Boards›Dev Corner

Quick Gameplay Thoughts: June 15

RiotMeddler·6/15/2018, 3:44:57 PM·1 votes·66,542 views

Hi folks,

Usual Disclaimers

These posts will often contain talk about future work we're doing, or planning to do, that isn't yet guaranteed to ship. The nature of the work could change or, depending on what we discover, projects mentioned may get put delayed or even stopped. If you'd like to see a Tweet whenever a new one of these posts goes up: https://twitter.com/RiotMeddler

Snowball

We're testing some changes for 8.13 at the moment aimed at reducing snowball, in particular in the early game:

  • Lower death timers at early levels, so that early deaths don't decide lanes excessively and to allow a bit more risk taking. Particularly significant since even slight differences can allow you get a chunk of a wave as it crashed into your tower (6s instead of 10s at level 1, back to current death timers around level 8).
  • Lower global gold on turrets (50 instead of 100 at present)
  • Bounties for 2 kills again. When we swapped back to solo bounty gold instead of team we also took out the 2 kill bounty on the belief that it tended to result in lanes swinging back too hard (leads being too easily undercut). In retrospect looks like that's probably a needed catch up mechanic.

Fizz

We're testing some Fizz changes right now, looking in particular at his W and ways to replace the delayed mark with something better feeling that still backloads some damage. Options there could be things like a stronger DoT, a W with multiple casts of the AA reset or something else again. No concrete timeframe on when changes are likely to ship yet, probably on PBE in the moderate future though, potentially for a longer period to gather more feedback as with LB/Rengar.

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/6.24.1/img/champion/Ziggs.png

239 Comments

IIIlIllIlIllIlII6/15/2018, 3:47:57 PM19 votes

Hey Meddler just wondering what are your thoughts on Riven in her current state?

Stinrygar6/15/2018, 4:28:16 PM12 votes

I think the ADC buffs are a bit overkill and I don't like that they also lead to even more powerful late games for Twitch and Vayne. The issue wasn't their late game. It was getting there. The meta is still fluid. It's too early to make significant buffs.

Although, I really don't appreciate Corki being left in a weak state for months on end (even before the ADC changes and with so much feedback that the base AD nerfs are too much for a Sheen ADC who has nothing but damage). That's not OK and it's why people even get paranoid when their favorite champions get buffed. They expect that at some point it will lead to a nerf and then they'll be forgotten for months (often leaving them in a worse state than they were initially). This happens so often that it has become a meme.

The other thing is that shut down gold being available earlier will encourage a more safe playstyle where people are afraid to make a mistake and are less proactive. I think you should look at turrets instead. They are not the big objectives they should be. The game no longer has a late and large parts of the roster are unviable because of it. The gap between S tier and the rest is enormous for basically every role and part of that is that you only get to play 1/3 or 2/3 of League game (if you get lucky to have an actually close mid game).

It's not so much that the champions are weak, as it is that this meta isn't good. Games feel very coin flip because you rarely have a chance for a full game. Climbing is more about game selecting and comps than ever before. I think match making is really poor quality atm. Adding more randomness and removing important information for junglers (knowing exact scuttler spawn location) only worsens the strategic element of the game and makes players less willing to take your game seriously even if they continue to play it a lot. It's alienating a lot of players who were attracted to League because they viewed it as a complex strategic game. Instead, they are being given gimmicks and RNG elements which add nothing positive. Even if you want the scuttler's spawn to be randomized, why not make the location known ahead of time so it can more actively influence decision making and not feel like a "oh I just got lucky to be on the right side" type of thing? It's entirely different from camps because you don't need spawn timers on camps to know what will respawn and where.

Vier6/15/2018, 3:47:46 PM12 votes

Are there no plans to buff Caitlyn along with the other marksmen?

Catfish0176/15/2018, 3:48:09 PM12 votes

Hey meddler, any chances we'll see some buffs to the enchanters that got hit really hard recently? They were already being shifted out of power by the meta not favoring them since the ADC changes, but then they got their items nerfed, kits nerfed, and their banner removed. plus every champ recently has had anti shield mechanics specifically for them. I understand that they needed some power taken out of their shields, but several of them are left in a REALLY bad spot, worse than crit ADCs

RiotMeddler6/15/2018, 3:45:35 PM10 votes

Looks like the snowball changes got discussed separately by someone else yesterday already, hadn't realized that was planned. Leaving them in for anyone seeing this copied elsewhere who missed that.

J Eevo6/15/2018, 4:34:03 PM10 votes

Any chance for buffs to turrets?

DarkSpiritslayer6/16/2018, 4:02:57 PM9 votes

you guys still haven't changed your minds about not releasing the Fighter items?

k cool thx why listen to the community for once - you're right

keep balance the game around pro play 99.99% of the community loves that ♥

BoilTheOil6/16/2018, 1:11:02 AM9 votes

Can towers get buffed?

koochario6/15/2018, 4:03:08 PM7 votes

What do you think of Ekko's late game performance? It's odd that a technological genius would fall off late. He seems to be quite a lot worse than Fizz or other assassins at 40+ minutes and he also lacks that early game power that most have (which I'm totally fine with). I used to think that he was more of a scaling mid-late game champion and that's what I wanted him to be but his performance doesn't seem to line up with this.

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/vGqrRT1f-ekko-has-among-the-worst-late-game-assassin-win-rates-ideas

Finally, I think his JG is still on the weak side and the only reason the win rate is ~50% is that it has a 0.6% play rate (probably reflective of mains or being situationally picked). After all, Ekko is frequently one-tricked because he's so fun to play and tends to be viable in most comps. He gets dueled by everyone and games often end before you get the important mid game items. Have you considered increasing his base armor or AS a tiny bit? I think even 2 armor would be a nice quality of life change for JG.

Fisherman Fizz6/15/2018, 3:51:15 PM6 votes

For Fizz, is W the only ability being considered for changes? One thing im concerned about if his W gets made to be a better dps tool is that the weak melee ult goes against his need to stay up close.

I don't like that his play pattern is so heavily reliant on starting with ult and then using everything else afterwards to blow up your target. The main thing Id like to see is for him to have more variety/creativity/trickiness in how he fights.

Salvor Hardın6/15/2018, 3:48:37 PM5 votes

Hi Meddler! Could you tell me something about the current state of Gragas JG? He's been all season 8 in the last place with 43-45% wr. :)

Jeedos6/16/2018, 8:45:18 AM4 votes

Thoughts on Ashe/Sivir/Xayah due to the ER and Crit changes?

Sir Nope6/15/2018, 3:52:24 PM4 votes

Hey Meddler,

Is Ezreal’s Q being able to proc on-hit healthy for League of Legends?

Perma CC6/16/2018, 3:22:56 AM4 votes

Syndra Can we get some thoughts on Syndra. She feels like she is in a really bad state again. Like how she felt pre mid year mage update except worse. See Syndra has been entirely reverted back to what she was before but with a nerf to her ult cooldown. I feel like nothing was accomplished on Syndra during the mid year mage update other then to nerf her when she was weak at that stage. Now she is back to that same feeling but is worse. Id like to see her ult cooldown reduced back to what it was 100/90/80 or whatever so she has more opportunities to use her ultimate now that its FAAAAR more difficult to get off max sphere ultimates.

BitterBlossom6/15/2018, 4:16:00 PM4 votes

Im glad Fizz is getting looked at.

What about Ziggs? He has been in a forgetful uncared for state for quite the time by now, nobody considers the champion as worthy of picking up. Right now he is only playable in the bottom lane, and as a Ziggs main, i am glad my champion is somewhat playable, but thats because normal ADCs are bad, and i can fight weak with someone less weak, But if they pick a bruiser bot, there is no way im gonna do anything in lane as Ziggs, same for mid, probably is taht mid even mages just trash on him.

Is any work ever going to be done on him? its been 4 years that Ziggs is in this state.

LongHair Fox6/15/2018, 4:03:44 PM3 votes

Fizz direction seems to be bringing bruiser fizz back... pls don't.

PopCorn Chick3n6/15/2018, 10:02:30 PM3 votes

Can you do something about Zyra's plants and her weird Q shape?

Mikkeru6/15/2018, 4:09:42 PM2 votes

Any infomation you can tell us about item 3124 , that u guys will be worked on?

Raxistaicho6/15/2018, 4:43:26 PM1 votes

Is there any plan for salvaging top Irelia at this point? Her MUCH easier time fighting burst squishies than sustained bruisers seems destined to see her shoved out of top because midrelia is too strong even if toprelia is okay.

This change in her home lane seems like a stab in the back for longtime Irelia players.

Note that I'm not saying she doesnt need nerfs, it's just the nerfs planned for her will likely cripple her trading against bruisers.