In the MOBA League of Legends (LoL), everything will change with the upcoming game time. We present to you the planned changes.
In the upcoming season 2016, developer RiotGames has planned several changes that are intended to improve the game. In the past, players of League of Legends have expressed many wishes and ideas on how to improve the game. RiotGames has now addressed some of these ideas.
Keys and Chests
RiotGames also resorts to the proven system that already exists in games like Team Fortress 2 or Counter Strike – Global Offensive. In League of Legends, it will be possible to open chests using keys, to unlock skins, champions, or other goodies. However, you do not have to pay for it like in other games. It is important to note that you can also receive chests and keys in LoL completely for free.
To obtain chests or keys, or their individual fragments, it is worthwhile to play with friends, as the drop chance is significantly higher during that time. Chests are awarded after the game in relation to your own performance and that of the team. Exact numbers on how many chests drop cannot be specified yet, as it is still being determined which quantity works best to prevent the game from becoming a “grind”.
Unique Good Chests Also Available in the Shop
If you are simply looking for a good deal, you can also purchase chests in the shop, which guarantee a good deal.
“I Don’t Like Chests”
For those of you who have no use for these rewards, there is also an option to exchange them at the “Crafting Table” for other content.
Dynamic Ranked Teams
With the new season, RiotGames introduces dynamic ranked teams in LoL. This means that you can register for the ranked mode with any number of friends. However, you still need to be close in ranking. Additionally, the system is designed so that a group of friends who registered together for a ranked game will have a 95% chance of facing another group that registered together.
It is still possible to create a 5-man team and play team ranked games.
Bonus IP for Groups
If you still need to convince your friends to try League of Legends, there will be bonus IP for players who play in groups with friends once the Dynamic Ranked are “live”.
Less Waiting Time for Talented Players in High Ranked Areas
With a new system, Riot aims to reduce waiting time for players in high ranks. Players previously had to wait 30 minutes or more. These players will still join the same type of game, but the waiting time should be significantly shorter.
“Promo Helper”
To put it concisely: If you are ranked below “Gold 1”, you will be assisted in “completing” promotion games in LoL.
Example:
Player xXRIOTPLSXx is ranked Silver 4 (probably because he always gets bad teammates – wink, wink -) and has made it to promotion to Silver 3. However, he ends up with said bad teammates and loses this promo. If he manages to “fight” his way back into the promotion games for Silver 3, he will start there with at least 1 win, so he only needs to win 2 games instead of 3 to rank up.
A New Client
After 6 years, the current client of League of Legends has slowly outlived its usefulness and it has been decided to design a new client. This new client is set to enter the alpha phase at the start of the 2016 season. During this phase, there will be select invitations to players who can test and evaluate this alpha client. However, spots are limited and therefore highly sought after.
The new client focuses on 3 things:
- a new technology: With the goal that this technology will make the client more stable and that RiotGames staff will find it easier to work with and on it.
- Visual changes: The client update also aims for visual progress. A clear, uniform design is desired to provide more overview.
- Easier connection with friends: To make playing with friends simpler, plans include groups, “clubs”, and a “friends mobile app”. The new client will feature a standalone friends list, so you won’t have to have the client open to chat with friends. Even while patching your game, you can see who is already online and communicate with your friends.
For most of you who have read these great news, probably only one question remains:
HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THIS ALPHA, PLEASE?
RiotGames directly warns with the message: Anyone who wants to participate in the alpha must expect an incomplete, buggy client, as active work is still being done on it.
In general, they are looking for “brave” players from around the world who are level 30 summoners. Players who have demonstrated good in-game behavior (few reports, little flaming, etc.) will be given preference for invitations.
Anyone wishing to participate should keep an eye out for signups before the alpha starts next year.
New Queue and Champion Selection for League of Legends
Together with the new client, the queue and subsequent champion selection in LoL will be significantly revised.
The queue currently looks like this on the PBE server:
Before entering the queue, you can choose 2 roles that you would like to play the most. Then, as in the team builder, players will be searched who harmonize with these wishes.
Once a team has been formed, the game assigns you one of the two selected roles.
Similar to the team builder, you can now also see a map with the various players and their different roles on this screen.
Following that comes:
The Selection and Ban Phase
This phase now works a bit differently than you might be used to.
After being assigned to a team and role, you can now indicate which champion you would like to play. This is helpful if you want to play certain combinations, and you won’t accidentally ban important champions for that combination. For example: Player A indicates that they want to play Yasuo. This should make it clear to the rest of the team (hopefully) that they should choose champions with knock-ups (like Malphite) rather than banning them.
Each player then selects their champion in turn. However, the order remains the same; if your team is “First Pick”, the opposing team gets 2 picks sequentially instead of simultaneously.
If someone fails to select a champion during this phase, the champion selection is aborted, and the usual penalties will apply to that player.
However, banning also changes:
The first two players can select a champion they deem important. The last 3 players in each team then have one ban each before they can select the champion they wish to play with.
Positions 1 & 2 in the champion selection can select important champions for the team, while positions 3, 4 & 5 can each ban a champion before selecting the champion they want to play.
Banning still occurs before the selection of the champions you want to play.
Riot is changing everything, also important to note:
- Riot is making huge changes to League of Legends with the Preseason 2016
- Riot is changing some of the most popular AD carries in League of Legends
This news comes from our reader TheIllaChilla, who runs his own Youtube channel.
