Hwei: League of Legends’ Newest Champion and the Scrapped “Depressed Raincloud” Ability
The excitement surrounding League of Legends’ latest champion, Hwei, continues to grow as the community learns more about this complex hero’s abilities. Recently, lead designer August Browning discussed Hwei’s design process, revealing an interesting ability that was ultimately scrapped.
In a Reddit post shared on Nov. 19, August Browning explained that one of Hwei’s utility spells involved summoning a depressed raincloud that would stealth him. However, this ability did not make it into the final version of Hwei’s kit.
Described as the “depressed raincloud” ability, it would have allowed Hwei to go stealth for a short period, making him invisible to his enemies. This could have been used to either initiate a surprise attack or make a quick escape.
This scrapped ability, although fun, posed balancing issues. The League of Legends community has often expressed their desire for fewer stealth-based champions, making this addition problematic. Additionally, Hwei’s character already carries a sense of sadness, as seen in his Worlds cinematic trailer and lore, so the raincloud may have added too much melancholy.
Interestingly, this stealth-like ability bears resemblance to one of Invoker’s skills from Dota 2, an inspiration for Hwei’s creation. Invoker’s ability “Ghost Walk” allows him to disappear from sight, although nearby enemies can still track him due to a slowing effect.
In the end, it seems for the best that the raincloud ability was removed from Hwei’s kit. With his already vast array of ten spells and the community’s aversion to stealth, this change ensures a better balance and gameplay experience for League of Legends players.
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