the fans.
With a complete visual, voice over, and ability rework, the new Karma launch will be just like getting a new support champion in League of Legends. And that is something I can get excited about. The new look is great, and it seems that Riot has a real feel for the direction they are going with her. Now we wait patiently once again for more information about her ability update. Hopefully her new kit is as awesome as her new look.
