League of Legends Skarner VGU: Kit, Lore & More

Skarner's LoL VGU is finally here and the big scorpion champion is going to be feared by many on Summoner's Rift. Let's check out everything we know about this update. 

Skarner's VGU has been one of the most anticipated reworks in a long time. The fact that he ranks as one of the most unpopular champions on the rift hasn't dissuaded the general League community to band together to find out more about his rework. 

Finally, Riot has come together to reveal just what the VGU is all about and when it will release to the general public. His new lore has been revealed, as well as his new abilities which will be a key part of his kit. 

LoL Skarner VGU: All Gameplay Changes Riot Has Made

Skarner's spires are no more. That much has been revealed by Riot ahead of time already and there were already some sneak peeks into his updated kit. Since players seemed to only ever remember his stinger ultimate, that's one aspect of his gameplay Riot wanted to keep. The rest of the kit? Completely overhauled and new. 

Skarner's Abilities After VGU

Skarner has a brand-new kit thanks to the Visual and Gameplay Update from Riot. Two years, players have been waiting for these changes, and finally they're making their way to the Rift. 

Passive - Threads of Vibration

• Skarner's attacks, Shattered Earth, Upheaval and Impale apply Quacking to enemies. Enemies with three stacks of Quacking take % Max HP damage over time.

Q - Shattered Earth / Upheaval

• Skarner rips a rock out of the ground and uses it to empower his next three attacks with bonus damage, range and attack speed. His third attack slams the rock into his target, slowing and dealing significant bonus damage, ending the effect.
• Skarner may re-cast Upheaval and throw the rock as a projectile that explodes on the first enemy hit, dealing the same damage and slow, ending the effect.

W - Seismic Bastion

• Skarner gains a shield and slams into the ground, releasing a shockwave that damages and slows nearby enemies.

E - Ixtal's Impact

• Skarner charges forward, ignoring terrain and grabs the first enemy champion or large monster he collides with. He may then carry them a short way, damaging and stunning them if they collide with the terrain.

R - Impale

• Skarner impales up to three enemy champions, damaging and suppressing them. Skarner gains bonus movement speed for a short time and carries them with him until the end of the effect.

As you can see by his kit it's just as simple as it was before, something that most should appreciate. This is a champion rework, not a brand-new champion, so Riot will want to keep Skarner somewhat similar, at least in difficulty to retain his small and loyal player base. 

The passive is going to be great for fights, with his Q his basic fighting ability. The W is a simple shield to stay alive longer to keep brawling. With his E and R Skarner will have easy access to the backline in a team fight, making him dangerous in front to back team fights. The fact that his Impale is now an AoE is also pretty amazing and will make for some fun gameplay. 

Visual Changes For Skarner

Another key part of Skarner's VGU is not just the new kit, but also how he looks. Until now Skarner was part of the crystal Brackern in Shurima. But with a move to a new region — Ixtal — he will also gain a brand-new look. No more purple crystals, instead Skarner is all about earthy-brown tones. 

He's also grown a lot bigger and has three stingers instead of just one. Overall he looks much more imposing than before, the VGU team, doing an amazing job with this. 

LoL VGU: Skarner's Lore Change

Skarner's lore has also been updated to match the new look and new abilities. While Skarner and the Brackern have called Shurima home for the last few years, it's time to sunset that, because Riot have decided to move them to a whole new region. 

Skarner has been moved to Ixtal, where is now paert of the ancient brackern, one of the founding members of the ruling caste, the Yun Tal. He is devoted to keeping Ixtal safe from the rest of the world, wanting to maintain the regions isolation to the outside world. 

As more members of the Yun Tal begin to question this decision, Skarner grows increasingly paranoid and will do anything to keep Ixtal and its people safe — no matter the cost.

While this change might be a bit unexpected, it's a great new story. This will have an effect on other regions though for lore, especially Pilotver and Zaun. Riot is just going to use the Arcane lore for Hextech going forward, but some champions will need to have their lore reworked as well. 

Skarner VGU Release Date Revealed

Skarner is going to have his VGU released in LoL Patch 14.7. This means that by April 3, 2024 players will be able to get their hands on the Scorpion on live servers. Before then, he will hit the PBE on March 19, 2024 where players can already test out his new kit to see whether it's something they'd want to use in their ranked matches.