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Is the new jungle fun?

Risotadazo·11/21/2014, 10:15:58 PM·3 votes·1,096 views

I mained Pantheon jungle in season 4. With Pantheon getting to be a strong pick in the new jungle thanks to his passive (I was initially concernced when Riot said they wanted to take the focus off ganking which is panth's main strength), you'd probably expect me to be pretty upbeat about the changes.

As much as I try however, I simply cannot enjoy the new jungle. Previously jungle was all about playing a game of cat and mouse with your opposite number and his laners. I enjoyed being able to pick my battles and surprise people. All of that is still true, but layered on top of that a jungler now has to think hard about what camp to smite at what point in the game, and depending on what item he gets, whether to smite at all. Riot has succeeded in adding decision making to the jungle, but these decisions just detract from the experience for me.

I don't want to be constantly second guessing myself as to whether I should save my smite for a gank or not. I don't particularly want to be worrying about whether I should save my smite for wolves, or chickens instead. Honestly I was quite content with smite being a simple farming tool and being able to measure my success with it simply by the number of dragons and barons secured.

I'm sure if I put my mind to it I could learn how to play the new jungle and smite the right thing at the right time and whatnot, but frankly I haven't been enjoying the experience thus far and I'm seriously considering switching to maining another role.

Is anyone enjoying the new jungle. Can you tell me how and why? Can you help me find the fun?

8 Comments

360D3GR3SS11/21/2014, 10:17:11 PM2 votes

I love it. The buffs each camp gives adds for a diversity of new strategies, and the jungle was lacking that.

shppy11/21/2014, 10:36:56 PM2 votes

Doing more work and for lesser gains. Feels pretty godawful.

The jungler already had a much greater emphasis on decision-making and time/position management throughout the game than every other role while also making less income than every other position besides support in S4. Now, there's even more to manage, considerably higher risk if you don't have innate sustain, and income and xp are both lower. Feels absolutely horrible.

Not to mention the massive edge champs with natural sustain now have is just going to make the rift between the 'best' junglers and the rest even greater.

Xtremey11/21/2014, 10:25:43 PM1 votes

it's like patch 4.5 again, feral flare junglers are pretty damn strong.

1st HanarSpectre11/21/2014, 10:16:21 PM1 votes

no

Togekiss2411/21/2014, 10:29:04 PM1 votes

I'm fine with it. It's just a bit different to me, mainly in the sense that just starting off at a blue or red buff camp and getting a leash doesn't work anymore (go to Gromp or Krugs, people).

asdbnmrty11/21/2014, 10:30:57 PM1 votes

I think you are feeling overwhelmed and it definitely is overwhelming, but I am starting to appreciate the complexity of the jungle. There are a lot more options now then there ever were. I think the frustration is having to break old habits and going through the failures to learn new, good ones.

So will it be worthwhile overall? I think so, but yeah it hurts going 2/11/2 in a game (or several) to try to figure it out. I say stick with it and lick your wounds in the mean time. Once you got it down I'm sure it's gonna feel damn good compared to ezmode S4 jungle.

Dominnion11/21/2014, 10:28:26 PM1 votes

Yes, they've added more depth to it. It is more challenging, more rewarding, and more fun, imo.

bunglyfe11/21/2014, 10:23:17 PM1 votes

i save myself this anguish by only buying rangers and using smite whenever it is up to farm camps. Relying on ganks isnt gold efficient enough to save smite for ganking because you just become under leveled and under farmed. The jungle is too difficult to clear without smite and they have made our gold income depreciate massively with the new jungle items so I just take rangers on everyone. i got off plenty of ganks without extra damage / slow in season 4, i can do the same in season 5. As for poachers knife, I'd say that item is useless on every champ in the game because the camp spawn timers are so high.

My biggest beef is how theyve made the jungle so hard to clear that clear jungle gods will emerge, the days of strange picks which do work well (karth, twitch, gragas) are done unless they lower the camp damage.

I main wukong and eve jungle and I find eve with eve the jungle has now become so difficult that my effect on the game is minimal.