Yeah, the changes brought by League of Legends Season 10 are great — but have you ever considered what's going to evolve with the next Preseason?
"When we developed last year's preseason, Rise of the Elements, we wanted to expand and evolve League of Legends in an unexpected and exciting way," said Lead Gameplay Designer Mark "RiotScruffy" Yetter. "This year, we're going to invest in League’s future by building up and refining one of League's foundational gameplay systems."
In 2021, Riot Games will focus on one of the most important gameplay aspects: the item system.
It means that some items might be removed, while some others will undergo massive changes. Riot are "estimating something like 34% retained, 33% improved, and 33% new."
Towards the ideal system
Currently, Riot Games estimates that several principles leading the item system are working well. Items fil their role of allowing champions to snowball, and most of them are satisfying to earn and use.
However, while some champions now have a vast variety of strategic choices within their builds, others like mages tend to focus on the same items, leading to a pretty dull and linear item path.
Some items like Luden's Echo or the Statikk Shiv add a twist to a champion's kit, but it's often hard to find a proper balance between augmenting the champion's playstyle, and completely overriding it. Whereas it is for Marksmen or Enchanters, Riot is still struggling to find a proper balance.
Overall, they feel that the item system isn't as clear and intuitive as it should be — which is apparently one of the main issues they decided to address and communicate about.
The Big Shop Upgrade
One thing is sure: the shopping interface needs an update for ages — and this picture above certainly promises us a bright future. With a new motto — "Show me the best choices but don't overwhelm me." — Riot Games want to bring better item recommendations including focused choices and contextual analysis to improve counter-building strategies.
New "All Items" Tab
Have you ever lost some precious seconds scrolling into the shop to find an item you usually never build?
With the new "All Item" tabs showcased by Riot, all items from the game will be gathered in one page, allowing a quick selection.
It remains to be seen when all of these changes will be implemented, but the least we can say is that they look pretty promising...
Riot has unveiled its roadmap for the next champions to come to League of Legends in 2020. In addition to a rework of Dr. Mundo, three new champions will hit the Rift: a jungler, midlaner and AD carry.
