2XKO 'Illoi, the Kraken Priestess' Trailer

“Hello everyone. I'm Caroline.” [Montano]game designer on 2XKOhere to give you an update on the newest addition to our roster – a champion who will be available to play for the first time at this year's EVO Japan.

“Illaoi, Priestess of the Kraken. As a prophet of Nagakabouros, the Great Kraken, Illaoi's faith requires that she control her own destiny by always moving forward. She uses a golden totem to test the will of her opponents and summons tentacles to fight alongside her.

“in 2XKOIllaoi is a hard-hitting tyrant who overwhelms enemies with pressure as unyielding as her faith. It's about hitting big and dealing big damage. She then uses the tentacles to seal in her opponent and send the group out of control.

“Her combo revolves around summoning and activating spirit tentacles. First, she can use any of her S2 specials to produce tentacles. Next, she can use any of her S1 specials to trigger a follow-up claw attack, as long as her opponent is within the tentacle's 'splash zone.' Even if her opponent is not in range, Illaoi can use certain moves to teleport the closest tentacles to him. She can also use Movement Prayer or Stasis Prayer to activate tentacles from a distance.

“Although the tentacles are an important part of Illaoi's collection, she is not a toy character. We didn't want to feel like her tentacles were doing all the fighting for her. Instead, they serve as rewards that Illaoi can earn by playing well. He means Always staying on the move and taking smart risks to control the game, Illaoi can also lose her claws if her opponent hits her. In this case, Illaoi can still deal significant damage, but she loses access to some of her strongest neutral options and this means she will have to take on more risk, or use assistance to engage her opponent – which is not ideal.

“In development, there was a lot of debate about how the tentacles would work. Should they be a true extension of Illaoi? Should they be completely independent of it? Both options were 'sink or swim'. So we chose a more balanced path, where Illaoi could Activating their claws without direct contact with the opponent, but that opponent is still able to counterplay against them.

“Beyond her tentacles, we wanted Illaoi's combo to capture her incredible size, strength, and momentum – and her Supers were no exception. Using her S1 Super, Crashing Waves, Illaoi picks up her opponent, swings them over their head, and slams them into the ground twice. If she already has an upward tentacle, the pressure On S1 it will reposition it so that she can continue attacking after her Super ends. S2 Super, Wrath of Nagakabouros, summons giant claws that strike the ground around her and it also turns any claws that were already active into giant claws and leaves one behind after it ends that can be a suppressive move Extremely; but if Elawi or her duo gets hit at any point during the Super, her claws will disappear so it's safer to use them against a downed opponent.

“Finally, Illaoi's Ultimate Spirit Test sends her opponent's spirit into the depths, where they'll come face to face with the Nagakabouros. We love the idea of ​​Illaoi taking the spirit out of her opponent and hitting them in honor of her league group. The Spirit Test is a mid-range move with a very fast startup, making it Great for finishing combos, as a whiff penalty, or for hitting a long assist and he's also invincible from the start, making him a powerful reflex Illaoi has great abilities on her own, but her powerful assists make her an equally formidable partner with her back assist being a long-range contact strike , just like the S1 Special, if there are already tentacles within its opponent's range, it will make its usual follow-up attack.

“Illaoi's forward assist is the same as her assist in S2 Special. The assist on its own is great for mid-range control, but using the handshake marker immediately afterwards allows Illaoi to switch and use the tentacles she just created to keep the pressure on. When not on screen , Illaoi's claws attach to give her teammate some extra offensive support. Even when KO'ed, Illaoi can use Last Stand to activate Wrath of Nagakabouros and send the opponent into Claw City.

“When choosing a tag partner for Illaoi, remember that she wants to back opponents into a corner, but getting them there can be risky. The ideal partner for Illaoi is someone with strong neutrality and high movement speed, who can make room for Illaoi to engage. Ahri is a prime example Her speed and long range allow her to catch opponents that Illaoi can't always spot. Her assists also help Illaoi extend combos or turn the defensive mark into high damage.

Once again, Illaoi will be available to play at this year's EVO Japan alongside Ekko, Ahri, Darius, and Yasuo. If you're attending, try it out with or against your friends and let us know what you think. Otherwise, you can still sign up for the home playtests that will be held at a later date From this year and follow us on social media for all future Illaoi updates. Thanks for watching and see you next time.