Aurelion Sol is saved
What is a CGU | Aurelion Sol's Savior
We have been wondering about the upcoming 'mystery' VGU for a while now. At first, we thought it would be Cho'Gath, but then more and more evidence came about pointing to none other than our favorite giant dragon from space — Aurelion Sol.
Now, in the 2022 April Champion Roadmap Reav3 finally revealed what the champions team has in store for this mystery rework and it actually sounds pretty incredible. If Riot can get this right, then many fans will be quite excited.
Is Aurelion Sol Getting a VGU?
VGU stands for visual and gameplay update. In this case Aurelion Sol will not be getting a VGU, since he is one of the most popular champions in terms of visuals and looks. In the champion roadmap, Reav3 wrote that ASol always scores in the top 10 champions by looks.
Therefore, Aurelion Sol will not be getting a VGU, but a whole new type of champion rework unlike anything we've seen before. This time Riot is solely focusing on the champion's abilities and his kit. So this means his visuals, as well as his lore, are all staying intact.
CGU — What Is That?
CGU stands for Comprehensive Gameplay Update. In short, Riot will focus on fixing his gemplay and leave the rest of the champion alone. This type of rework will hit champions that either have big gameplay issues that a simple shift in power cannot fix, or champions that have a kit which doesn't fit with their fantasy.
So, while Taliyah can get a small mid-scope update and Olaf has one ability reworked, Aurelion Sol faced much bigger issues that smaller updates like the aforementioned wouldn't fix. Therefore, Riot has created this new type of rework and hey, if it lands well, then we might see more of these in the future.
Why Was Aurelion Sol Chosen for the CGU?
As already mentioned, Aurelion Sol has great visuals and some pretty nice skins. Upon release, he was also quite popular, but after witnessing just how bad his gameplay was, players immediately dropped him. The 2019 rework also didn't help him in the popularity department.
So, while ASol is a fearsome beast in his lore and he looks the part, his gameplay is lacklustre and doesn't give players the same immersion it's supposed to, which is why Riot will have to scrap his existing abilities and create new ones. Please Riot... let Aurelion Sol hide in a bush this time around.
All jokes aside though, with this update to Aurelion Sol, Riot is going to bring forth the giant dragon fantasy everyone had hoped for back in 2016 when he was released. Riot is also working together with Aurelion Sol mains to see what could be fixed on his kit.
What is Riot Changing on Aurelion Sol's Kit?
The newly adjusted abilities of Aurelion Sol have been shown on the PBE server. These are all the updates which Riot has made to his kit and his abilities. ASol will now have a stacking passive similar to that of Syndra, which will increase his strength, but some fans thing Riot took his individuality away.
| Ability | Post-CGU |
| Passive - Cosmic Creator | Aurelion Sol's damaging abilities break down enemies into stacks of Stardust, whcih premanently imrpves each of his abilities. |
| Q - Breath of Light | Aurelion Sol channels his dragon breath for a few seconds, damaging the first enemy hit and splashing reduced damage onto nearby enemies. Each second the breath si channeled directly at an enemy will deal bonus damage, which is improved by the amount of Stardust that has been collected. This ability collects Stardust if the target is a champion. |
| W - Astral Flight | Aurelion Sol flies over terrain in a targeted direction. While in this state, he can cast other abilities. Breath of Light no longer has a cooldown or maximum channel duration and deals increased damage while flying.
Astral Flight's remaining cooldown is reduced whenever an enemy champion dies after being recently damaged by Aurelion Sol. Stardust increases AStral Flight's max range. |
| E - Singularity | Aurelion Sol summons a black hole, damaging enemies and slowly pulling them toward its center. This ability grants Stardust each time an enemy dies within the black hole and for each second an enemy champion is caught inside it.
The center of the balck hole executes enemies who are below a certain percentage of their max health. Starust increases Singularity's size as well as the execution threshold. |
| R - Falling Star | Falling Star: Aurelion Sol crashes a star into the earth. This impact deals magic damage and stuns enemies while also granting Stardust for each enemy champion it hits. Gathering enough Stardust transforms Aurelion Sol's next Falling Star into The Skies Descend. The Skies Descend: Aurelion Sol drags a giant star down from the heavens with an increased impact zone and increased damage, knocking up enemies rather than stunning them. A shockwave then spread from the edge of the impact zone, which damages and slows the enemies it hits. Stardust increase the impact area of both Falling Star and The Skies Descend. |
On Reddit, Reav3 stated that the E black hole will also give Aurelion Sol stacks when killing minions. This will make him pretty OP, but we're excited that this champion will finally have some time in the spot light.
Will Riot Remove his Orbiting Stars?
Unfortunately, the Orbiting Stars have gone. Riot removed the stars from his kit, which some players are disappointed about, finding the stars the unique selling point of the champion. We will have to see how this new kit translates onto the rift.
When Can We Expect the Aurelion Sol CGU?
Aurelion Sol will likely be released after the Ahri ASU which is set to go live on January 24, 2023. SkinSpotlights also noted that in the PBE files, the hub for the ASol CGU should go live on February 7, 2023 which coincides with the release of LoL Patch 13.3.