We attended the Roundtable with Riot Games for you. There, changes to the dragons were introduced. Dragons are similarly important objectives in League of Legends as the Baron. The Chemtech Dragon had to be removed from the game in 2022, but Riot is bringing the dragon back with new abilities.
Why is Riot revisiting this topic? After the Chemtech theme gained more attention through the Arcane series from Riot Games, community interest also grew. Patrick Noonan, Chief Producer, and Matthew Leung-Harrison, Chief Designer, are working on the preseason and shared more with us.
The Chemtech Dragon was removed from the game at the beginning of Season 12, as it provided the winning team with a much greater advantage than was acceptable. It revived you again, allowing you to participate in the fight for a few more seconds.
This gave the team with the Dragon Soul too great an advantage. The losing team only faced a greater disadvantage over time and had no real chance to turn the game around. Instead of sinking the dragon in the Void, Riot is now bringing it back for the 2023 preseason.
Last year the Dragon was already introduced. We will show you how it looked back then:
Chemtech is now injected to become stronger
What defines the new, old dragon? The new Chemtech Dragon differs significantly from the old Chemtech Dragon. While the theme of the old dragon wanted to defy death, it is approached with a new method in the preseason. It is meant to evoke the handling of Chemtech from Arcane, the Netflix series of League of Legends.
You gain this improvement upon killing the dragon: It provides your team with a 5% buff for tenacity and healing/shield strength for each kill. The Dragon Soul gives you 10% bonus damage and damage reduction when you are below 50% health.
The Summoner’s Rift is getting a new look with the Chemtech Rift. The Chief Designer of League of Legends stated that they drew inspiration from Zaun and everything will have a toxic touch. However, this will only bring visual changes, except for the plants.
The Blast Cone, for example, will have a significantly greater range and the Seer Bloom will provide you with a movement speed boost. This occurs when you run towards revealed enemies. The Honey Fruit will be filled with health – this leads to it no longer slowing you down and providing a small bonus shield.
LoL is getting a vote for the dragon fight: As part of the changes for the preseason, tools for better communication will also be addressed. Players will receive a wider range of pings. The ping wheel will be expanded by 4 more commands and there will be more votes.
When the dragon is pinged, a team-wide vote takes place to determine whether it is even worth fighting for this dragon. This allows you to gather the opinions of your teammates before deciding to go all-in and attempt it.
Additionally, the eyes are being addressed. The ping wheel will be expanded with two messages. “Vision required” and “Vision cleared” are meant to provide players with more support in communication on the map. This makes it easier for you to communicate with the jungler or the support to indicate what you need.
What do you think about the changes for the preseason? Are you looking forward to the dragon and the new look of the Chemtech map? Let us know in the comments.
If you are still interested in the preseason, check out the article: LoL overhauls the Jungle radically – Riot changes pathing and items, lets you walk a pet.
