Yorick Abilities
All of Yorick’s abilities are subject to change, but here’s what we got to see yesterday from his creepy minions:
Necrotic Ritual: Summons a green ghast that explodes in a cloud of poison, slowing the enemy and dealing damage over time.
Devouring Ritual: Summons a red ghast that siphons life from his attacks and channels it to Yorick. It also empowers Yorick’s next attack with a hefty amount of lifesteal.
Spectral Ritual: Summons a blue ghast that embodies the powerful Summoner Spell Ghost, with increased movespeed and the ability to walk through units. Best of all, he bestows the same buffs to Yorick for the duration of his brief existence, ensuring that Yorick can chase down his target.
It’s important to note that these ghasts don’t work like your average pet: they can’t be controlled, and they die fairly quickly (in the build we saw, they lasted around 4 seconds, though it’s planned to increase the duration to around 6 to 8 seconds). It’s possible to summon all three ghasts at once if you’re quick on the draw, and from what we could tell, his effects definitely stack, turning him into a damage powerhouse when all three ghasts are active. To beef him up even more, Yorick’s passive gives him stat bonuses depending on which ghasts are active.
His ultimate ability wasn’t yet finalized, but the preferred concept for it sounds amazing. Yorick would pound his shovel into the ground, sending a shockwave forward that wakes the dead beneath the soil. This slam causes skeletal hands to burst through the dirt–if an enemy champion gets caught in the shockwave, the skeletal hands will grab their feet, locking them in place. This skill-shot, lined nuke could be potentially devstating in a teamfight, much like Amumu’s, and would make for a great gank initiation from the jungle.
All in all, Yorick looks to be the perfect way to kick off a new mechanic, minions, in a balanced-but-formidable form. We can’t wait to play him when he’s released after the Season One championship, cackling as our ghasts last-hit creeps and champions alike to fill the fresh graves. Be sure to keep a lookout for our previews of the next two heroes, coming soon!
Source:
League of Legends’ newest champion, Yorick, in action
Morello - Lead champion designer
One thing to note - a couple of the specifics on how the minions and rituals are summoned has been changed, and for the better. All the skills still operate in the same basic way PCG outlined here, but a few of the targeting types and specific effects have been adjusted.
Source to Morello's Note:
http://www.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=827646 (scroll down on page 1)
