Riot Games is embracing bold new designs and reworking its approach to releasing champions in League of Legends. This shift stems from the belief that taking risks on innovative mechanics is preferable to playing it safe. Modern champion releases are now more likely to undergo significant adjustments post-launch, a move attributed to a shrinking pool of ‘safe’ design space and a willingness to innovate.
Why Riot Is More Willing to Rework Champions After Launch
Nick ‘Endstep’ Frijia, a Seasonal Game Designer on the Summoner’s Rift team, highlighted that the game’s growing roster limits traditional design opportunities. As a result, Riot is opting for bolder ideas, which may require iterative changes if they don’t hit the mark. “It’s better for us to take risks… than to make a boring champion,” Endstep stated, emphasizing the complexity of turning a straightforward release into an exciting pick.
Season 5’s Bard served as a historical comparison, showing how past champions could innovate within existing gameplay frameworks. Today, Riot moves towards experimental mechanics to keep the game fresh and exciting.
Examples of Recent Champion Reworks
Champions like Smolder and Aurora exemplify this new approach. Both characters received significant post-launch updates to adjust their power dynamics and role expectations. Smolder’s initial design relied heavily on stack accumulation for damage, leading to gameplay that focused on funneling stacks for faster scaling. This led Riot to redistribute Smolder’s late-game power in Patch 14.23.
Aurora faced a different challenge, as her top lane role and gameplay were frustrating for opponents, especially in high-level play. Consequently, Aurora underwent kit-specific changes in the same patch to balance her impact.
Despite these challenges, Endstep argues that ceasing to take risks would stifle the game’s potential. The development team prefers revisiting champions post-launch over consistently releasing less ambitious kits. Riot’s recent balance strategy now includes targeted adjustments around major competitive events, with patch notes often highlighting changes intended for professional play.