Naafiri is the next character to come to League of Legends. She brings her pack, and with its help, Naafiri will hunt down enemies, overwhelming them with a pack of teeth and claws.
She is an assassin that will primarily be played in the mid-lane. However, you can also use her in the jungle. Naafiri was designed to be a very easy champion to play and master. Developers described her as the easiest assassin in LoL, with a very unique kit.
So, without further ado, let's find out everything about Naafiri.
Release date
Naafiri will be coming to League of Legends on patch 13.14, which goes live on July 19, 2023.
The champion will cost 7800 BE in the first week. Then, the price will go down to 6300 BE.
Naafiri Cinematic
Naafiri cinematic was released on 20 June.
In the cinematic, we can see Naafiri being released from the sword she was imprisoned in. The Dune Hounds are the ones that release her.
She then becomes the Dune Hounds pack leader, realising that she will only be able to achieve her goals with their help.
Naafiri says:
Alone, I starved. But together? We feast.
Trailer
The Naafiri trailer came out on 21 June. It showcased Naafiri in all its glory, giving LoL fans a chance to see her amazing design.
In the trailer, fans were also introduced to Naafiri's abilities. They were able to see her slashing through enemies, and using her pack to inflict damage.
It's also possible to see how Naafiri interacts with the environment in Summoner's Rift.
She can jump through walls, like the baron or dragon pit ones. This allows her to catch enemies off guard and gives her plenty of options when roaming.
LoL Naafiri abilities
Being an assassin, Naafiri needs to jump on an enemy champion and deal a lot of damage quickly. Her unique kit allows her to do just that.
Naafiri has a gap-closing ability and can do a lot of damage in a small amount of time. Furthermore, all of her abilities are very intuitive and easy to master.
When combined, Naafiri's abilities make it easy for her to reach an enemy, quickly eliminate him, and get away.
You can take a look at Naafiri's abilities below.
We Are More (Passive)
Naafiri passive allows her to create a Packmate after an amount of time that will attack enemies that she targets for physical damage.
The damage is increased after she uses an ability. Hitting champions with abilities or killing enemies reduces this ability’s cooldown.
Darkin Dagger (Q)
Darkin Dagger is Naafiri's main damage ability. She hurls Darkin-tainted blades, dealing physical damage and inflicting a bleed for a few seconds. This ability may be recast.
When enemies hit by Darkin Dagger are already bleeding, Naafiri deals the remaining bleed damage plus bonus physical damage and missing health physical damage.
If the target is a champion, Naafiri restores some health. Packmates will leap at the first target hit, prioritizing champions and attacking them for a few seconds
Hounds’ Pursuit (W)
Hounds’ Pursuit is one of two gap-closing abilities Naafiri possess.
Once activated, after a small delay, Naafiri will dash at an enemy, dealing physical damage and briefly slowing her target or the first champion she collides with. This ability gains range based on ultimate rank.
When Naafiri uses this ability, her packmates become untargetable and dash alongside her, dealing additional damage per Packmate.
Eviscerate (E)
Eviscerate is yet another skill that gives Naafiri the ability to get closer to her enemies.
Naafiri surges forward, dashing and dealing physical damage to enemies she passes through, then explodes outward, dealing additional physical damage. Packmates are recalled to Naafiri and are healed to full.
The Call of the Pack (R)
Naafiri empowers her Packmates and spawning bonus Packmates for a short duration. Then, she gains a burst of out of combat Movespeed, vision, and the first time she hits an enemy champion, she gains a shield.
On the first champion takedown, all ultimate effects are refreshed. That makes this ability perfect for an assassin champion.
Naafiri Playstyle
Naafiri is an assassin, and just like every other assassin in LoL, she wants to 100 to 0 her opponents. Because of that, getting ahead in the early game is crucial.
If Naafiri falls too far behind in the early game, she won't be able to output a lot of burst damage. This means Naafiri won't be able to install kill even squishy targets such as ADCs, making her pretty much useless.
So, it's important to find impact in the early game. You don't need to solo kill your lane opponent over and over to do that. Roaming and impacting the sidelines is the best way to get ahead as an assassin.
By finding good roaming windows, you can secure some easy kills, plates, and other objectives. Focus on roaming to the bot lane, since ADC and supports are the most squishy characters in the game.
When behind, it's much harder to have an impact as an ADC than as a tank top laner. So bare this in mind.
Once you get a lead, you want to try and force fights, since you will win most skirmishes. Also try to set up dives with your jungle, and help him gain control of the opponent's jungle.
LoL Naafiri Lore
An ancient Darkin with incredible power, Naafiri was destined to lead her kin until her ambitions were cut short. She was entombed within a blade and imprisoned in a crypt deep beneath the Shuriman sands.
One fateful day centuries later, Naafiri was set free and bound to a new host, the Dune Hounds. Initially furious at her new state, Naafiri soon discovered that the pack’s collective consciousness would prove invaluable to her plans.
Whereas her brethren fought individually and suffered defeat, Naafiri’s strength lies in the unity, loyalty and shared strength of her pack.
Naafiri now seeks to unify her fellow Darkin and will summon the full might of her pack to mercilessly tear down anyone that stands in her way.