League of Legends’ Taric has received a glorious overhaul

After a week of teasing, Riot have finally unveiled the new Taric.  His entire kit has been replaced with something far more up-to-date, and infinitely more fabulous. Gone is his title of Gem Knight, replaced with something a little more badass instead. Taric is now known as the Shield of Valoran.

As one of League of Legends oldest champions, he was in dire need of a rework. So what’s changed exactly, besides him getting extra splendid hair?

Taric hit the Rift just a few months after League’s release, and while a bunch of the OG champs have gone through the champion update team’s brush up, the champion formerly known as the Gem Knight had to wait his turn. Until Now. We’re about to send the stunning Aspect back out to the PBE replete with a whole new story (check out his comic and new bio!), kit, look—including the most glorious hair the Rift has ever seen—and audio.

So, just about everything is new. Taric followed that whole mantra of “new year new me” to perfection! What do his abilities look like now?

Passive: Bravado

Taric infuses his next two basic attacks whenever he casts an ability. He swings faster with these two attacks, which deal increased damage and reduce his cooldowns.

Q: Starlight’s Touch

Taric heals himself and all nearby allies based on the number of Starlight’s Touch charges he’s stored. Taric generates up to three charges over time.

W: Bastion

All of Taric’s abilities are simultaneously cast from both Taric and his linked ally.

Passive: Bastion increases Taric’s armor.

Active: Taric links with an ally, shielding them from damage. Bastion remains on Taric’s ally until he recasts it onto another ally, or the two move far enough apart to break their link.

E: Dazzle

After a brief delay, Taric fires out a short wave of celestial energy in a target direction that stuns all enemies struck.

R: Cosmic Radiance

Taric calls on the stars themselves for protection. After a moderate delay, he and all nearby allies become invulnerable for a few seconds.

There are some similarities to his older spells, but overall, Taric has been overhauled into something more modern and more relevant. That new ultimate in particular looks interesting. If used correctly, those few seconds of invulnerability can make or break a team fight entirely!

What do you think of his new kit? Are you happy with Taric’s overall redesign? He isn’t out in the main game client just yet, but he is available in the PBE if you’d like to give him a bash.

Last Updated: April 6, 2016