Riot Games talks on future of League of Legends, Clash, Teamfight Tactics
Riot Games design director Andrei “Meddler” van Roon uploaded a post to the League of Legends developer corner forum to discuss broad plans for the game’s future. The release of the projects mentioned is not guaranteed. However, Meddler feels this is a great way to inform players on what Riot is currently focusing on.
Refinements to Clash for full launch (date on that soon!), plus more throughout the year
Looking at top lane impact (preseason didn't hit the mark as hoped)
TFT changes will be light in Feb (meta's good and we're working on mobile client + new set)https://t.co/ncani18rF8
— Andrei van Roon (@RiotMeddler) January 31, 2020
Clash enhancements
First, the complete launch of Clash has yet to be announced. Nevertheless, Meddler mentions the release date will be shared during some time next week. The following improvements to Clash, based on December’s beta player feedback, are expected to be included in the full launch:
Three matches per team
During the beta’s launch, developers noticed a pattern among teams where losing their first two matches meant losing motivation to continue forward. That resulted in inaccurate placings for rewards and a short Clash experience. To stop such issues, Riot has required all teams to play a total of three matches regardless of outcomes.
Clarification on Clash information
Riot Games is working to improve the flow of functionality in Clash. To do so, the timer is being edited to accurately display the maximum amount of time teams have until their next match. The timer will adjust based on their next opponent’s win time. There will also be a better distinguishing between the different types of Clash tickets available and making clear that all champions are available for play.
Missions to encourage players to join Clash
Riot Games noticed many players having trouble looking for teams, getting tickets, and finding out what time the event took place. In order to fix the issue, they plan on releasing missions to help navigate players through the process, as well as ticket rewards and clearer notifications.
Meddler mentions how Riot plans on having Clash run regularly. They do not want weekends in-between Clash to feel long but want to avoid frequent tournament runs. They would also like to prevent frail competition and a sense of low importance per tournament. As a long-term goal, Riot wants Clash to be spread among different game modes like Teamfight Tactics. Even so, this plan is not guaranteed. Yet expanding Clash is still something the developing team is hoping for.
Top lane development
In Ranked Solo/Duo, Riot has noticed a lot of variation in top lane’s popularity, the demand for top lane depending on MMR and region. As an example, here is the graph for NA’s position selection rates. Graphs for different regions can be found in Meddler’s forum post.
To give top lane increased impact, top lane’s solo XP increased, Rift Herald was respawning for extra map pressure, and lower jungle/duo XP was provided to help balance. Those changes have ultimately not made much difference though. Meddler does not mention any upcoming plans to assist in solving the problem. However, Riot does want to make top lane a priority in promoting. Updates on timelines for projects will be in the future once they are finalized.
Teamfight Tactics
Rise of the Elements has been released on Teamfight Tactics for a while now. Nearing the next set of patch notes, developers feel it is time for some minor adjustments. Small balance changes are planned to slightly nerf Light and buff Glacial, while the Spatula presence on the carousel will be modified. Riot plans to eliminate Spatula from appearing, along with releasing a new set with the mobile client’s release in March.
Speaking of sets, Riot wants players to be properly rewarded for having certain traits. They also want players to be more aware of how gameplay can shift based on the number of units a player summons and show the importance of spells and traits, as well as how early armor and health regen can negatively affect gameplay.
What are your thoughts on Riot’s plans so far?
