League of Legends news » Hecarim, the Shadow of War Revealed!

Summoners!

If you’ve been clamoring to add more heavy cavalry to your League of Legends lineup, Hecarim, the Shadow of War has arrived to help you round out your roster. This high mobility fighter features excellent ganking and initiation potential, giving him great flexibility throughout the game. And what’s more, he’s a massive centaur with a host of ghost cavalry ready to trample his opponents under hoof!

So to help deliver your spectral warlord into the fray, Hecarim also boasts a compliment of abilities tailored to allowing him to move at frightening speeds and close distance rapidly. Devastating Charge gives Hecarim a short boost of movement speed to initiate a fight, chase down a fleeing enemy, or even escape when a battle goes south. His Onslaught of Shadows ability can serve to disrupt the enemy ranks in a team fight as well as land Hecarim in prime position to begin laying down heavy area of effect damage. Meanwhile, his Warpath passive gives him a little extra punch for each point of Movement Speed item you acquire, making some of the speedier items into more attractive choices.

In addition to filling out his role as an initiator, Hecarim’s kit also gives him great versatility. His ability to create havoc in an enemy team by laying down area of effect damage makes him a powerful presence in a team fight. Additionally, the speed boost he receives from Devastating Charge can either serve to initiate a gank from the jungle or to escape from an enemy’s gank attempt in a solo lane. Wherever you choose to field this imposing new champion, we think you’ll be happy to have him in your stable!

Abilities:

• Warpath (Passive) – Hecarim ignores unit collision and gains attack damage equal to a percentage of his bonus movement speed.
• Rampage – Hecarim cleaves nearby enemies dealing physical damage.
• Spirit of Dread - Hecarim deals magic damage to nearby enemies for a short duration. Hecarim gains health equal to a percentage of any damage those enemies suffer.
• Devastating Charge - Hecarim gains increasing movement speed for a short duration. His next attack knocks the target back and deals additional physical damage based on the distance he has traveled since activating the ability.
• Onslaught of Shadows (Ultimate) - Hecarim summons spectral riders and charges forward, dealing magic damage in a line. Hecarim creates a shockwave when he finishes his charge dealing additional magic damage to nearby enemies causing them to flee in terror.

Lore:

Since his first sighting on the northwestern shores of Valoran, the towering, armored specter known as Hecarim struck a chilling fear into the hearts of all who laid eyes upon him. No one had ever seen anything like his titanic, ethereal form before, and the mystery of his sudden arrival was deeply unnerving. When Hecarim began to march eastwards, leaving a trail of desolate, lifeless ground behind him, the villagers of the plains fled their homes for the safety of nearby Demacia. In the city's now-overcrowded taverns, rumors about this inhuman phantom spread in hushed whispers. Some claimed that he was the vengeful shade of an ancient warrior, intent on destroying all living beings; one man insisted that they had seen him leading an entire legion of spectral cavalrymen; others still believed him to be the creation of some hateful necromancer. One Demacian commander, seeking to dispel the terror that had gripped the city, assembled a few of his finest soldiers and rode out to turn back or destroy Hecarim.

The commander led his soldiers to stand in Hecarim's path and braced for his assault. As the apparition bore down on them, an overwhelming sensation of dread gripped the warriors. The men, frozen in fear, could only scream as the ghostly titan ran them down, tearing them apart and trampling them beneath his iron hooves. Hecarim turned to the crippled, cowering commander and uttered a chilling statement: ''This is merely the beginning. No mortal army can withstand the might of the Shadow Isles.'' With that, Hecarim departed, resuming his grim march. Driven to insanity by his nightmarish experience, the commander stumbled back to Demacia, where his dire warnings were dismissed as the ravings of a madman. While Hecarim's origin and intent were still a mystery, his destination became clear when he reached the Institute of War and, in a voice both ominous and commanding, demanded entry into the League of Legends.

''You don't understand...the shadows will consume us all...'' - Former Demacian Commander