The Impact of Jungle Pets in League of Legends Preseason
The 2023 preseason of League of Legends brought about significant changes to gameplay. From modifications to items and champions to shifts in certain positions, the Rift was transformed. The most notable changes, however, occurred in the jungle.
A central addition to the jungle was the introduction of “jungle pets” – companions that aid players in jungle-related tasks during a game. These pets have made playing jungle a simpler experience compared to previous seasons. However, their impact on the game has sparked mixed reactions among League fans and players.
To address this, League developer Matt Leung-Harrison took to Twitter to explain the reasoning behind the inclusion of jungle pets in the game for the 2023 preseason.
“In preseason, we set out to make jungle more accessible to newer players (and existing),” explained Leung-Harrison. Newer junglers playing the game don’t understand any of the wall-of-text mechanics on the previous jungle items.
Revamping the Jungle Role
Riot made it a priority to revamp the jungle role, as it has long been one of the most challenging positions for players to grasp, especially newcomers. While other lanes have a more straightforward PvP-focused gameplay, the jungle requires an effective balance between PvE and PvP encounters. This complexity has often deterred players from choosing the role altogether.
Success of the Changes
The addition of jungle pets and other changes to the jungle role seem to have had a positive impact on the game in 2023. Junglers are now more influential than ever before, with higher effectiveness in individual games during the early stages of the ranked season.
According to League stats site op.gg, nine jungle champions boast win rates over 53 percent, which is the second-highest among all positions. Moreover, out of the 47 champions with sufficient data at the jungle position, 33 have positive win rates in solo queue games played in Platinum Elo or higher.
Furthermore, the jungle role is the second-most popular position at the start of 2023, with over 21 percent of all players choosing to main it. In Master rank and above, the jungle is the most popular position in the game.
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