League of Legends' Noxus season brings a renewed experience to the MOBA with themed surroundings and skins based on the fierce region. The cinematics also expanded upon the events ofArcane, following characters like Mel Medarda and LeBlanc, and other relevant characters, as they give a glimpse of what’s happening in present-day Noxus.League of Legendswill be continuing this with other regions, with the next season confirmed to take place in Ionia.
One of thebiggest changes thatLeague of Legendshas made during the Noxus seasonis giving LeBlanc a visual and gameplay update (VGU), which redesigned her default skin to look like her form in theArcane-adjacent cinematics. Along with the Black Rose leader, the game also debuted a new look for Vladimir, who’s also a Noxian champion and LeBlanc’s collaborator, which fans assumed would get a VGU as well. But withLeague of Legends' first season coming to an end, the game might be skipping Vladimir’s VGU for now.
League of Legends' Vladimir Deserves a Redesign After More Than a Decade
Vladimir is a mage champion who debuted inLeague of Legendsback in 2010. In lore, he is known as a hemomancer who feasts on the blood of mortals and has established a cult of devoted followers. He has also had great influence on Noxus' affairs since the empire’s early days.Vladimir’s alliance with LeBlanc and the Black Rosestarted during the height of Mordekaiser’s dark reign, when they formed a pact to take him down. They continue to work together after thousands of years to prevent Mordekaiser from returning and to control the Noxian empire from the shadows.
Many in thecommunity have joked that Vladimir’s in-game design is already outdated, especially now that otherolderLeague of Legendscharacters have gotten VGUsin the last few years. Although Vladimir has had two updates since his release, his only visual enhancement was done way back in 2014, which was already over a decade ago. When LeBlanc’s new appearance was revealed in the Noxus cinematics and eventually received a VGU in-game, many were hopeful that Vladimir would get the same treatment duringLeague of LegendsSeason 1. But as mentioned, the Noxus season is ending and Season 2 in Ionia is already expected to drop on April 30, so Vladimir’s VGU will have to wait.
While it’s understandable forLeague of Legendsfans to feel like they’ve been led on with Vladimir’s newer design in the Noxus cinematics, Riot Games might not have his VGU in its plans just yet. It’s possible that the developer will release at least one VGU per season, and for Noxus, it’s likely just LeBlanc. Optimistically, Riot could surprise everyone with a last-minute VGU release before Season 2 starts later this month.
There’s Already an Updated Vladimir Design Right in Front of League of Legends Fans
Interestingly, Vladimir did get an updated design when he was launched as aplayable mage inLeague of Legends: Wild Riftin 2023. The MOBA’s mobile counterpart has been praised for the quality of its champions' designs, which often look more detailed than the original. Vladimir is certainly one of them, as his features are more pronounced than his outdatedLeague of Legendsmodel.
Even ifLeague of Legendsdoesn’t have Vladimir in its VGU pipeline yet, the reality is that Riot already has the assets to work with. The only possible problem could be translating theWild Riftmodel toLeague of Legends, which could take a lot of time and effort to pull off. Nonetheless, Vladimir’s VGU doesn’t seem out of the question down the line, and Riot could just be focused on making sureall theLeague of Legendschampionsare balanced this year.
