If you’ve been having trouble keeping up with the patches in the eighth season of League of Legends, don’t worry, you’re not alone. This season has seen some of the most frequent and dramatic changes in the game’s history, making it difficult to keep up and learn new aspects of the game. The constant changes have turned learning into a chore, which takes away from the fun of discovering new things in the game.
The Long List of Changes
There have been numerous significant changes this season. The marksman changes may be the most memorable, but there were many other big changes earlier in the season. Here’s a list to remind you:
1) AP item overhaul
2) Mage mana overhaul
3) Sightstone removal
4) Tracker’s Knife removal
5) Jungle experience changes and the new Scuttle Crab
6) Marksman base stat changes
7) Crit item overhaul
8) Tower changes
9) Minion value overhaul
10) Bounty changes
These changes had a major impact on the game and its meta. The AP and mana overhauls completely changed the mage meta, while the removal of Tracker’s Knife affected roaming, ganking, and jungle pressure. The jungle experience changes and the introduction of the Scuttle Crab altered how jungling is played. The marksman stat changes and crit item overhauls significantly changed the bot lane meta. The minion value and bounty changes affected the game’s snowballing and which champions were the best at earning gold.
Too Many Changes, Too Quickly
Typically, major changes like these only occur a couple of times a year. However, this year has seen a constant stream of mind-numbing changes, patch after patch. While change is what keeps League of Legends fresh and exciting, these constant updates should be called “updates” instead of “balance changes”. It’s important to understand that Riot pushes updates to keep the game interesting, not just to balance it.
The Consequences of Rapid Change
Having so many rapid-fire updates can be stressful for average players and even more damaging for pro players. It’s difficult for pro players to keep up with the non-marksmen meta, and the constant changes can alienate them from the game. The overwhelming amount of changes has led to a decline in interest in the game and viewership. Riot’s rapid change has gone beyond what is typical for a season and may have created a larger problem of reintroducing the game to burnt-out players.
What Happens Next?
There are two possible paths for Riot. They can either continue with the rapid pace of updates or slow things down. It’s important to strike a balance because too much change can be overwhelming. If Riot chooses to continue with this pace, they should frame the changes as exciting additions or updates rather than fixes or balance changes. This approach has worked well for games like Fortnite, where rapid change is embraced and seen as something new and exciting.
Conclusion
League of Legends is known for its constant changes, but this year has been too much to handle. The game feels less like a roller coaster of excitement and more like a stressful and tiring experience. Riot needs to evaluate the impact of these rapid changes and find a balance that keeps the game fresh without overwhelming players.