As we all know, damage as been on the rise ever since the start of season 7, starting off with the buffing of base damage and offensive stats around the board for all champions due to Runes Reforged. But here is the problem, you guys thinks that damage is all that matters in the game, evern for tanks and other champs that don't need a lot of damage to function. As we can see there are many problems that has caused the rise of damage.

The main issues:

• The introduction of Conqueror.
• increasing base damage as well as AD on AD champs.
• Not giving mages extra armor
• resistance shred + pen reducing armor to nothing.
• flat mitigation of damage is unviable, you'll be a setting duck that will die fast if you attempt to body block or soak up damage. Making most tanks useless.
• Immobile champs that don't have extreme damage, CC or utility are unviable.
• armor items do not offer any real protection due to being weak over all and due to their defensive effects not being effective.
• burst items such as nuking anyone down 100-0
• bruiser items are very strong due to offering AD+HP as resistance are weak, HP is now the go-to defensive stat.
• defensive items give less stats than before but now grant additional or improved effects, but are still not viable due to damage and penetration being high. (: 500 HP, 60 armor > 400 HP. : 580 HP, 50 armor > 425 HP, 60 armor. : 500 HP, 60 MR > 450 HP, 55 MR. )
• Several tank's have become damage dealers in order to be viable in this meta, manly and and recently
• Riots current response to buffing tanks is buffing their damage, not their durability + survivability.
• All meta's have been in some form a damage meta, tanks being so tough to kill while having high damage, Damage dealers being able to 100-0 anyone while not dying at all when fighting when played right.
• Outrageous damage buffs to champs.

As you can see, all this creates a burst meta where champs with powerful engage to nuke the enemy team and strong damage nullification or mitigating abilities can stomp the enemy team. basically burst/engage meta, where the first hit often wins the teamfight and the game. It's not fun, players in pro-scene don't want to trade or brawl because they will die in a few, nanoseconds. Strategy is out the window in favor of kills. It's ironically made the pro-scene less flashy and a displace of skill to a game of waiting for the first kill or amushing someone for a burst-gank.

Why is this a problem?

Well, here is the main problem, HP is too low overall and resistance can be reduced to nothing as well as damage being too high, there have been multiple threads on the board that has raised concerns about damage and mobility creep. the creep of those attributes has made it hard for any immobile champ to survive because they are an easy kill, champs such as and are pretty balanced because they have high damage but don't have any escape tools, with a tank or left along they can butcher an entire team but because they don't have any dashes they can still be dove and killed easily, compared to tanks, they benefit from the rise of damage but not nearly as much as champs like , or how have both mobility and damage.

The same can also be said of Divers vs Juggernauts. with only an ~200 HP difference, have slightly more damage and are far more mobility, the 15 less armor on average is not an issue for them as they dodge or stop skillshots and other attacks while juggs have to eat an attack that in this meta, will take over half their HP or more in one hit unless they have shield to stop some of the damage.

That only champs that are viable right now are champions that want to be aggressive and get kills to snowball, because of this game are now far shorter and it's meant we now have a Sur@15 option because games are so snowbally. If that is not a symptom of a greater problem then I don't know what is.

#@You Riot: Your balance Philosophy is critically flawed.

Now in the past I will admit to being harsh and bashing you, but only because I have faith in you making the game more balanced and enjoyable, balance will never be perfect but don't want to demand that. What I want as a player damage in the game being reeled in, because you have constantly buffed damage over and over for all champs, even tanks and turned them into fighters instead of making them viable in their intended role.

Personally, I am disappointed how over a year you as a company haven't dealt with the issue and just ignored the boards community, and to be frank there is some merit in your silence. However, it doesn't mean that you guys as a company are above criticism and many loyal fans stopped playing because you are damaging the game's balance and they as players, often have insight to the game that some dev's lack and the ignorance of the obvious issue that are in the game. Not only that, but you have metaphorically put more fuel to the flames and that is why people are not happy.

There should be high damage in the game but it should be earned from when you are 3 levels higher than your opponent and have a strong lead, not from a few OP items and a gank when they are relative in power.

In short, I believe you are obsessed with constantly adding damage to the game and the patch notes as well the the meta proves it.

#What should be done to fix all of this?

This here wouldn't just be my solutions so I am gonna be counting on the boards to help out on this one.

What I believe should be done to counter all the damage in the game right now is the buffing of defensive stats as well as a few nerfs to damage:

• Increase Base HP for all champions, not all will get the same amount as tanks and Juggernauts should get 640 to 800 extra base HP at Lv. 18 while Marksmen and Assassins should get 180 to 255 extra base HP. Increase base armor for juggs and tanks by 15 armor points and 5 for more frail roles. and finally, increase MR scaling for most melee's to 37+1.67 per Iv up to 67 MR at Lv 18 and 33+1 per Lv up to 50 MR at lv 18.

• Increase the resistance and HP of armor Items by between 5-15 for resistances and 150-225 for HP.

• Rework Conqueror into granting 25% hybrid penetration, instead of true damage conversion and extra AD.

• Make reflect a percentage of the damage taken(25%) and remove cold steel.

• Rework tanks into being either being proper vanguards and warden. Make CC and durability the primary aspect for them and NEVER let damage being a core part of their kit. Vanguards should have more damage than wardens in general but lose the ability to protect and peel for their team, but not to the point they are can deal damage on the same level as juggs or ADC.

• Make mobile champions more risky or safe by lowering their durability or their damage in order to balance them, should be punished hard for being caught out as they have the tools to get out of danger.

• Make Tank items necessary for divers to survive instead of solely AD+HP items.

TL;DR:

• Damage is too high.
• Tank items are useless.
• Riot makes the problem worse by increasing damage more.
• Having a balance Philosophy around damage first is bad for the game.
• Solutions needs to be found.
• 100-0 damage should only be in the game if you have a big lead.
• Mobile champs should be safe or high risk-high reward.
• Durability needs to be buffed, full stop.
• All meta's are a damage meta in some way or form.
• Tanks shouldn't deal high damage but focus on defending and/or absorbing damage and CC.

Anyways that is just my two-hundred bucks on the matter.