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Can We make League not Pay to Win

John II7·5/15/2016, 9:37:30 PM·2 votes·1,061 views

I am a new player, slowly making my way up to 30, and from what I can see so far, no need or want to play ranked. Putting aside the whole Solo Q vs Dynamic Q argument, I am talking about the advantage disparity between casual and normal/hardcore players. Players who play quite a few games a day, spend money on the game etc.

When I start a game, I think everyone should be on the same playing field, as in they have the same opportunities and tools available to them. Yes, riot is a company and a business and in the end they do need to make money. I'll get to that in a bit.

I believe every player should be able to have any set of runes available to them so as to create an even playing field. You can still have the limit to 2 free pages, and if they want more, buy them. Because at the moment, playing against a player with full runes when you have none, puts you at a sever disadvantage at lvl 1. It can be as significant as an item difference. Yes, Riot did make tier 2 and 3's cheaper, but they still cost a hefty sum to get one full rune page. I want to play a game, and the deciding factor be my skill level, playing style, item choice, rune choice, etc, not the fact that I cannot afford a full rune page and am say 30 AD/AP behind from the get go.

Riot can still make money from skins, more rune pages, champs, icons etc. But for items that directly affect the gameplay, they shouldn't capitalize from. In Heroes, another style of MOBA, everyone starts on the same level. Yes, champs are locked and can be bought/earned through playing, but there is no advantage to a player who has more hours.

Yes I know I will get people saying a Diamond with 0 Runes can beat a silver with a full page. I am talking about similar skill levels, and the deciding factor in the game is their skill, teamwork, itemization etc.

13 Comments

Void Nargacuga5/15/2016, 9:41:18 PM5 votes

League of Legends is not a pay to win game in the first place.

League of Legends is a free to play game. You can pay for cosmetic things like Champion skins, ward skins, and summoner icons. And they don't make you a suddenly better player or give you an inherent advantage over someone who has a base skin.

TNHA Baritone5/15/2016, 9:40:40 PM5 votes

League is not pay to win. You can get the same advantages by spending 0$. If anything, when you work hard for those rune pages / runes, you'll have played more games resulting in being better.

Xeruon5/15/2016, 10:49:32 PM3 votes

A "Free" P2W game is characterized by making the experience frustrating, tedious, boring, or otherwise difficult and hindering for the player unless they are willing to pay

Examples: Candy Crush Saga, Word of Tanks, FarmVille

A F2P game is actually free, and offers equal opportunity for all players, and usually has some important part that cannot be acquired by real-life currency, though there are purchasable cosmetics usually. Some actual things related to gameplay might be purchasable with real money, but can usually be acquired without having to pay

Examples: Team Fortress 2, Warframe, and obviously, League.

Dominick Destine5/15/2016, 9:47:15 PM2 votes

[zombie-brand-facepalm]

GaleWinUnleashed5/15/2016, 11:06:46 PM1 votes

League is not pay to win. There is no statistical advantage that can be purchased by spending money on the game. All that is required is to play the game. There are a couple of skins that have the advantage of less visible particle effects, but this is not a deliberate part of their design, and it is being corrected; look at the recent changes to Underworld Twisted Fate's Q particles as an example.

Experience and skill is the deciding factor in nearly every game. Maybe not yours personally, but someone's skill causes the game to lean toward one team or the other at some point in the game.

At any rate, in any game that's ever existed there's always been a disparity between casual players and hardcore players. Money has nothing to do with that. I've spent quite a bit of money on League over the last 4.5 years, but that certainly doesn't make me a great player. I'm just a casual Gold, nothing to brag about; and it's entirely from experience and whatever innate talent I might have, the same as any other League player.

DrDiaga5/15/2016, 9:56:32 PM1 votes

Lol. K.

SomeLink5/15/2016, 10:16:56 PM1 votes

You can only buy runes with IP. Meaning, you can only get runes through playing. You will not be able to spend money to buy runes. Thus, a lvl 1 will not face another lvl 1 with a full rune page. It is also only useful to buy the tier 3 runes, and just forgo the runes at tier 1 and 2.

Now if you see others with runes and you are similar levels, then it means they prioritized runes over champions.

Personally, I have an AD rune page, and an AP rune page. That is it.

Pay to Win style games refer to paying real currency to get an advantage in game. You can buy blank rune pages with RP, but they are also obtainable with IP. Aside from a few skins that need their animations worked, that is not the case with league.

Zone of Endless5/15/2016, 10:20:31 PM1 votes

if you think League is P2W then you don't know the definition of P2W.