League of Legends is more than a decade old and, as such, has had many changes to its gameplay, design and champions. Older champions in particular that once had simpler player models, ability kit and lore have been updated plenty of times over the years. Then, there's Fiddlesticks.
Of course, old and simple does not mean bad. Champions like Dr. Mundo or Tryndamere have been around for a long time and are easy to use, but they are help for new players who are just learning how to play the game. But these characters perfectly fit their themes, something that can't be said for Fiddlesticks. That is, until now.
From Dr. Mundo being a hulkish pain loving monster to Tryndamere being a powerful barbaric warrior, when Riot Games makes a champion, it makes sure to encapsulate the champion's theme. Champion themes impact how the champions are played as well as how popular a champion can become. But the old Fiddlesticks did neither of these. Fiddlesticks was intended to be an evil spirit and a murderous scarecrow who encapsulates the darker horrors of Runeterra's universe.
But as you can see from his old splash art, Fiddlesticks was less scary and more cartoonish. His original player model and abilities did not fit his theme. He was a scrawny, fragile looking scarecrow with a clownish smile and a basic weapon who wore a key around his neck as a reference to his story as a spirit once locked away. Though Fiddlesticks had a slight update to his splash art and lore to make him feel more terrifying, he still didn't hit the mark like other ghastly champions Norcturn, Thresh and Tahm Kench. Even with sharpened blades for hands, a noose around his neck and an unhinged jaw, Fiddlesticks still wasn't intimidating.
Though Fiddlesticks was meant to be a nightmarish creature, few players were actually afraid when fighting this scarecrow. When he was seen on the map or in fights, rather than run from the champion, players would often target him first because he looked weak and easy to kill. There was nothing terrifying about a scarecrow that controlled a murder of crows and used them in his simple abilities.
Fiddlesticks' abilities required little skill and were easy to figure out and master. Newer champions in League of Legends have extensive, overloaded ability descriptions that require players to learn and practice to figure out how to use them. Their abilities descriptions are long and full of conditions and bonuses.
But Fiddlesticks had none of these. His abilities were simple to grasp: his passive gave him a small burst of movement speed after standing still, he had a fear that spooks one enemy champion or monster, a tether that drains health from a target while healing him, a silence that sends a crow to bounce between targets and an ultimate that surrounds him in a murder of crows. While these may sound scary and fun to play, they never actually felt scary or strong.
All of that changed with the reveal for the new Fiddlesticks rework. His model now features a mix of scrap metal and wood, his sound effects and emotes have a more terrifying feel to them, his weaponry is no longer just a basic scythe and he has a fun new ability that encapsulates his theme. His abilities have also switched from a green spectral color theme to a blood thirsty red and black theme.
The old Fiddlesticks held some odd humanlike qualities that made him feel more silly than frightening. He walked with a peg-legged waddle, his dance and jokes referenced The Wizard of Oz and his abilities (like his bouncing crow) seemed clownish.
Now, his rework shows him as a demented being with murderous intent. He has new strange limbs, one of which is a huge metal claw that drags behind him, scraping at the ground with an eerie sound as he moves. He is taller and larger than the average human champion and has a hunched back. Plus, his voice interactions with other champions chill players to the bone while also revealing what other champions in the universe deeply fear. For example, he mocks Lux's fear that her own brother would hate her for being a wielder of magic in what sounds to be an agonizing and painful voice. These fixes help Fiddlesticks fit his theme as a murderous, inanimate terror-monster brought to life.
In the "Terror in Demacia" trailer he is seen as inhuman, frighting and fast. His new passive allows him to place false scarecrows around the map that act as control wards and activate a random action when approached by an enemy. This allows him to hide in plain sight, creating paranoia and hysteria around the Summoner's Rift.
He also no longer shoots out a bouncing crow, but instead uses his scythe to slash his opponents in a small area and silence them. His draining ability can target three enemies at once, and his new Crow Storm animation makes him creepily scurry across the map on all fours with limbs bending the wrong way. With all of these changes, it finally looks like the bloodthirsty murder demon that is Fiddlesticks has a place among the other horror themed champions.