League of Legends Previews Darius Patch

Riot Games has released details for its  Darius patch in League of Legends.

Summoner’s Rift will get a facelift, updating the map’s look and making it perform better for low settings. The HUD has been rebuilt with frame rate improvement on all settings, plus new visual improvements and the addition of minion kills. Ashe gets a visual upgrade to meet new quality standards. Players will now be more aware of turret damage, as a sound and icon will display when players are targetted by them. Ranked Solo/Duo Queue will only allow unlocked champions (and not the free to play rotation), while solo queue players will get some better chances in Normal Draft when meeting up with premades.

Other improvements are also included in the patch, along with the debut of Darius, the Hand of Noxus. This champion (featured in the spotlight below) is an axe-wielding melee fighter with bleeds and devastating attacks.

League of Legends Champion Spotlight: Darius, the Hand of Noxus