Read on to learn everything we know about Swarm, the new PvE game mode coming in Patch 14.14, alongside a collection of shiny new Anima Squad skins.
The new Anima Squad PvE game mode is set to arrive on July 17th, at the beginning of Patch 14.14!
Its arrival corresponds with the release of our new Vastayan mage, Aurora, who herself will be getting one of the several new Anima Squad skins, and joining the limited roster of playable champions in the game mode!
Aurora’s debut skin - Battle Bunny Aurora.
The game mode seems like it’ll be quite similar to a couple of PvE game modes we’ve had in the past - Invasion, and Odyssey: Extraction. In both of these, players would band together to make up a squad of five Star Guardians and five Odyssey crew members respectively as they fought against various extraterrestrial scourges.
In-game screenshots from Invasion and Odyssey: Extraction.
In Swarm, players will have the option of playing different Anima Squad members, ultimately making up a team of four players. There are currently five AnimaTech skins in the game, however, of these, we have only seen two in the game mode trailer that was released a couple of days ago, so there is a question of whether they would all be included in the roster. We do have confirmation, at least, that all of the new Anima Squad skins will be in Swarm, however, which includes:
Battle Dove Seraphine
Admiral Battle Bunny Miss Fortune
Battle Bat Xayah
Cyber Cat Yuumi & Prestige Cyber Cat Yuumi
Prestige Battle Lion Leona
Battle Bear Illaoi
Battle Wolf Yasuo
Battle Bunny Aurora
In Swarm, players will be taking on a new monstrous force called the “Primordians.” Four champions will be getting a Primordian skin in Patch 14.14 and make up the four bosses of the PvE event:
Primordian Aatrox
Primordian Briar
Primordian Bel’Veth
Primordian Rek’Sai
If the trends with Invasion and Odyssey continue, all of the Anima Squad champions will be available to play, and you’ll be able to see the new skins in action. If you do end up liking them, all of the Anima Squad skins, including the past ones, will also be available in the store so you can bring them out in Summoner’s Rift as well. You’ll also be able to grab any of the Primordian skins, even though you cannot play as a Primordian yourself during Swarm.
Primordian Bel’Veth and Rek’Sai.
Most of the skins are of the Epic tier, costing 1350 RP, but two skins are Legendary (1850 RP) - Battle Dove Seraphine and Primordian Aatrox. Additionally, two skins, Cyber Cat Yuumi and Battle Lion Leona come with a Prestige variety which can be purchased using Mythic Essence
The Mythic Variant of the 2022 skin, Battle Bunny Miss Fortune, can be acquired through a Mythic Capsule. The capsules will be available for a limited amount of time; each capsule has a 1% chance to drop the Mythic Variant skin, otherwise it will drop different loot. Each capsule costs 750 RP.
In terms of gameplay, we are expecting Swarm to follow in the footsteps of Invasion and Odyssey: Extraction once again with at least two notable additions: Augments, and, as of yet undefined, Permanent Power-Ups. We imagine this will play out similarly to how Augments function in TFT and Arena, with a choice between several different buffs or changes to your champion that can make each gaming session unique, even when you’re spamming the same champion.
The goal of Swarm seems to be survival. As we can see in the teaser video, a deluge of Primordians seem to come at you and your squad from every direction. Using your champion’s unique strengths, a combination of power-ups and augments of your choice, and, naturally, a good dose of teamwork, you’ll need to carve through the Swarm to succeed.
