League of Legends Season 12: Udyr rework release date, skins, abilities, and more details

Udyr's rework is the second big VGU to arrive in Season 12 of League of Legends. Although Riot aims to retain his new kit identical to his old stance-based one, the Freljordian spirit walker is undergoing a complete visual and gameplay update.

Thanks to a fan poll in Season 11, Udyr will finally get his long-awaited League of Legends rework. While he was popular in the 2021 meta, his out-of-date gear is quickly becoming obsolete on Summoner's Rift.

“His popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but somehow there has always been plenty of players in his corner ready to stance dance and maul their way through the Rift,” champion designer Stash ‘Stashu’ Chelluck said in a June 2021 dev blog. To remedy this, Riot intends to bring Udyr into the modern game, much like they just did with Fiddlesticks and Dr. Mundo.

Udyr rework abilities

While there isn't any information about Udyr's revised kit yet, Riot has a certain design concept in mind for the jungle. They want to keep it melee-focused so that his "stance-changing identity" may be preserved. In January 2022, lead champion producer Ryan 'Reav3' Mireles said, "We think this is what makes Udyr unique and stick out on the roster."

"We want to add a bit more intrigue to his postures and melee pattern to give some more complexity to playing him, as well as make it more evident when Udyr is doing something great," they say, balancing this more simplistic kit with a current game full of dashes and flashy effects. Riot will not give him any "ranged powers or huge dashes," and will instead keep his "four basic abilities that alter stances."

However, "super stances" are being considered, in which "Udyr can recast his active stance to employ the super version on a cooldown." This type of passive has been dubbed the "awakening" position.

"If Udyr is already in a posture, he can Awaken it if it is on cooldown. When a stance is Awakened, it takes on an empowered shape or purpose, according to developer Luis 'Bloois' Aguas in a January 7 blog post.

Udyr reworked skins

All of Udyr's skins, including his 3250 RP ultimate Spirit Guard aesthetic, will be reworked, as with every VGU. Below is a complete list of his cosmetics.

• Black Belt Udyr (520 RP)
• Definitely Not Udyr (975 RP)
• Dragon Oracle Udyr (1350 RP)
• Spirit Guard Udyr (3250 RP)

The purpose of these redesigned designs, though, is to preserve his Shaman essence.

Udyr rework release date

The reworked Udyr will be available in League of Legends Season 12 at some point. We don't have a firm date yet, but we'll let you know as soon as Riot releases its schedule.