Having a brand-new champion to break down so quickly after Senna’s release feels strange, but not in a bad sense. It is, however, unexpected, as we’re used to a different kind of release schedule from Riot. That said, one glance at Aphelios’ ability kit and weapons is all it takes to understand why Riot couldn’t wait any longer — this champion has been in the pipeline for a year! And now, after seeing how he’ll function, we understand why it took so much time.

Riot said that mastering Aphelios would require absolute, unrelenting focus and determination. That certainly seems true as you’ll need those same virtues if you’re going to read through his ability kit. That’s step number one towards mastering Aphelios, and it’s a necessity.

There was never a champion release in the history of the game that had so much depth, and so many explanations accompanying it. That’s not a bad thing per se, but it kind of feels like Riot took things a bit too far. Then again, if you’re looking to embark on a long and layered journey towards mastering a champion that truly requires immense dedication (with potentially a monstrous payoff), then you probably can’t wait for Aphelios’ release.

Regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall into, it’s hard not to be excited for one of the most fascinating champions to date.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Weapons

Aphelios doesn’t have just a single weapon. Or two. Instead, he has five. That wasn’t a typo. Each of these weapons has a unique basic attack. Aphelios will always attack with his “main-hand” weapon, but he’ll also carry an off-hand weapon to which he can swap by using his W.

Aphelios cannot choose which two weapons he’ll use. Each weapon has 50 ammo (also known as “Moonlight” in this case), and when it runs empty you’ll get the next one. The weapon that no longer has any ammo will go to the end of the line to recharge.

Because you can swap between your main and off-hand weapons, the order itself will change throughout the game based on which weapons you opt to use.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Q, W, E, R

Aphelios will only have three abilities, seeing how his W will only have a single function (to swap weapons). Each weapon has a unique Q ability when equipped as his main-hand weapon. Furthermore, each Q will apply bonus attacks and effects based on his current off-hand weapon. All five of his Q abilities cost mana and ammo, and each ability has a separate cooldown, meaning you’ll be able to use one Q (and weapon), then swap to another and immediately use the second Q.

Aphelios will automatically learn Q at level 2 and it’ll gradually evolve and become stronger as the game progresses.

His ultimate “Moonlight Vigil” sends forward a “moon bomb” that will explode upon hitting an enemy champion. The bomb itself is not just a single-target ability, as it has an Area of Effect. Aphelios can then follow up with empowered basic attacks (main-hand weapon only) against every target caught in the explosion.

Much like his Q, his ultimate is also automatically learned and upgraded at levels 11 and 16.

This means you’ll upgrade your champion stats (Attack Damage, Attack Speed and Bonus Armor Penetration) with the leftover level-up points.

Let’s take a closer look at his weapons next. All five of them.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Calibrum, the Rifle

Calibrum is mainly a poke/harass type of weapon. When equipped, your basic attacks will have extra range. Whenever you hit an enemy with Calibrum, it’ll mark the target. You can then right-click on a marked enemy anywhere on the map and unleash subsequent basic attacks from his off-hand weapon. His follow up attacks will detonate nearby marks for additional damage.

Calibrum Q: Aphelios fires a skillshot that damages the first enemy target it hits. This ability will also mark the enemy champion.

Ultimate Calibrum Effect: Any attack with Calibrum following your ultimate will mark all enemies hit. These marks will then deal higher damage when consumed as they’re empowered by your ultimate.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Severum, the Scythe Pistol

Severum is a sustain type of weapon. It’ll heal Aphelios for a small portion of the damage it deals. Any overhealing that might occur will be converted into a small shield (think Bloodthirster).

Severum Q: Aphelios gains bonus movement speed and can rapidly fire both his main-hand and off-hand weapons at the nearest enemy target. These shots behave like basic attacks but will deal less damage.

Severum Ultimate Effect: Using Severum after Aphelios’ ultimate will heal him for a flat amount.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Gravitum, the Cannon

Gravitum is a utility type of weapon that will apply a decaying slow to any target it hits.

Gravitum Q: Aphelios roots and damages all enemies of the map that are affected by Gravitum’s slow. This ability doesn’t trigger or use his off-hand weapon.

Gravitum Ultimate Effect: Aphelios’ follow-up attacks will slow their targets for an increased amount.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Infernum, the Flamethrower

Infernum is a waveclear type of weapon. It deals empowered basic attacks and creates a damage cone behind any enemy it hits.

Infernum Q: Aphelios’ shed out a wave of flame, after which he’ll basic attack all enemies hit with his off-hand weapon.

Infernum Ultimate Effect: Aphelio’s follow-up attacks will create “damage circles” around any enemy target that was previously hit instead of damage cones behind them.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Crescendum, the Chakram

Crescendum is a DPS type of weapon designed for close-range combat. Think of it as a boomerang. Once used, Aphelios can’t attack again until it returns, but once that happens his attack will reset. By building Attack Speed, Crescendum will return to Aphelios at a faster rate. The closer Aphelios can get to his target, the less distance his “boomerang” will travel, meaning you’ll have a higher damage output.

Whenever abilities (or follow-up attacks) deal damage using Crescendum, they’ll create “temporary copies of it for each enemy hit that increase the strength of Crescendum’s basic attack.”

Crescendum Q: Aphelios deploys a turret that will target the nearest enemy with his off-hand weapon.

Crescendum Ultimate Effect: If Aphelios’ ultimate hits less than three enemy targets, any follow-up attack will increase the damage of Crescendum’s basic attacks as if his ultimate did hit at least three enemies. In other words, if you don’t manage to “stick the landing” but you have Crescendum equipped, you’ll still be able to dish out a fair bit of damage.

Aphelios Ability Kit — Custom HUD

Because there’s so much Aphelios can do, Riot decided to design a specific in-game HUD that’ll make all of his abilities and weapons easier to track.

• This is Aphelios’ passive which explains all of his weapons. You can expect a long, exhausting tooltip.
• Aphelios’ main-hand weapon and the amount of ammo he has left.
• Aphelios’ Q ability.
• Aphelios’ off-hand weapon and its remaining ammo. If the Q ability of the off-hand weapon is on cooldown, this icon will indicate that as well.
• The next weapon in line once you run out of ammo.
• Aphelios’ ultimate ability.

Verdict

This is a lot to take in. That’s for sure. If you’re looking to master Aphelios once he’s released, it would be smart to once again go through each of his weapons to fully understand what they’re capable of. And if you still can’t grasp the many details surrounding his kit, you’ll probably have to read through this again.

It’s still too early to tell whether he’ll be overpowered upon release. Aphelios and his ability kit certainly come with a lot of depth, for better or worse. That said, there’s no dash, no built-in escape, and no baffling ability that’s sounding the alarms. If you collapse on Aphelios, there’s no number of weapons that’ll be able to save him.

So, in that regard, he certainly seems balanced. Then again, those who do invest ample time into mastering him will surely wield a ton of power. You can expect Aphelios to do badly in low elo (because of his complex abilities and high skill ceiling), and also (potentially) dominate beyond measure in high ranked play. It’ll also be interesting to see how much success professional players eventually find with Riot’s most fascinating marksman to date.

Aphelios will be hitting live servers with patch 9.24, and he’s currently available for testing on the PBE (Public Test Environment). We’ll have a lot more Aphelios coverage over the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned!