With Ahri’s release, Riot also implemented some sexy new champion screens to the PvP.net client. What are champion screens? You know, those screens you would look at to see who was getting new skins and…nothing else. Honestly, these things have been in need of an update for quite some time, an update that turned out quite nicely.

As you can see from the screenshot, the initial page still includes all of the old information – what archetype the character falls under, the relative strengths and weaknesses, and a brief look at abilities. The more exciting parts of the character screens are on the subsequent tabs. The Abilities tab has videos of each ability in action, and the Tips and Items page makes a nice addition for players ready to try out new champions.

I think the best part of these changes is that it will give players a quick, easy way to learn what they’re up against. As the field of champions grows, it only becomes more difficult for new players to learn the game, and the gap between veterans and newbies grows. This could reduce the barrier to entry, which can only be a good thing.

I would like to see some of the champion abilities used with more context. With Alistar, for example, the Triumphant Roar and Unbreakable videos don’t really show what the skills do. His health bar isn’t showing for Triumphant Roar, and the only numbers the video shows are the mana cost (and it isn’t explicitly clear that the number is the mana cost). The same goes for Unbreakable. I’d like it if the video showed that the skill could break Alistar out of crowd control effects.