Riot Games' venture into the 2D fighting genre has been making waves of late, as the character reveals and promotional material for2XKOhave impressed both fans of the genre and the IP (its inscrutable name notwithstanding). Set to arrive in 2025, the bulk of2XKO’s roster has been showcased in one form or another, peeling back the curtains on how its fighter archetypes and early meta might shake out.
Held on the last weekend of July, EVO 2024 gave the most recent and comprehensivelook into2XKO, with those in attendance granted the opportunity to test the game for themselves. Six characters were playable in the demo, with Jinx and Katarina the only omitted characters that had previously been teased for the game (back when it was stillProject L):
2XKO’s Playable Roster Has Something For Everybody
As far as nimble, movement-based characters go,2XKOcurrently has two on the roster filling distinct yet adjacent niches. Both Ekko and Ahri excel at outmaneuvering opponents, setting up combos with their mobility, punishing heavy wind-up attacks. Both utilize unique air dashes and ranged abilities. Ekko has his Z-Drive movement system, leading to an aggressive and deceptive playstyle with his afterimages, leaving little breathing room once the advantage is pressed.Ahri is more of a zoning fighter, with powerful projectiles that require a standing static recharge, letting players punish at range, while widening the gap with her air dash, finding safe openings to recharge her projectiles.
Darius and Yasuo round out the middleweight fighters on the2XKOroster, albeit with blurred lines that defy classification. Yasuo favors mid-range, but has mobility with a dash, as well as his trademark windwall to negate projectiles. With different stances and stance-canceling effects on special attacks,Yasuo playerscan take advantage of those expecting predictability, feinting combos, exposing errant inputs, making him formidable as far more than a simple mid-range swordsman. Darius also plays at the mid-range, but has more heavy sensibilities. His brutally devastating attacks have a slow wind-up and inflict the Wounded status debuff. To accommodate his lack of agility, Darius can hook fighters in with his ax, foiling escape attempts and looping combos.
2XKO’s playable heaviesare Illaoi and Braum (and arguably Darius). Both excel at crowding opponents while mitigating damage, but have differing playstyle philosophies. Illaoi has rush-down DNA, populating the stage with her spirit tentacles, which can shield her from attacks and help extend her own. She also has some tendencies toward grappling and a super attack that has i-frames, leading to some slick combo reversals.
Braum, on the other hand, with his mighty bulwark shield, is very much the roster’s tank fighter. His assist moves have hyper armor, allowing him to take a hit without interrupting the attack. Braum also can gain the Unbreakable buff, coating his shield with ice, which also imbues him with hyper armor for the duration. He is also, at present, the only fighter with any semblance of crowd control, using a shield attack that can freeze opponents. This opens the door for some truly nefarious teammate combos.
2XKO’s presence at EVO 2024was illuminating, with the playable demo and a panel announcing Riot’s plans for release. Looking to launch in the footprints ofValorant, it will start lean, with a similar monetization model and healthy pace of content releases. The assumption based on this release strategy is that2XKOwill hit the public sometime in the first quarter of 2025, although nothing is official yet. With a potential roster hundreds-deep, as well as over a decade of lore-refining and fan retention on its side,2XKOis shaping up to be a serious contender in a hotly contentious genre.
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League of Legends is one of the best MOBAs in the world, allowing players to duke it out against each other or bots in a variety of game modes. There are tons of champions to choose from in LoL, with favorites like Yasuo, Graves, Nasus, Poppy, and more, with new champions like Vex and Viego recently joining the crew.
