The Developer Blog for the 2025 League of Legends season has dropped, following the release of the season-start music video “Bite Marks”, the LoL devs have revealed a bevvy of features both rumored and confirmed coming to players this season.
Every year, in the early days of January, Riot Games gives League of Legends players a roadmap of upcoming content to be excited about in the approaching year. 2025’s Developer Blog has dropped, and it’s full of titillating new additions.
LoL Dev Blog reveals Mel Medarda as a champion
The headline announcement from this blog, for both LoL and Arcane fans, is the arrival of Mel Medarda as a playable champion. Mel was introduced in Arcane, created by animation studio Fortiche specifically for the project. After winning the 2021 “Annie” animated award for Best Character Design, and becoming attuned to her magical powers in Arcane season 2, it seemed inevitable that she joined the enormous roster of LoL’s champions.
We don’t yet have Mel’s full ability reveal, but Riot did let fans see her new, much more Noxian, look, as well as the flashiest mechanic she’s introducing: projectile reflection.
That’s right, if Samira or Yasuo could block a spell with their projectile-destroying abilities, then Mel can reflect that same spell back onto its caster. I think this is likely one of the most unique and exciting mechanics that a champion has introduced in a long time. Skillshots are reflected back in the same direction they arrived from, and targeted abilities, like Veigar’s ultimate, will reflect back on their caster. This one ability gives Mel the unique ability to turn an enemy’s powerful skill into her own game-winning plays.
Mel will be designed for Support, and will release on the second patch of the 2025 Season.
Leblanc rework revealed
Riot also revealed the previously-announced LeBlanc rework that had been teased in the “Bite Marks” season-start cinematic. LeBlanc’s new look leans much more into her status as a powerful mage, wielding dark magic in the name of preventing Mordekaiser from returning. The image takes her much more out of the “oddly-sultry illusionist fantasy” and much more into the “wielder of dark arcane arts” archetype, without fully doing away with her iconic look.
I think it’s a great choice, why the most powerful mage in Noxus had her belly button out in the height of combat never really made sense to me. LeBlanc gets to be more intimidating, which feeds back into her narrative role and power fantasy without what was frankly fan service that didn’t serve her story, the changes are great!
More lore and storytelling coming, says LoL Dev Blog 2025
One of Riot’s core focuses this year is integrating each season of the game with themeatics, lore, and stories that focus on certain regions of the world and the events transpiring there. I’ve been waiting for ages for League to finally start harnessing the huge world of stories it has at its disposal for exciting, engaging in-game events. And after the travesty that was the lore-bungling of the Ruination event, it seems like Riot finally has a clear and achievable goal of how they want to tell stories in their world.
This season’s setting of Noxus, accompanied by the “Bite Marks” cinematic, proves just how effective this approach can be and how much it can resonate with fans. Summoner’s Rift will be getting lots of Noxian-themed mechanics and changes. For a full rundown of those and Riot’s further plans for 2025, check out our breakdown of their roadmap.
MSI in Vancouver, Worlds in China
For esports lovers, both of LoL Esports’ international events had their full locations confirmed. MSI 2025, which was previously announced to take place in Canada, will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Worlds, already confirmed to be returning to China. Play-Ins and the Swiss Stage will take place in Beijing, and the finals will return to Chengdu.
First Stand 2026 will take place in China, MSI 2026 will occur in South Korea, and Worlds 2026 will return to North America.
Arena is back, Legendary Shaco skin coming
The other announcements focused on the return of Arena, the free-for-all, 2v2v2v2v2v2v2v2 game mode that was removed from Live Servers for changes in 2024. In addition to some Noxus-themed maps for Arena, Riot has announced that there will be a Rotating Game Mode (Arena, Legend of the Poro King, Hexakill, All For One, Nemesis Draft, etc) every patch for the 2025 season. Fans have long been asking for a consistent flow of secondary game modes and they’re finally getting it.
The last of Riot’s announcements concerned their skin rollouts for the year – with the highlight being the arrival of a cat-themed Shaco Legendary skin, and the decoupling of Prestige Skins from a regular skin. In essence, you’ll no longer need to own another skin to upgrade it to the Prestige version, and the Prestige version will stand as a skin of its own.
The first Exalted-tier, the newest tier added with Arcane Unbound Jinx that sold for approximately $250 USD, will be Sett. The second one, not revealed, will be Mordekaiser in a “form that Runeterra hasn’t seen him in in like a bajillion years.” This skin seems likely to be a Sahn Uzal skin, a pre-Death Realm version of Mordekaiser that conquered much of Valoran. I’m definitely psyched for a Mordekaiser’s life as fantasy Genghis Khan to be brought to the rift, especially after the Noxus season and storyline.
That’s everything you need to know about the LoL Dev Blog for 2025, see you on the Rift!
