Rito is missing out on a Golden Opportunity with the Rift Herald
As a recap of the Rift Herald for those of you who don't know:
The Rift Herald encounter:
- Rift Herald has only melee attacks but hits hard. Jag suggests you "need to be able to take a punch" to tank Rift Herald.
- The eye on Rift Herald's back will occasionally open, making attacks on him from behind deal bonus damage 12% of Rift Herald's Max health as True Damage.
- Rift Herald's takes 35% less damage from ranged basic attacks.
On death, Rift Herald grants:
- Everyone on the killing team 50 gold
- Gives "Doom's Eve" buff to killer
- 10% increased damage + 40 bonus MS
- Enhanced Baron recall
- Buffs nearby minions offensive power just like Baron buff + an additional attack speed increase (NOTE: This Rift Herald buff does NOT increase their defensive power)
- There is a global announcement when a team kills the Rift Herald.
Rift Herald is located in the Baron Pit near top lane and is only around for the first 20 minutes of the game. Here's an opportunity that Rito is missing out on that I think can really help address one of the biggest problems of top lane. Hint: I bolded it above.
"Rift Herald takes 35% less damage from ranged basic attacks." I think that is a very important aspect that will try to encourage melee top laners to still be played by making it slightly easier to take. However, I don't think this goes far enough and here is the Golden Opportunity I'm talking about:
Instead of the Rift Herald Buff giving the killing champion "10% increased damage + 40 bonus MS" I think it should INSTEAD give the killing champion "35% damage reduction from ranged basic attacks + 40 bonus MS"
The ranged vs melee top lane matchup in League of Legends has ALWAYS been one of the most frustrating and anti-fun experiences in the history of video games. Not just League of Legends. Video games. This problem is biggest in lane phase when champions have few items and few abilities or ways to deal with this matchup. This problem will become even worse in S6 when every ADC is getting a buff and you know for a FACT that ranged AD champions like
and
will invade top lane and crowd out so many melee champion picks.
This proposed change to the Rift Herald Buff does a number of things:
- Makes it more rewarding to have a melee champion in top lane.
- Makes the laning experience of ranged vs melee a lot less frustrating.
- Makes lane swapping a more strategic choice and not something you do "just because."
- Further encourages jungle presence in top lane but more generally the top side of the map.
- Makes it even less appealing for a ranged top laner.
The Rift Herald is only around for 20 minutes on the map (during lane phase, essentially) so this won't make melee champions OP after lane phase once they have items.
**TL;DR: Change Rift Herald buff "10% increased damage + 40 bonus MS" --> "35% damage reduction from ranged basic attacks + 40 bonus MS" and melee top laners will never complain about not being able to farm again because the melee vs ranged matchup would finally be balanced. **