On December 10, LoL Wild Rift started in Europe with its open beta and has received a lot of praise since then. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already spent a lot of time in the game and has gathered some points where Riot Games still needs to improve.
What is this about? Wild Rift is currently still in beta, but in its current form, it’s already a very good MOBA for smartphones. It runs smoothly, has a notable pool of champions, is easy to control, and offers various game modes like Normal or Ranked.
However, there are still some things that Riot Games needs to work on to make Wild Rift perfect for me. The points mentioned here are based on my own opinion. If you have other criticisms or additions, feel free to write them in the comments.
1. Role selection before the match starts
What bothers me? In League of Legends, various modes allow me to directly register for a position I would like to play. This is possible in both normal and ranked matches.
In Wild Rift, however, there is only the “Blind Pick” option. You start your match and only know which role you will be playing once the others have selected their champions. Those who are too slow may end up having to play a role they are not comfortable with – or worse – they select a role that is already filled.
What can already be stressful in normal matches is a disaster for ranked. In my last 3 matches, we had at least one position that was filled twice. Support and jungler positions are rarely played. This often leads to a loss, especially if the opposing team properly selects their roles.
What change do I wish for? The adjustment is actually quite simple: At least for ranked matches, such a role selection should happen beforehand so that I can play a role I am comfortable with.
I would also like to see a new mode: “Alternate Selection”. This already exists in LoL and simulates ranked gameplay, but without the risk of losing my rank.
I suspect that Riot Games has initially disabled a role selection because it could lead to long waiting times. As mentioned above, support and jungler are currently rarely played. However, in my opinion, there are already enough players in ranked that an adjustment would be worthwhile.
Update December 21: Meanwhile, we know that work is already being done on the role selection.
2. Bans in Ranked
What is the problem? In Wild Rift, there are champions that are significantly stronger than others. Some also counter the champions that you like to play. For this, LoL has a so-called ban phase, where both teams select champions that cannot be used throughout the match.
What change do I wish for? Although Wild Rift has a significantly smaller champion pool, with 49 champions, it’s reasonable to start allowing each team to ban 1 or 2 champions. The selection thereafter would still be large enough.
You can find the best champions in our tier list.
3. ARAM
What is the problem? Currently, Wild Rift only offers a single map: Summoner’s Rift. While this is the mode most used by all players, I am a huge fan of ARAM – All Random All Mid.
In this mode, there is only one lane, and it consistently leads to 5v5 fights. The rounds are already significantly shorter on PC than in Summoner’s Rift, and it’s also a lot of fun.
What change do I wish for? Clearly, I want Riot Games to bring this fun mode to Wild Rift as well. It provides variety and helps players get used to new champions in teamfight situations.
4. Remove the “Refused to Surrender” banner
What is the problem? In Wild Rift, it frequently happens that a player on the team wants to give up because the start didn’t go as expected.
This player can then initiate a vote to surrender. If 4 out of 5 players agree, the game is surrendered. If not, the game continues.
However, if it continues, a huge “Your Team refused to surrender” banner appears right in the field of vision. And that has killed me multiple times.
What do I wish for? A small message in the chat is sufficient to convey this information. If I’ve hidden it, I probably don’t want to see it. After all, you notice if the team has surrendered.
5. An interface for statistics outside the game
What change do I wish for? In this case, there is actually no problem, but just a change I wish for. For years, I have used tools outside of LoL for statistics, for example, to track my win rates with champions or see how high I am in the TFT ranking.
Currently, however, there seems to be no such interface for Wild Rift. At least I haven’t found any provider using this. So this wish goes to both Riot Games and the diligent programmers out there: Create a website where I can admire my achievements in Wild Rift!
What do you think of the game? Do you like Wild Rift? And what do you think is missing?
You can find more articles and guides on our theme page for LoL Wild Rift.
