Riot Games recently revealed the behind-the-scenes process of its item system rework in a blog post on the League of Legends website. The upcoming preseason will bring major changes to the game, and Riot Games is focusing on revamping mage items to make the first item choice for mid laners more strategic and unique. This includes adding iconic effects to artillery mages and introducing a new stat called Ability Haste, which will replace Cooldown Reduction.
According to Riot Games, mid laners like Syndra, Azir, Orianna, and Zoe often rely on the Lost Chapter item to address their mana issues during the early laning phase. The completion of this item completely negates their mana problems. However, after recent meta changes, some players have started opting for different completed items like Archangel’s Staff or Hextech GLP-800 instead of Luden’s Echo.
In response to the rise of high-range artillery-type mages in the mid lane, Riot Games plans to introduce a new item that will complement their playstyle and add an interesting mechanic to their kits. Although the specific effect of this item is yet to be revealed, Vel’Koz, Xerath, AP Kog’Maw, and Ziggs players can look forward to it.
One of the major changes coming to the mid lane is the introduction of a new stat called Ability Haste, which will replace Cooldown Reduction. Ability Haste will provide linear scaling without a cap, allowing for more consistent spell usage. Riot Games explains that the conversion of CDR to Haste won’t be a flat nerf, as the intention is to provide the potential to reach the same frequency of spell-casting in a more linear way.
These changes aim to make the mid lane healthier by adding more variety in the first back item purchase, as mid laners often feel limited to the Lost Chapter item. While the specific changes to items, effects, and stats are still unknown, Riot Games’ direction is promising for the mid lane.
It’s important to note that the item system rework is still in its early phase and may undergo several iterations before players can test it out on the Public Beta Environment.
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