League of Legends: Udyr rework: Aesthetics, move set, and what to expect
League of Legends PBE (Public Beta Environment) already has the VGU (visual gameplay update) of Udyr. However, the rework is not yet available for everyone in-game as of yet. The spirit walker, Udyr, is one of the more classic champions of League of Legends. With newer and newer champions being introduced, the rework of Udyr is a relief for the Riot Games community.
There has been lesser visibility of Udyr as, after multiple updates on other champions, he has been left utterly outdated in both gameplay and visuals. According to an article directly from the team of developers of Udyr posted on the League of Legends website, the decision to update the gameplay and visuals of Udyr was after tallying the results of their poll for champions that needs to be reworked.
Udyr is known for his dance stances, lack of notable ultimate skill, but a fair list of passives and melees.
Aesthetics, move set, and release date
The reworked Udyr has an improved passive, Bridge Between (Awakened Spirit / Monk Training). Udyr also has 4 basic ability (dance) stances, each related to a Freljodian demigod. Each stance also has its corresponding bonus effects, which can be cast or refreshed every 30 seconds. Casting (and re-casting) his ability, Udyr will gain an additional 40% attack speed on his next two attacks.
Here is a list of his stances:
- Q – Wilding Claw or Claw Stance – Gain Attack Speed. The next two attacks have burst damage
- W – Iron Mantle or Mantle Stance – Gain a Shield. The next two attacks restore health
- E – Blazing Stampede or Stampede Stance – Gain a burst of movement speed. Stuns the target of the first attack
- R – Wingborne Storm or Storm Stance – Summon a glacial storm. The first two attacks increase the storm’s AoE.
If Udyr is Awakened after casting any stance, multiple bonus effects for the champion can be used.
- Q – Awakened Wilding Claw – Â Increase attack speed, plus the next 2 attacks have arc lightning.Â
- W – Awakened Iron Mantle – Refreshes shield and also stacking. Recover a large amount of health for 2 seconds.
- E – Awakened Blazing Stampede – Increase movement speed, and gain CC immunity for a brief time.
- R – Awakened Wingborne Storm – storm detaches and starts attacking the last player Udyr has attacked.
If you decide to give the reworked champion a try, according to the developers, you should experiment with the varying stances of Udyr.
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In League of Legends PBE, Udyr continues to be used as a jungler. Players also continue to focus on his defense because of his lack of ranged attacks. This is done to prevent him from being backed into a corner in case of an ambush. Some players prefer to focus on his physical damage as his passive and Awakened has multiple bonuses that focus on additional attack bonus, attack speed, and increased movement. This can also be used to the advantage of the players, especially if they decide to invade the jungle of the opposing team.
With the champion first released in 2009, he was a jungle main with potential because of how quickly he could complete the task. He can be pesky once he has a full build. A big risk you have to take when using Udyr is his lack of range attacks. After the updates, hopefully, Udyr’s name will appear more in the LoL just as frequently as other champions. This may just be the needed push to get Udyr back to the pro scene.
Udyr’s update is expected to be completed with patch 12.16. The rework will be out by August 24, 2022.