4/3 PBE Update: Lissandra, New Anivia, Shyvana, and Volibear skins, and more!

Continue reading for a look at Lissandra, new skins for Volibear, Shyvana, and Anivia, new lore for Volibear and Anivia, a slew of balance changes, and more!

New Champion: Lissandra, the Ice Witch

This looks weird. Wait until you see it in game.

New Skins

There are two different models for this, which is why model is in their twice.

Updated Lore for Anivia and Volibear

Anivia and Volibear both received updated Freljord related lore this patch.

Anivia:

"Anivia is a being of the coldest winter, a mystical embodiment of ice magic, and an ancient protector of the Freljord. She commands all the power and fury of the land itself,calling the snow and bitter wind to defend her home from those who would harm it.A benevolent but mysterious creature,Anivia is eternally bound to keep vigil over the Freljord through life,death,and rebirth. 

Anivia is as much a part of the Freljord as the never-ending frost. Long before mortals had ever set foot on the land's frigid tundra, she had lived countless lifetimes and died as many deaths. The beginnings and ends of her eternal cycle always heralded great change, from the calming of raging storms to the ebb and flow of ice ages. It is said that when the cryophoenix dies,an era ends; and when she is reborn, a new era begins.  

Though Anivia's past lifetimes have faded from her memory, she knows her purpose: she must protect the Freljord at all costs. 

When she was last reborn, Anivia witnessed the rise of a mighty and united human tribe. She guarded their lands with pride as they prospered,but such unity could not last forever.The great tribe fractured into three,and after that upheaval,Anivia watched the people of the Freljord become embroiled in battle. As she strove to calm the turmoil tearing her home apart, Anivia began to sense a greater threat: an ancient evil growing deep within the earth.To her horror,she felt the pure magic of the ice itself become blackened and corrupt.Like blood in water, darkness crept into the Freljord.With her destiny so tied to the power of the land,Anivia knew if such evil took root in her home,that same darkness would find its way into her heart. She could no longer remain a mere guardian - the cryophoenix had to act. 

Anivia soon discovered an ally in Ashe,the Frost Archer.Ashe too believed in unification as an end to the Freljord's perpetual strife, and Anivia offered the tribal leader her aid.Now,with war on the horizon,Anivia prepares to fight for peace, but she knows the inevitable truth of her destiny.One day,evil will rise from the ice,and she must destroy it - no matter the cost.  

''I am the fury of the blizzard, the bite of the wind, and the cold of the ice. I am the Freljord.''  

-- Anivia"

Volibear:

"The unforgiving northern reaches of the Freljord are home to the Ursine, a fierce and warlike race that has endured the barren tundra for thousands of years.Their leader is a furious adversary who commands the force of lightning to strike fear within his foes: Volibear. Both a warrior and a mystic, Volibear seeks to defend the ancient ways and the warrior spirit of his tribe.

Though history recorded their once legendary feats in battle, the Ursine now lived in tranquil seclusion. The warriors were headed by a triumvirate of leaders who maintained a long-lived isolation,avoiding the petty affairs and conflicts of others. As shaman to the three,Volibear was a respected sage known for his insight. It was an era of unprecedented peace,but Volibear felt dread stirring within him.Prosperity was turning the tribe soft and weak,and many had long forgotten the sacred art of war.In time,Volibear felt the fire of their souls would be extinguished. When he revealed his misgivings to the triumvirate,they refused to listen and warned him to know his place.

Seeking wisdom, Volibear undertook a perilous climb to the peak of the Ursine's sacred mountain, a place forever shrouded in a thundering maelstrom. The eye of the storm was said to bestow portents, and legend held that the tempest would mark the next great chieftain of the tribe. As Volibear ascended the peak,he was struck by an unnatural bolt of lightning. When the shaman awoke, he was possessed by a horrific vision of the Freljord utterly consumed by darkness. Volibear saw an unprepared and complacent Ursine force slaughtered by terrible creatures of ice. In an instant,he knew his race would perish if they did not prepare for war.

Volibear rushed down the mountainside to recount what he had seen,but found the path blocked by three Ursine - the triumvirate. Knowing he would end the lasting peace,they refused to heed Volibear's warning and demanded his silence, by his word - or his death. Resolute and adamant, Volibear swore that the Ursine's very survival depended on his message,and launched into ferocious combat against the three. A terrible clash ensued, and just as Volibear succumbed to his opponents, he called upon the power of the maelstrom.Unleashing raw lightning,he struck the trio down with a thunderous blow.Stunned and astonished, the triumvirate beheld the sign of Ursine leadership: the force of the sacred storm.

Recognizing his foretold ascendance,the triumvirate appointed Volibear as the Ursine's new leader.His influence was swift and decisive: he roused his tribe from complacency,revived their battle-hardened traditions,and allied with Sejuani,the warrior who would fight with them against the coming evil.With time, the tribe grew lean and fierce,becoming known again as fearsome warriors of legend.Volibear and the Ursine now stand ready for the dark day that looms on the icy horizon.

''The Ursine cannot know peace without war.''

-- Volibear"

Urgot QoL Change
ricklessabandon has implemented a small Urgot change this PBE patch.

"i made a change that i hope will improve urgot's quality of life a little bit. urgot will now see a range indicator when near an enemy marked by noxian corrosive charge. the indicator shows the max range at which he can acquire a missile lock with acid hunter. 

anyway, this change is live on the pbe right now and i'd love to hear any feedback (bugs or feel/usability) you have after playing with it. i'm particularly interested to hear feedback regarding its accuracy, 'noise' levels, and/or responsiveness.

thanks in advance! ♥"

Items with Charges Display in Inventory
Items with charges, such as Sight Stone or Mejai's Soulstealer, now display their number of reaming charges in your inventory!



Lil' Slugger Trundle Particle Update
Lil' Slugger Trundle now has a sweet trophy that pops up when he casts his E. He is a winner.


Updated Stun and Fear particle
The little swirly particle that pops up when you get stunned has been updated and is now purple. Fancy.

Likewise, the fear particles have also been updated.

New Icon Crediting Method
Also with this patch, Riot is also testing new ways to earn icons. IMPORTANT: This doesn't mean NEW icons but a NEW WAY to get future icons during future events.

BlueFire, a player support specialist, sharing the details.

"Hello Summoners!
We want your help. You’ve seen us add icons in unique ways for events such as The Harrowing, Snowdown Showdown, and most recently the Lunar Revel. 

We wanted to test some icon granting functionality. How does it work? 

First select one of the following default icons as your icon in the client: 

Read the edit from Bluefire at bottom, ss'd this to save time.

There are some additional rules though. 

1) You can’t win with another of the 3 icons between your 10 wins! EX: If you win 3 games with the ( melee minion )  icon and then win a game with the ( caster ) icon, your win counter will be set to 1 for the new icon and 0 for the old icon! 

2) You can only have one of the “10 win icons” at a time! EX: If you earn the icon  ( snowdown urf ) and then earn the ( lunar revel urf ) icon you will lose the ( snowdown urf ) icon! 

3) No Co-op vs AI games or custom games are counted! 

FAQ:
What if I get a win with an icon that is not one of the three you showed? Nothing! Only WINNING with one of these three icons will affect your wins for the event. 

Will I lose my icon if I win one game with a different icon? You can only lose your icon by winning another icon! 

How long do I have? We hope to run this for at least a week on the PBE but may extend/shorten it as necessary.
How long will it take to receive my icon after my 10th win? You should receive it within 24 hours. If you do not, please let us know here. 

What games count? There are two rules. No custom games and no Co-op vs. AI games. All other games will count (ranked/unranked/dominion/etc). 

What happens if I lose?
Nothing! Only wins are considered in this event. 

Can I see my win counter anywhere? Unfortunately you cannot. So please keep track of your wins. 

EDIT: I'm aware pictures are not loading if you are not logged into the forums. I will investigate the cause and update the thread. In the meantime please login to your forum account to view the images."

Balance Changes 
Volibear

• Rolling Thunder ( Q ) bonus movement speed when moving towards enemy champs decreased to 30/35/40/45/50 from 45% at all ranks.

Items

Elixer of Fortitude

• Cost increased to 350 from 250.

Akali

• Mark of the Assassin ( Q ) mark consume damage reduced to .5 AP ratio from .55 AP ratio.

Sejuani ( Remember, she got big kit changes last PBE patch )

• Arctic Assault ( Q ) damage changed to 40/70/100/130/160 (+.4 AP ) 4/6/8/10/12% of target's max hp from 40/80/120/160/200 (+.4 AP ) and 4/5/6/7/8% of target's max hp.

Trundle ( Remember, he got several kit changes last PBE patch )

• Chomp ( Q ) now briefly slows his target ( no value listed qq )
• Chomp ( Q ) now deals 10/35/60/85/110 damage changed from 30/45/60/75/90.
• Pillar of Ice ( E ) now slows for 25/30/35/40/45 from 35% at all ranks.
• Subjugate ( R ) now has a ~.01 AP ratio. Might be lower but at 100 AP I got 1% bonus drain.
• Subjugate ( R ) secondary drain now lasts and dimishes over 4 seconds instead of 5.

Udyr

• Tiger Stance ( Q ) next basic attack bonus damage changed to 60/115/175/225/290 from 80/130/180/230/280.

Items

Spirit of Lizard Elder

• Attack damage increased from 40 to 45
• Builds out of Spirit Stone + 2x Longswords

Trundle Bug Fixes
Lots of Trundle bug fixes went out this patch.

Solcrushed reports:

"Below are the bugs that should have been fixed with this patch. Please use to aid in your awesome efforts at bug finding!

Tooltip bugs
Passive: Now should update % value with level as it always has
E: Now states the correct values of slow in tooltip
R: States that damage is magic
Q and W buff icons show proper names 

Gameplay bugs
Q
-Now actually slows on hit
-No longer bugs out on structures
-No longer debuffs baron or dragon or structures
W
-Now increases healing from all sources, not just passive and R
-No longer clears slows on cast
-Now has correct animation
E
-Can no longer be cast in unpathable terrain
R

-No longer castable on non-champions"

Miss out on previous iterations of this PBE cycle? Never fear!

• 4/2 PBE Update : Sejuani and Trundle Relaunches 
• 4/1 PBE Update: Custom Item Sets