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 of Arcane, 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 Legends will be continuing this with other regions, with the next season confirmed to take place in Ionia.
One of the biggest changes that League of Legends has made during the Noxus season is giving LeBlanc a visual and gameplay update (VGU), which redesigned her default skin to look like her form in the Arcane-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 with League of Legends‘ first season coming to an end, the game might be skipping Vladimir’s VGU for now.
Related
Every League of Legends Game Confirmed To Be In Development in 2025
Riot Games is currently working on several new games that take place in the League of Legends universe, but details about them are mostly slim.
League of Legends’ Vladimir Deserves a Redesign After More Than a Decade
Vladimir is a mage champion who debuted in League of Legends back 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 Rose started 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Many in the community have joked that Vladimir’s in-game design is already outdated, especially now that other older League of Legends characters have gotten VGUs in the last few years.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 during League of Legends Season 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.
- Last visual update: 2014
- Last gameplay update: 2016
While it’s understandable for League of Legends fans 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 a playable mage in League of Legends: Wild Rift in 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 outdated League of Legends model.
Even if League of Legends doesn’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 the Wild Rift model to League 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 sure all the League of Legends champions are balanced this year.
League of Legends
- Released
-
October 27, 2009
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Engine
-
Proprietary
