League of Legends Becoming Pay to Play?

Lonely Cloud·Oct 13, 2017·3 votes·2,301 views

I've been thinking about how you're updating the level up system, and realized that there could be a very big problem with it. Because the rewards that you get for levels beyond 30 sound very random and don't place an emphasis on getting champions, how are we expected to get more champions? If somebody gets unlucky they could get far less champion than the average player does. What if the new system makes it so that it is not possible to get all of the champions before you reach the level cap? When will we get more details about how the system works that address these concerns? I don't want to be forced to spend money to get all of the content in a free game.

Sorry if the title of this post is very click-baity and misleading, i just wanted to make it attention getting enough that someone at Riot would reply.

22 Comments

MysterQOct 13, 20173 votes

They keep assuring us that it will be even/slightly faster.... but I don't see how that is possible for casual players.

Like it takes me a month to get a 6300, but fine. I WILL get it eventually. Once levelup is in place (at high levels), it will take 15 days to level up. And then you only get Champ shards... that disenchant for 20% value of a champion. So even if you get a 6300 champ, that is only 1/5 needed to actually get a champ.

It sounds ridiculous. I have no clue how this new system can be as fast.

DrCyanideOct 13, 20171 votes

They've mentioned there's a cap on the max amount of XP you'll need to level up, so it won't become crazy impossible to get new levels.

One thing to keep in mind is that they can balance the XP/BE gained around how many champions you can/should have at a certain point. I'm assuming they'll try to hit 20 champions at level 30, probably with a lot of 450 BE champions and relatively few 6300 BE champions. From there, it's staggering out the other 120 or so champions over the next however many levels. They're planning on bringing back the BE stores every so often, so they're obviously anticipating people to be able to get all the champions and start stockpiling BE again.

Lonely CloudOct 13, 20171 votes

That sounds like a very slow and limiting process.

DrCyanideOct 13, 20171 votes

It all comes down to how it ends up being implemented. The way I see it, if you've got more than 20 Champions and are at level 30 right now you're already ahead of the curve, so you should get your champions at a decent rate.

It is more bursty than the current trickle of IP, and if you're just shy of the BE you need that's going to suck, but I'm willing to give it a shot before I poke holes in it.

MysterQOct 13, 20171 votes

BE store has always been for the veterans who already own every champion. It is beyond ridiculous to think any new player can use it. It has been calculated that it takes 3+years YEARS to unlock every champion.

Blue MystifiedOct 14, 20172 votes

i recall them mentioning there is no level cap, it just goes on forever.

Lonely CloudOct 14, 20171 votes

If that's true then I would be completely satisfied. I'm not concerned with grind speed, just whether or not getting every champ could be impossible for free.

Blue MystifiedOct 14, 20171 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lonely Cloud,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=uQLQtczA,comment-id=00050000,timestamp=2017-10-14T00:15:38.350+0000)

If that's true then I would be completely satisfied. I'm not concerned with grind speed, just whether or not getting every champ could be impossible for free.

yeah, i don't think they'd ever make it impossible to get every champion for free, just harder and harder as time goes on. They already have in other ways, i'm sure they will now. but if they made it so you HAD to buy certain champs... with money, that'd be an extremely poor business choice. people would rather quite or grind than have to spend money on something they almost got by luck of loot boxes.

MysterQOct 14, 20172 votes

You HAVE to buy new champs now if you want to get all the icons.

Kayn did not require purchase, because he was on free week. Orrn did require purchase because he was not on free week.

This is a bad trend.

Mysticman89Oct 14, 20171 votes

Yeah one of the big marketing things for the new leveling system is that it does go on to infinity (I expect theres a technical cap, but it's probably like 2^31-1 or something rather large), so theres no issue in the long run of being unable to acquire all champs for free.

IRyzeForNidaleeOct 13, 20171 votes

Don't worry about it.

You'll just stress yourself out.

Just accept the fact that Riot is likely to make it more difficult to get champions in order to drive more RP purchases, and no amount of worrying or complaining will change that. And if that does happen, especially don't worry about how they shamelessly justify the changes as for the 'good of the community' because that will just stress you out even more.

QuephaOct 13, 20171 votes

removing the cost of runes from players is a massive step towards making it easier to quickly get a good champion pool without having to spend money.

Lonely CloudOct 13, 20171 votes

It's a good step towards getting a good pool, I agree. But I'm talking about completion. The game will be objectively unfair to free to play players if they can't get all of the champions, which seems likely.

MysterQOct 13, 20171 votes

Oh god, I never even considered that.

They say "champions about as fast as right now." But maybe they included the fact that we don't have to buy runes now, so it may be even slower.

QuephaOct 13, 20171 votes

{quoted}

But maybe they included the fact that we don't have to buy runes now

pretty sure they did not.

Risk of FateOct 13, 20171 votes

[deleted]

Lonely CloudOct 13, 20172 votes

Because champion swaps are a thing and having played more champions gives you a better feel for playing against the character, it is very much necessary to have the ability to get every champion. As a matter of fact, if you can't then the game is straight up pay to win.

PrinceOfStormsOct 13, 20171 votes

Not really. You get blue essence from chests, which you can use to buy champion shards. Apparently a rioter did the math a while back and for the people who only play a couple of games per day they will actually get new champions faster, but people who play many games per day will get new champions slower. This is all relative to the IP system though.

MysterQOct 14, 20171 votes

It doesn't make sense how though. But that is why we have to wait and try it out.

"more champions faster" does this mean every champ or just including the cheapo 3150 and such.

higuraOct 14, 20171 votes

I don't want to be forced to spend money to get all of the content in a free game.

well to bad...you are gonna have to...

even as the game is now can't you get everything for free....skins, icons and a bunch of other content can only be gotten through RP and it's most likely it's gonna stay that way.

as far as getting new champs...then (as i undestand it) does it pretty much work as it does now, just insted of IP do you get BE for every match you play, and as far as level cap, are there none atm and even if you did reach it will you still continue to get BE after each game.

Critmaster GarenOct 14, 20171 votes

you can also still get champions from honor capsules and mastery chests.

Blue MystifiedOct 14, 20171 votes

huh? is that a thing with new champions? when they started making champion icons you always had to buy em separate back in my day.... I always just use exclusive icons that i got for free or the One (1) icon i bought for kindred