Riot has brought back the “good old days” of League of Legends. MeinMMO editor and LoL veteran Benedict Grothaus checked out the new Classic mode and fell in love again. Only one thing is missing.
Recently, Riot announced League Classic, a version of League of Legends based on an older patch with the old mechanics (specifically: Season 3, but with a smaller selection of champions). Of course, I had to try it out immediately.
When League of Legends was released in 2009, I invested significantly more time in the game than I would later justify. But it was simply a hit back then; even non-nerds had heard of it and occasionally played.
Back then, I didn’t just play a little; I was even involved in tournaments and such—not necessarily successfully, but e-sports wasn’t that big at the time either. LoL contributed greatly to my gaming enthusiasm.
Accordingly, I was eager to find out if League Classic could live up to my memories and expectations. Blizzard managed to do exactly that with WoW Classic, and I can now confirm: The Classic mode of LoL absolutely pulls me in. At least so far.
LoL just like back then, only without all the insults
Even the menu in the launcher brings back memories that I had long forgotten and partially buried. For those who don’t know LoL from back in the day, the game was significantly different in many ways at the beginning:
- There were more summoner spells, some with very niche applications.
- Runes had to be bought and arranged in book pages, which required a lot of grinding before one could fully realize their potential.
- Additionally, there were masteries, something like a talent system with 30 points to customize one’s playstyle—such as with gold per second, mana, enhanced summoner spells, or increased stats of champions.
All of this welcomed me back in League Classic and made me grin foolishly several times. Together with a good friend, the last remaining member of my former teams in LoL and Heroes of the Storm, I dove back into the queue after reminiscing for a bit.
What we noticed right away in the champion selection: no one insults, no one trolls. LoL is known as a notoriously toxic game, but I noticed a few years ago that it had improved significantly. We could even communicate reasonably with the other players!
We played three games in total and won all three, some quite decisively and some completely unexpectedly. And that last part is the point that triggered an enthusiasm in me that is not only rooted in nostalgia.
Slower, tactical, and much less colorful
In its early days, LoL was simpler for technical reasons. The map, champions, and skills had fewer flashy elements, skins were simpler, and the overall game feel was somewhat “slower”—though not really slower. Rounds still go on for around 30 to 50 minutes.
What I specifically mean is: League Classic feels slowed down, just like the classic version of WoW. Instead of being overwhelmed with chaotic team fights or ganks and a jungle that need precise timing, the game has a greater tactical component.
Skills and champions in general are easier to read, and I don’t mean only visually but literally. The tooltips are simply shorter and more understandable, not such brain gymnastics like a certain champion with 10 skills. Who came up with such an idea?!
We were able to plan most fights well in advance. Map control is easier because there aren’t countless champions that can appear out of nowhere. Especially as a support, I could also take my time to place wards properly and give my team an advantage. While this is still possible today, it is significantly more stressful.
Even a game where we were only four from about minute 15 could still be turned around. Today, that would still be theoretically possible, but much harder—partly because few players even want to attempt it and partly because the imbalance of power between teams escalates much faster.
The Classic mode feels more like what LoL (and every MOBA) originally was: mods of a strategy game, and that’s exactly how League Classic can be played again.
Riot excludes the very best mode
However, there was one significant downside. LoL used to have not only the Summoner’s Rift as a map but also its own 3v3 arena, the Twisted Treeline.
That was the mode for more variety and a bit more action: a smaller map with fewer lanes, where there was more confrontation but also more emphasis on the individual player. After all, you only have two teammates, not four.
However, that is exactly what is missing in League Classic, and the variety of maps with different mechanics is exactly the reason I always preferred Heroes of the Storm over LoL. Perhaps that will come still; at least there is hope.
Although my friend had very little desire to play LoL Classic at first and I had to persuade him to play for this test, he now enjoys it just as much as I do, and we will certainly play even more.
If anything bothers me during this, you can be sure that I will complain about it here. Maybe I will even find a few toxic people and learn some new insults; that would be something.
Have you played League Classic yet? What was your impression? Which game would you like to see a “classic” version of? Leave me a comment!
By the way, a point of contention between my teammate and me was the selection of champions, as he missed his favorite Vladimir. Although he would have been playable in Season 3 back then, the champion roster is even a bit older than that, and Vlad was not part of the original lineup: What were the first champions in League of Legends?
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