Braum & Illaoi's EVO 2024 debut in 2XKO was a feast of hard-hitting big bodies

As Riot Games continues to develop 2XKO, it also continues to fill out the roster. Just ahead of EVO 2024, Braum was announced as a playable character, bringing his giant shield, herculean strength, and army of fluffy little Poros to play. We’ve had a couple chances to play the game, but not since Braum or fellow big-body brawler Illaoi came into the equation. At EVO 2024, this was rectified, and we got to see how these two heavyweight contenders felt in battle. Simply put, they put up vastly different and fun experiences that mix well with the already existing roster.

Braum, The Heart of the Freljord

Braum is kind of like one of those old St. Bernard rescue dogs as depicted in old cartoons. He’s a hero of League of Legends’ frozen land known as the Freljord that simply wanders the tundra helping those in need. In LoL, he’s a Support character with freezing attacks, big defensive maneuvers, and a crushing ultimate that slows anything caught in it. In 2XKO, he’s much more offensive and aggressive, but that big shield isn’t just for show. He not only swings it around like a bludgeon, but can also use it to defend against attacks, freeze up his foes, or even surf on them in the most degrading of ways.

Braum’s combat style in 2XKO is a blast. He hits hard and feels impactful. Moreover, he can set his opponents up for some nasty damage with his freezing properties. If he can successfully hit his shield projectile or a few other attacks, his opponent will be locked down like Sub-Zero putting someone on ice in Mortal Kombat. Then, like Sub-Zero, he can go to town. His other offensive moves include a forward dash in which he strikes with the shield, powering the shield up with Freljord ice to do more damage, and even falling on his opponents and surfing on them to their corner of the stage.

Braum’s got some solid pressure, and his signature defensive measures don’t fall by the wayside in the process. He can put up his ultimate guard and block a variety of attacks and projectiles to give his partner character a safe space to fire off their offense or simply negate an opponent’s heavier attacks. Simply put, he’s satisfying from both offensive and defensive perspectives as a character that can protect allies and put a whooping on foes as necessary. Heaven help you if you get frozen and are at the mercy of a good Braum.

Illaoi, The Kraken Priestess

In League of Legends, when Illaoi is standing across the way from you in Top Lane, it’s usually about to be a hard game. In that game, the Kraken Priestess is a brawler, a mountain of a woman, and she’s got spirits to help her wallop her opponents. Specifically, the urn Illaoi carries spawns spirit tentacles. When she hits an opponent with an ability in LoL, nearby tentacles in range will attack as well. Her ultimate would see her spawn three more tentacles in addition to any already on the field and all of them including her would lay into opponents for massive damage.

In 2XKO, Illaoi is still a brawler, but she also retains that setplay style that defines her in League of Legends. Like Braum, Illaoi is hard-hitting and has an impactful set of normal bent on beating the brakes off opponents. However, where she gets really dangerous is in being able to set up her spirit tentacles. Several of Illaoi’s attacks will spawn spirit tentacles on the stage that will remain persistent for a period of time. If Illaoi hits other specific attacks, any tentacles in range will also take a swing at opponents. Not only can Illaoi use this to boost her damage, but she can create high-pressure situations where opponents have to keep track of both her and her tentacles attacks and whether the storm from all sides.

Illaoi feels like she’ll be more technical in 2XKO. You’re going to have to work out some routes that let you safely place tentacles, but then you’re going to have to make sure you make smart use of them once they’re on the field. She’ll take some setup to hit her full potential and optimization, but once you get there, it feels like Illaoi is going to be just as oppressive in 2XKO as she is in League of Legends.

Battle of the big bodies

We once again enjoyed the heck out of our time with 2XKO. Braum and Illaoi provided very interesting looks at how Riot Games handles two heavyweight character designs. Moreover, as a League of Legends player, I found it cool to see how Riot is translating the iconic traits of these characters in their MOBA form to a fighting game. Braum felt like Braum and Illaoi felt like Illaoi. As this game continues to shape up and grow, I’m excited to see even more characters come to the roster. Be sure to follow our 2XKO coverage for news and updates as they launch and check out our other EVO 2024 coverage as well!

This preview is based on a PC demo version of 2XKO played at EVO 2024. 2XKO is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime in 2025.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.