League of Legends is bringing back everything from Butcher's Bridge to OG Viktor

Despite the game's balance feeling pretty good, League of Legends feels like it's in a bit of a weird spot. General hype feels pretty low, gameplay itself hasn't really changed very much despite the switch over to Spirit Blossom and Ionia, and generally, things just feel a bit stale. Season 2 Act 2 is hoping to shake things up, however, with just enough nostalgia to entice OG fans back for a few games, and some new content to pad out the old. There's the return of Butcher's Bridge and a new OG Viktor skin based on his pre-rework base model for us longtime players, as well as a brand new ARAM map inspired by Spirit Blossom. There's a lot going on, so let's break it down Empyrean Pyke style.

Let's start with the headliner: Butcher's Bridge. Transporting us to the grizzled, dirty streets of Bilgewater, it first appeared as part of the Burning Tides event back in 2015, then again during 2018's Curse of the Drowned event that celebrated Pyke's release, and once more in 2019. Most of us remember it as the one time that Riot killed off a champion in-game, however, with the 2015 iteration preventing players from playing Gangplank because, quote, "he is dead." It's one of the most iconic events in League of Legends history, and a risk that MOBA hasn't taken since.

The Wyldbloom is upon us in today's Dev Update, where we cover:
🌉 ARAM
🪷 Yunara
😖 Detection Updates
🤖 Viktor
& More

TImestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:21 Act 2 Trailer
1:50 ARAM
6:16 Wyldbloom
6:59 Meta-games
8:26 Inting & Griefing
11:09 MSI
11:48 Viktor
12:15 Outro

To learn more… pic.twitter.com/MxIkBXfcia

— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) June 9, 2025

Well, my filthy pirate friends, Butcher's Bridge is back, and while Gangplank is still very much alive and playable, it's certainly nice to see it again. It's accompanied by a brand new Spirit Blossom-themed map, too, entitled Koeshin's Crossing, which reimagines the Howling Abyss as an idyllic, purple-tinged forest haven. Every time you load into ARAM, you'll be given one of these three maps on a random basis, adding some variety to the pool.

But there's more. In ARAM's current iteration, you need to reroll in order to change out your champ, or grab the one you want from another player. Now, however, Riot is testing a brand new feature called Champion Cards, where you choose between two champions and place the other one on a communal bench that your teammates can pick from. The aim is "to bring more excitement and variety to each game without fundamentally changing what players love about the mode," and as someone who basically plays supports and the odd assassin, that sounds great to me.

If Butcher's Bridge has you all nostalgic, though, there's yet another throwback to days gone by. Riot has confirmed that, in response to player feedback, Viktor will be getting a new skin based on his pre-rework model. When Viktor's Arcane-inspired visual update was announced, some players felt like it effectively overrode the character's original lore, with the new in-game model going through several iterations before it was finally released. Riot hasn't revealed whether or not the throwback skin is paid or if it'll be gifted to players who have the champion, but we do know that it's coming later this year.

There's a successor to the first-ever Spirit Blossom event's Spirit Bonds, too, the ever-iconic dating sim mini game that lets you romance various champions (I chose Thresh, obviously). All we know is that you'll be able to "befriend" various characters, and that's good enough for me.

Finally, there's obviously the mysterious new ADC Yunara, who's set to feature in a new side-scrolling beat 'em up mini game alongside Xin Zhao. Much like Soul Fighter's Tournament of Souls, it's entirely self-contained and doesn't need you to play League of Legends itself, while Spirit Bonds requires gameplay to progress, much like its predecessor.

While we don't have a release date for League of Legends Season 2 Act 2, with MSI on the horizon and the summer sun starting to poke through the trees, hopefully it'll arrive soon.

In the meantime, however, check out our LoL tier list if you're looking to jump back onto the Rift or, if you're a cosmetic collector like me, our rundown of which League of Legends skins are currently on sale.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.