On October this year, I'll be marking the sixth year anniversary of my first time playing League of Legends. It's been one hell of a journey for me, full of life changing experiences both good (learning to pick myself up from failure) and bad (dealing with toxic players). I have witnessed the game change throughout the years, and so I have compiled a list of the five best changes the game has had since 2011.
1- New Champions.
There is no doubt in my mind that one of the many reasons for LoL's longevity in gaming is due in no small part to its growing champions roster. When I first started, the then newest champion was Riven, with Xerath being released sometime later (a week or so). The roster of playable characters has only increased since then; in fact 2012 saw a new champion being released monthly! Although the number of new champions released per year has decreased drastically since then, there's no doubt that the roster shall continue to grow in the future.
But it's not enough that new characters be released; each character has truly felt new and unique. Sure, some new characters have turned out to be far less than what was expected (EG: Fiora quickly gained a reputation as being Low Tier due to how demanding her early game was, to the point that the first ten minutes of the game could either make or break a Fiora player). Likewise, there have been new characters introduced that quickly became icons of the game (Draven. 'nuff said).
2- Redesigning Old Champions
Changing elements from the past is typically seen as franchise suicide, which is why certain game franchises never evolve much (Mario, Call of Duty). League of Legends, on the other hand, has done the unthinkable: completely and shamelessly change characters whose kits had remained the same for literally YEARS, some going so far as the game's closed Beta. But what should be seen as reason to drop a game has instead become a reason to try out champions that were previously thought to be unusable trash.
The most infamous example is Evelynn. Before 2012, Evelynn was the WORST champion in the game. A friend of mine said it best when he said "old Evelynn required tons of skill just so you wouldn't suck as her." Only 2 damaging moves, a terrible Passive (blocking 50% minion damage) and a horrid Ultimate made for not just the worst Assassin in the game, but the worst Champion. When she was reworked, the amount of players who chose her skyrocketed.
Another example: Poppy. Before her rework, Poppy was quite the mass of contradictions. She looked like a Fighter, played like an Assassin, and leveled up like a Mage. She only had 2 skills that did damage, a passive that mitigated damage based on a health percentage, and an Ultimate that negated almost all damage done to her. Post rework, Poppy is a far more streamlined Tank-Fighter hybrid who can do well in the Top Lane, soak up damage, and help her team by initiating team battles.
Not all reworks have been as accepted as Poppy's, though. In my personal opinion, Shen's rework took what was a simple, easy to use yet viable (if not a bit boring) Champion into a complicated mess. I also much preferred Fiora's previous kit to her current one, which I find to be somewhat overly complicated. But for every "bad" rework, there seems to be one that just so utterly justifies the practice.
Sion's rework, to me, was the absolute BEST the game has ever done. They turned a mess of a character (a Tank that could do Magic damage, but with no possible build that could make use of ALL his abilities) into a fantastic, unforgettable character (Hulk as a zombie with an axe, and gameplay wise a Tank that could go toe to toe with pretty much anyone).
3- Visual Updates
When I first started playing, LoL wasn't the best looking game out there; the graphics were quaint, but they definitely looked ripped off from World of Warcraft, Some players might love that sort of thing, and I'll admit, I liked the graphics too. But the visual overhaul for Summoner's Rift? Stroke of genius. Riot turned an old, World of Warcraft-esque map and made it into something truly original, savage looking region that mixes the aesthetics of unconquerable nature and occult magic. It's become a breathtaking map with a LOT going on in the background.
The updated look of many old Champions also deserves a mention. When I started, a lot of champs had "pizza feet", meaning that their models were far too polygonal and strange looking. There was also a clash of aesthetics in champions; their in-game models did not reflect their out-of-game lore at all. An example would be Sivir; you tell me why a former general from a warmongering nation would choose to go into battle wearing a metal bikini. Her bikini armor also made little sense; she was fully armored up to her elbows and knees, but her thighs, stomach, and cleavage were fully exposed? I'm all for showing some skin and all, but why does the girl general wear a metal bikini while the guy general is covered from neck to toe in full armor? It's called gender equality, people! It's not hard! Riot made the right choice by turning her into a desert dwelling mercenary who covers up a little more.
Another updated champion that I feel deserves a mention is Warwick. The old Warwick looked like a cartoon character; that model was fine in 2009 (when the game was released) but by 2016 Warwick looked too goofy in comparison to the other characters. His new model better reflects what Riot had always tried to sell Warwick as: a bloodthirsty beast who used to be human but now is more wolf than man.
4-New Items
Besides new Champions, I feel as though the addition of new items to purchase and equip has helped the game remain fresh and dynamic well into the seventh (as of this writing) season of competitive play.
In my opinion, however, no season has introduced as many game changing items as Season 3, which introduced a bevy of items designed for all roles. This season introduced several items specifically for the Jungle role, which was previously sorely lacking in items specifically designed to aid on said role. Sadly, most of those items have since been removed, but that's due to the Jungle overhaul brought by Season 5.
The Support role also gained a boost with new items, but it'd be the year 2014 that would see said role receive items designed specifically to aid it. In my opinion, the best items to have been introduced for the Support Role has got to be the Ancient Coin, which not only generates 2 gold per minute and regenerates Mana, it also heals the Champion by 5 health every time a Minion dies in their presence.
5- Original Animated Content
Since Season 1, League of Legends has been releasing some animations to show off either new champs or announcing upcoming tournaments. Some animations are done for the hell of it, to show off the characters in HD. Most of these animations have been breathtaking, but I believe there is one that remains not only the best animation Riot has ever done, it's PROOF that a League of Legends movie can be made. I speak of the music video "Get Jinxed."
Said music video combines fast music, insane visuals, beautiful colors, all to establish the then new champion known as Jinx. Before this video, players only knew Jinx as "X." AFTER the video, her fanbase exploded. To this day, four years later, Jinx remains a popular character in the game.
When I first started playing, LoL wasn't the best looking game out there; the graphics were quaint, but they definitely looked ripped off from World of Warcraft, Some players might love that sort of thing, and I'll admit, I liked the graphics too. But the visual overhaul for Summoner's Rift? Stroke of genius. Riot turned an old, World of Warcraft-esque map and made it into something truly original, savage looking region that mixes the aesthetics of unconquerable nature and occult magic. It's become a breathtaking map with a LOT going on in the background.
The updated look of many old Champions also deserves a mention. When I started, a lot of champs had "pizza feet", meaning that their models were far too polygonal and strange looking. There was also a clash of aesthetics in champions; their in-game models did not reflect their out-of-game lore at all. An example would be Sivir; you tell me why a former general from a warmongering nation would choose to go into battle wearing a metal bikini. Her bikini armor also made little sense; she was fully armored up to her elbows and knees, but her thighs, stomach, and cleavage were fully exposed? I'm all for showing some skin and all, but why does the girl general wear a metal bikini while the guy general is covered from neck to toe in full armor? It's called gender equality, people! It's not hard! Riot made the right choice by turning her into a desert dwelling mercenary who covers up a little more.
Another updated champion that I feel deserves a mention is Warwick. The old Warwick looked like a cartoon character; that model was fine in 2009 (when the game was released) but by 2016 Warwick looked too goofy in comparison to the other characters. His new model better reflects what Riot had always tried to sell Warwick as: a bloodthirsty beast who used to be human but now is more wolf than man.
4-New Items
Besides new Champions, I feel as though the addition of new items to purchase and equip has helped the game remain fresh and dynamic well into the seventh (as of this writing) season of competitive play.
In my opinion, however, no season has introduced as many game changing items as Season 3, which introduced a bevy of items designed for all roles. This season introduced several items specifically for the Jungle role, which was previously sorely lacking in items specifically designed to aid on said role. Sadly, most of those items have since been removed, but that's due to the Jungle overhaul brought by Season 5.
The Support role also gained a boost with new items, but it'd be the year 2014 that would see said role receive items designed specifically to aid it. In my opinion, the best items to have been introduced for the Support Role has got to be the Ancient Coin, which not only generates 2 gold per minute and regenerates Mana, it also heals the Champion by 5 health every time a Minion dies in their presence.
5- Original Animated Content
Since Season 1, League of Legends has been releasing some animations to show off either new champs or announcing upcoming tournaments. Some animations are done for the hell of it, to show off the characters in HD. Most of these animations have been breathtaking, but I believe there is one that remains not only the best animation Riot has ever done, it's PROOF that a League of Legends movie can be made. I speak of the music video "Get Jinxed."
Said music video combines fast music, insane visuals, beautiful colors, all to establish the then new champion known as Jinx. Before this video, players only knew Jinx as "X." AFTER the video, her fanbase exploded. To this day, four years later, Jinx remains a popular character in the game.
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