League needs to bring back Dominion

Penguin Voevoda·Aug 23, 2018·73 votes·16,251 views

Yes, more than 3 years have passed since Riot implemented their decision to remove Dominion from the game. I have been playing League since Season 2 and the recent addition of Nexus Blitz reminded me what an amazing game mode Dominion was.

I actually wanted to know if anyone would want to play Dominion, especially those players who joined after its removal. I do realise that it is far-fetched to expect a revival of Dominion, but the random chaos of Nexus Blitz is not as interesting and engaging to me at least.

So, what do you think?

52 Comments

sad þoyAug 23, 201822 votes

BRING BACK DOMINION!!

JedditeAug 23, 201813 votes

Having Dominion added on the RGM rotation would be fantastic. What a unending shame that Riot Games 1.0 put so much effort into developing Dominion, then killed it because they refused to support it. (And Rito James™ refused to support it -- never EVER let them pretend otherwise.)

Dominion just needs to be either Draft Mode or Blind Draft (so people can ban their most-hated Dominion champions (Kassadin) and some champions that didnt exist back then would be a whole new level of cancer (e.g. Zoe).

The one thing that Definitely-Not-Dominion did better was the contested Storm Shield in the map center. The original Storm Shield was boring because it was essentially pointless to contest since each team had their own SS buff. Grab your buff and leave -- there's no point in trying to stop the enemy from getting theirs.

The worst thing that Definitely-Not-Dominion did was remove the 1v1 bot lane. This completely obliterated an entire meta-game within Dominion -- ganking bot lane and/or back-capping an over-extended bot lane opponent was a strategic part of the mode. By removing the 1v1 bot lane, Definitely-Not-Dominion definitely made "WINDMILL OR LOSE" the only thing that mattered (and that was awful because Windmill was already the most important node).

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/sPEAEYw1-crystal-scar-comeback?comment=0000

Naranjo1Aug 23, 201810 votes

#bringbackdominion #makeleaguegreatagain

Fast EnoughAug 23, 20188 votes

3 years..really? Damn time is passing fast

NeonLeagueAug 23, 20182 votes

About 2.5 year

Sire HippingtonAug 23, 20188 votes

We definitly need dominion back(and i mean DOMINION, not the bs that was definitly NOT dominion). From all the bullshit riot did in the past years, the removal of dominion with it's VERY shallow reasoning was by far the worst, and given the current state of tha game, beeing the worst means alot.

EedatAug 23, 20187 votes

I loved me some scumbag backcapping Shaco

MhihnjAug 24, 20181 votes

{quoted}

I loved me some scumbag backcapping Shaco

Miss my hide and seek ninja camping strategy.

SirchachatAug 23, 20187 votes

Some of my best memories in league were on the crystal scar. Bring back Dominion... and no i don't mean Definitely Not Dominion, that gamemode ruined what made dominion fun. [zombie-nunu-bummed]

ModCaptainMårvelousAug 24, 20185 votes

While unpopular to say, there's a simple reason why it's not coming back: It's not a MOBA-game mode.

Before you bite my head off: Dominion was cool but represented a drastically different thing. Champion strengths were different in that mode because of what was required. Tower-and-objective taking weren't a thing. Certain champions didn't even have a passive (or sometimes an ability depending on the severity) due to how the game mode worked. It was nothing like League of Legends. Now, it COULD have worked had Riot put down everything about SR and designed releases and balance around it...but it didn't. The game mode was just too different and players who wanted a CP style game would find it elsewhere.

Riot's also not the only one who made this mistake. SMITE had a 4v4 map with a similar goal and that was shut down for the same reason. I believe it exists in DOTA2 as a custom game option but I imagine the playerbase is half-a-handful at best.

Nexus Bltz, by comparison, is still League. It still has aspects of SR and champion design isn't so far removed that champion abilities are broken or obsolete (With the exception of Ivern's passive for some reason and Shyvana passive) but it offers the same gameplay, just at a faster rate. Now, what I'm going to propose will be drastic and might come off as abrasive but...

Make your own Dominion.

I'm serious.

Build a game, from the ground up, to support Dominion. Character design around it. Make aspects specifically for the mode. Recreate what you love about dominion but focus all your effort into making it the best dominion it can be. After all, that's where League came from and look where that got Riot. If Dominion is built by dominion players for dominion and nothing else, it has the potential to be great.

SukishooAug 24, 20182 votes

Actually, SMITE's Domination mode was a 5v5 as well just like Dominion.

3TWarriorAug 24, 20182 votes

why wouldn't players enjoy a king of the hill battle mode in league? it's a unique game mode for a moba

ModCaptainMårvelousAug 24, 20182 votes

{quoted}

why wouldn't players enjoy a king of the hill battle mode in league? it's a unique game mode for a moba

I direct you to the current complaints about the state of the game.

"I play league for a 5v5 chess match not a shooty bang bang mode" "I want to play a strategy game not some rapid-fire damage bullshit"

I could go on but you get my drift. Dominion is immensely different, far more fast-paced and an entirely different beast. Not to mention, as I said before, certain champions are wildly different in terms of how effective they are. Couple that with isolating players who prefer certain roles such as jungle and you end up catering to an audience quite different from league. Yes, Riot didn't do the best job supporting the mode, but I'd also say that the mode was somewhat doomed from the start.

3TWarriorAug 24, 20181 votes

That was for summoner's rift though

Dominion is a different game mode with different rules, tactics and priorities and no set meta until pretty high in the mode's MMR

pretty much the only champion types that do poorly in it are champions with unique interactions with monsters and minions, as you mentioned junglers, which is not the case for all junglers. Nunu, Nasus, Veigar, etc do not do well, but the game mode was rarely if never updated

it could have been so much more

SpitemasterAug 25, 20181 votes

{quoted} "I play league for a 5v5 chess match not a shooty bang bang mode" "I want to play a strategy game not some rapid-fire damage bullshit"

If this is what you think Dominion was, you clearly don't understand it. It wasn't "teamfight all the time", though there was a lot of fighting. It was about map movement and objective control, and winning skirmishes.

ModCaptainMårvelousAug 25, 20182 votes

You misunderstand. That's not what I'm saying Dominion is, but rather that dominion is an alternate game mode with drastically different conditions/paths to victory/playstyles/etc. Things not very similar to current league.

WeenswAug 25, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Build a game, from the ground up, to support Dominion. Character design around it. Make aspects specifically for the mode. Recreate what you love about dominion but focus all your effort into making it the best dominion it can be. After all, that's where League came from and look where that got Riot. If Dominion is built by dominion players for dominion and nothing else, it has the potential to be great.

Most people here would if they could, but I think the skill floor to be able to do it is out of reach to the majority of people.

SharukenAug 23, 20184 votes

We should make Ascension permanent.

Dr BirdieAug 23, 20184 votes

Crystal Scar was an interesting map and I would like them to use it in a new permanent mode, but I never liked Dominion. I would like to see something new on it, and not just Ascension as a permanent mode.

A Friendless BoyAug 23, 20184 votes

I like Nexus Blitz, but if I were to compare it with Dominion, then Dominion would beat it big time. I loved Dominion while it was available, and the soundtrack was just perfect! Riot Pls, it hasn’t been enabled this year as a RGM anyway!

Rıots Bad ClientAug 23, 20183 votes

I really didn't like that game mode. It was just all about back door as often as possible. It was a mode where you it felt like you were not supposed to interact with the enemy.

I'd like if they didn't bring it back as it was. I think it could benefit with a game mode polish.

LeetriAug 24, 20181 votes

They did that already as a rotating gamemode.

Caesar of SaladAug 23, 20183 votes

I was so sad when Dominion got removed, & I never even got my icon for playing 100+ matches on it b/c I lost my old account... [zombie-nunu-tears]

1800NICECLIENTAug 23, 20183 votes

My favorite game mode for sure.

MotorifficAug 23, 20183 votes

My favorite game mode, played it more than anything else. Learned all my champs on it and its much more fun than the grind fest of Summoners rift

SanKakUAug 23, 20183 votes

Yeah I have to admit my first impression of the map is 'I'd rather be playing Dominion' but oh well it's still kind of interesting if you have no other games to play and want a break from Summoner's Rift. Unfortunately it is a long, long, long way from becoming as appealing as the many other game options out there are. Like, if we literally took this new map and slapped the Dominion mechanics onto it, it would be an improvement. With that said though, I would totally be fine with them coming up with a whole new map for Dominion that isn't what they've made yet including Nexus Blitz's map.

The new map is goofier though and maybe that's what the people want. It has its redeeming qualities IMO. And I've learned how to do well on it after just one game, too. At least for jungle anyway. I haven't even played lane yet. Won like 6-7 games in a row, just lost that first one. Think I got a decent handle on what the game is like but it's a little tedious and aggravating and definitely a little bit fun but not enough to make me think it's better than playing other stuff that isn't LoL at all. But it's still new and there's probably a lot of room for improvement.

PastaMarioAug 24, 20183 votes

I miss Dominion so much

Elkington VIAug 24, 20183 votes

Yes please, bring back Dominion and/or Ascension. I have zero interest in playing SR or TT at this point. Bringing either back would give me a reason to play regularly again.

LynXerfAug 24, 20183 votes

I absolutely loved Dominion. It was actually my mode of choice over Rift before it went - and that was as an unsupported mode with bots etc.

I don't really like Blitz because for me it is just a goofier version of ARAM. There's no really strategy or gameplay elements that are too different to what we have already. While the minigames are fun, they don't change the strategy of the mode which is a fusion of Rift and ARAM - that is to jump into a battle royale and use advantages to push towers together.

Dominion was a completely different games with a multitude of goings-on. Also, Dominion had a rather awesome comeback potential. Countless games were won on the last point from 100 or more points behind, which was a huge adrenaline rush even in a quick, fun mode.

I suppose this is age talking now (sigh) but at the age of 30 and having come to league from RTS games (again sigh that RTS is virtually dead), I really miss the strategic elements of league. We are moving into the age of mindless shooting and battle royale, where strategy is null and everything is reactions/micro tactics.

We are even dumbing down basic gameplay elements. Is league marketed for 10 year olds now?

GIVE US DOMINION!

AlekChondriaAug 24, 20183 votes

Dominion was actually my favorite game mode without a doubt. Doom bots and the teemoing were pretty good too along with ascension, but Dominion takes the cake.

WoΘxerAug 23, 20182 votes

Boring game mode. Idk why u want it back.

Junglerz FaultAug 23, 20182 votes

DOMINION RIP #2016

Death by GlamourAug 23, 20182 votes

Tbh it was just full of bots...

Violet FieldsAug 23, 20182 votes

I remember playing Dominion before I was even level 30 back when season 5 was about to end, and then I played one last game in season 6 when people were telling me "hey bro, the keystones have changed" when I already knew that I was just using the "Ferocity" tree first and leveling my "whatever the blue one was called" last.

Good times, now you get keystones at level ONE, doesn't seem very pleasant at all nowadays talking about how you had a Tier 1 rune from way back when.

Heavy ChefAug 23, 20182 votes

I would love to try it, since i came like a 1 after it was removed, and experiencing old stuff is so cool and the concept of capturing turrets is cool, and the fog and the map and everything i would love it

nGioAug 24, 20182 votes

Would honestly love to see Riot just roll out all of their custom games, like SC2 Arcade. Just make URF, Hexakill, OFA, Dominion all permanent, and let us choose what and when we play. Some of us just straight up hate ranked, and have for a couple of seasons now. Opening up the vault of awesome custom games would bring back more players, and keep a lot of us logged in over playing something else.

JaghataiAug 24, 20182 votes

Yes

Arcane Blue BoiAug 25, 20182 votes

I have more happy memories in Crystal scar than in Summoner's rift

not sure if feelsbadman or feelsgoodman

YikesItsWykesAug 24, 20181 votes

I remember playing hide and seek with many of my friends on crystal scar... just not the same on sr...

MrTwinkieeAug 24, 20181 votes

HIDE AND SEEK COME HOME

DragonMastaWolfyAug 24, 20181 votes

The constant skirmishes were a blast and the whole mode was totally underappreciated. I'll even take it back if it meant that damage would never be lowered.

SpoofghoulAug 24, 20181 votes

Yes i really liked dominion as a fast paced game mode

I never understood why riot removed then tried to turn summoners rift into dominion All it did was create an abomination that drove people away

Kíttí KatAug 30, 20181 votes

Pls! It was my favorit Mode! I played it 24 h per Day. It was just relaxed, nice and i rocked with Ahri so Hard. Remove fucking 3v3. That really dont play no one anymore. But not Dominion. And YES! Bring back Dominion the Original and not something reworked shit.

MiserryNov 29, 20181 votes

I can't agree more. I loved Dominion. I played it most of the time. Mainly because I hate SR. Now I have to play just ARAM, which is not as satisfying as was Dominion. I loved capturing the bases. I soooo much hope that they'll bring Dominion back :(

ZedikkJun 6, 20191 votes

Dominion map was the only reason I join the league of legends. The only thing I care about in games of that genre is a NICE high past TEAMFIGHT. in dominion, I could pick my favorite heroes and have fun without mind-numbing, last hitting, gold farming nonsense. Plus it was an amazing place to test new heroes without teammates flaming you about your skill. League of Legends has a lot of amazing heroes I really want to play them, but it does not worth to go through 15 minutes of debilitating gold farming and get 2-3 team fights if you are lucky, till some on surrender. Can't imagine who find last hitting minions entertaining. Bring back dominion

Evild07Jun 20, 20191 votes

I used to play a lot of dominion cuz it was fast paced, fun, lots of actions and especially more awesome when playing with someone I love.. every night we would log on to play dom. We both loved playing dom! Though she doesn't know how much I love her.. anyways it would be awesome to have dominion back again so that we can have fun and play!