Last week, reports of Gangplank's death dominated headlines, as his death, at the hands of Miss Fortune in the Bilgewater: Burning Tides event, marked the first time a champion was rendered unplayable in League of Legends due to story reasons.
Turns out though, Gangplank wasn't killed. He was maimed. Just a mere flesh wound.
"Despite receiving horrific injuries in the explosion, Gangplank survived," Riot Games wrote. "Sporting a multitude of fresh scars, and with a newly crafted metal arm to replace his amputated limb, he is now determined to rebuild his strength, reclaim what he sees as rightfully his, and ruthlessly punish all of those who turned against him."
As predicted, the disabling of Gangplank from the live servers was due to his current rework, which Riot cleverly tied into the ongoing event. Following the tragic incident, Gangplank will return to League of Legends good as new with a slightly different look.
In addition to his new metal limb, Gangplank is also receiving a new alternate skin. The Bilgewater: Burning Tides event draws to a close next week, sailing into the sunset on August 10th at 2:00am PDT. However, if you own currently own Gangplank and play a full matchmade game with him (or if you've already played at least one) before the event ends, you'll earn the free Captain Gangplank skin.
"Since this is the first time we've done something so dramatic with story and theme, we're commemorating the event with the Captain Gangplank skin depicting the dread pirate from before the events of Bilgewater: Burning Tides. All players who own and play (or have already played) an entire matchmade game as Gangplank during the event will receive the Captain Gangplank skin for free.
Captain Gangplank reflects a simpler time, when one uncrowned reaver king ruled over Bilgewater with an iron cutlass and a fearsome love of scrimshaw. While base Gangplank has been irrevocably changed by Miss Fortune’s masterful scheme, the Captain Gangplank skin hearkens back to before the pirate’s bloody fall."
Check out the Captain Gangplank skin below and make sure to play a game as the Saltwater Scourge before the event ends.
