Riot Games has fulfilled its promise by releasing the ninth gameplay video for ‘2XKO’ at midnight on September 3rd, introducing the classic League of Legends character Blitzcrank, who is affectionately referred to as “Robot” by players in China. The addition of Blitzcrank means that the current roster of playable characters in ‘2XKO’ is not limited to human heroes (Ahri is a Vastaya). In the early backstory, he was created by Viktor, but ‘Arcane’ has altered many heroes’ backgrounds. In summary, we welcome a robot-themed fighting hero, adding more gameplay variety to this fighting game.
The description of the robot on the ‘2XKO’ official website states, “Although this massive metal puppet was originally designed for waste management, Blitzcrank now uses his mechanical strength to assist people in other ways. Blitzcrank will use his Rocket Punch to pull opponents closer, followed by powerful grabs and energy bursts.” Blitzcrank is still classified as a hero from the Zaun region, but his relationship with Viktor is not mentioned; however, I can see two of Ekko’s companions in the background of the gameplay video. Riot has also illustrated Blitzcrank in a casual state, holding a small bug from Zaun.
Before the gameplay video was released, Sara thought that Riot would make the robot a bulky tank character, given that robots typically appear large and heavy. However, I was mistaken; the robot has a fast movement speed and strong grabbing ability. While his mobility is not the highest tier, he is still quite agile. The version of the robot in ‘2XKO’ accurately replicates the skill set from the PC game, including signature hook skills, acceleration, mana shields, hammering enemies, and large area-of-effect attacks. After all, many players of this game are fans of League of Legends, and the fidelity of the skills is very important.
I find two aspects particularly surprising. First, the robot’s hook skill is charged, but it does not hook immediately; you can bait out the opponent’s block before hooking. Secondly, it has a spinning skill that allows for aerial direction changes and flips, making it a surprisingly agile heavyweight. In the gameplay video, the robot successfully defeats various previous heroes, showcasing smooth operations, but the official also demonstrated its drawbacks, namely an overload mechanism. Many of its skills only gain enhancements after being overloaded, and even powerful moves can only be used once in a short time, including running grabs and aerial direction changes.
This means that opponents can exploit the robot’s skill overload window to attempt focused attacks. Additionally, if hooked, opponents have a chance to defend or counter before being hooked. However, since this is a newly announced hero, there are currently no gameplay videos from other streamers or KOLs, so I am unsure if the robot’s operations are truly as smooth as they appear. Nevertheless, based on my limited experience with fighting games, the robot will likely be very popular in lower ranks, as command throw characters can exert strong pressure on newcomers; without countermeasures, they can easily be hooked and comboed.
‘2XKO’ has also confirmed that Blitzcrank will be a playable hero in the overseas closed beta test on September 10th. Players will soon be able to try out this hero for themselves, and there should be a lot of videos released at that time. I hope I can also obtain a testing qualification, as this fighting game is designed for modern play styles, making it accessible even for those with less skill. Interestingly, ‘2XKO’ has received unanimous praise both domestically and internationally; in the past, newly released heroes often faced criticism for not accurately representing League of Legends or lacking creativity, but Blitzcrank’s skill set, while incorporating many mechanisms, looks very fun.