Rescue Ashe
ASHE — HAWKSHOT MOBILITY UPDATE
A Focused Gameplay Proposal for League of Legends
Executive Summary
Ashe has one of the most recognizable identities in League of Legends: a long-range marksman who controls the battlefield through vision, slows, kiting, and long-range initiation.
Rather than redesigning her existing kit, this proposal suggests a small, targeted improvement to Hawkshot (E).
The goal is simple:
Keep Ashe's current abilities intact while allowing Hawkshot to also represent Ashe's ability to track and pursue her prey.
The proposed change adds level-scaling Movement Speed to Hawkshot, giving Ashe improved repositioning and kiting as the game progresses without giving her a dash, blink, or other burst-mobility tool.
1. The Current Problem
Ashe has several defining strengths:
- Strong crowd control
- Excellent vision utility
- Reliable long-range engage
- Powerful kiting through Frost Shot
- Strong teamfight utility
However, she also has a major weakness:
Ashe has virtually no personal mobility.
She has no dash, blink, or movement ability. Once an enemy reaches her, Ashe must rely heavily on positioning, slows, Flash, and her teammates.
This creates situations where Ashe can feel disproportionately vulnerable against champions with strong engage or gap-closing tools.
The goal should not be to remove this weakness.
Instead, Ashe should receive a small amount of scaling mobility that rewards good positioning and map awareness.
2. Proposed Change — E: Hawkshot
Current Identity
Hawkshot remains Ashe's scouting ability.
It continues to:
- Launch a hawk toward a target location.
- Reveal the path/location it scouts.
- Reveal enemy champions within its vision.
- Provide Ashe with valuable information before committing to a fight.
New Passive Component: Hunter's Momentum
Ashe gains bonus Movement Speed based on her level.
Suggested values:
| Level | Bonus Movement Speed |
|---|---|
| 1 | +2% |
| 3 | +3% |
| 5 | +4% |
| 7 | +5% |
| 9 | +6% |
| 11 | +7% |
| 13 | +8% |
| 15 | +9% |
| 17 | +10% |
| 18 | +12% |
This bonus is always active and does not require Ashe to cast Hawkshot.
The purpose of the scaling is to make Ashe gradually become a more effective hunter as she gains experience.
3. Why Movement Speed?
Movement Speed fits Ashe better than adding a dash or another traditional mobility mechanic.
Ashe is not supposed to suddenly become an assassin-style marksman.
She is a ranged hunter.
Her gameplay fantasy is based around:
Vision → Positioning → Slowing → Pursuit → Execution
Movement Speed strengthens this fantasy without fundamentally changing how Ashe plays.
It allows her to:
- Kite more effectively.
- Reposition during teamfights.
- Rotate around the map more efficiently.
- Maintain spacing against melee champions.
- Chase targets after successfully slowing them.
- Recover from positional mistakes slightly more effectively.
Most importantly, it gives Ashe more agency without removing her vulnerability.
4. Why Hawkshot?
Hawkshot is the most natural ability for this change.
Ashe's E already represents her connection with the concept of hunting and tracking.
The hawk provides information about where the enemy is.
The additional Movement Speed represents what Ashe does with that information:
She sees the prey — and begins the pursuit.
This creates stronger thematic cohesion between the ability and Ashe's overall identity.
5. What This Proposal Does NOT Change
To preserve Ashe's identity, the following abilities would remain unchanged:
Passive — Frost Shot
No fundamental changes.
Q — Ranger's Focus
No fundamental changes.
W — Volley
No fundamental changes.
R — Enchanted Crystal Arrow
No fundamental changes.
E — Hawkshot
Its scouting function remains intact.
The only major addition is the level-scaling Movement Speed component.
6. Balance Philosophy
This proposal intentionally avoids giving Ashe:
- ❌ A dash
- ❌ A blink
- ❌ Invisibility
- ❌ Burst movement
- ❌ Additional burst damage
- ❌ Increased attack range
- ❌ An additional crowd-control ability
The proposed mobility is deliberately passive, gradual, and predictable.
Ashe would still be vulnerable to coordinated engage.
She would still need good positioning.
She would still be punished for getting caught.
The difference is that she would have a slightly better ability to maintain distance and reposition.
7. Optional Interaction With Hawkshot
If additional gameplay depth is desired, a secondary effect could be tested:
Hunter's Momentum — Optional Effect
When Hawkshot reveals an enemy champion, Ashe gains a short burst of Movement Speed for 2 seconds.
Suggested value:
- +15% Movement Speed
- 2-second duration
- Moderate cooldown
This effect should be carefully tested and could be removed entirely if the passive level-scaling Movement Speed is already sufficient.
The core proposal does not depend on this additional effect.
8. Why This Is a Better Fit Than a Full Rework
Ashe already has a highly recognizable kit.
Her identity is not the problem.
The goal is not to turn Ashe into another high-mobility ADC.
Instead, this proposal addresses one specific weakness while preserving what makes Ashe unique.
The result would be an Ashe who still feels like:
The Frost Archer.
She simply becomes better at doing what a hunter should naturally do:
Find the target. Keep her distance. Pursue the target.
9. Expected Gameplay Impact
Early Game
The bonus is intentionally small.
Ashe remains vulnerable to aggressive lanes and ganks.
Mid Game
The increased Movement Speed becomes more noticeable as Ashe begins rotating between lanes and participating in skirmishes.
Late Game
The scaling provides Ashe with better repositioning and kiting without turning her into a hyper-mobile ADC.
This is particularly valuable because late-game Ashe remains extremely vulnerable to being caught by enemy divers.
10. The Core Design Goal
This proposal is not intended to make Ashe the strongest ADC.
It is intended to make her feel better to play without changing who she is.
A successful update should leave players thinking:
"This still feels exactly like Ashe."
But also:
"I have a little more control over my positioning."
That is the core purpose of this Hawkshot update.
Conclusion
Ashe does not need a complete redesign.
She needs a small improvement that reinforces her existing identity.
By adding level-scaling Movement Speed to Hawkshot, Riot could give Ashe:
- Better kiting
- Better repositioning
- Better pursuit
- Better map movement
- More agency against engage
while preserving her iconic:
Frost Shot + Volley + Hawkshot + Enchanted Crystal Arrow
identity.
Proposed Direction
Keep Ashe's kit.
Keep her identity.
Keep Hawkshot's vision utility.
Add scaling Movement Speed.
Let Ashe see the prey — and give her the speed to hunt it.