Rune Combiner & T1/T2 Runes

Tl;dr – In Patch 5.1 we’ll be simplifying the new player rune experience by removing all scaling and most secondary Tier 1 & Tier 2 runes from the store, reducing and standardizing prices on the remainder, and removing the Rune Combiner from the client. The price changes won’t be retroactive, and no runes will be removed from accounts.

We’d like to give you a heads up regarding some changes coming in patch 5.1 that are aimed at streamlining the rune experience for new players. To clarify, these changes aren’t part of our long-term plans for the overall rune system (still working on those!) and generally won’t affect most level 30s – they’re a quick fix specifically focused on making things smoother for new players.

First of all, we’re slimming down the number of purchasable Tier 1 and Tier 2 runes. These runes are intended to be an introduction to the level 30 rune experience, but duplicating the entire Tier 3 rune roster is overkill given that players will pretty quickly move on to T3 runes. In particular, more advanced decisions like the appropriate use of scaling or secondary (AP marks, Armor glyphs, Crit EVERYTHING, etc) runes are something we think can wait until players have mastered the basics of League. With that in mind, we’re pulling all scaling and most secondary T1/T2 runes from the store and thereby reducing the number of purchasable T1/T2 runes from 88 to just 23. This will be a store-only change so no runes will be removed from accounts.

To complement these changes, we’re also adjusting the remaining T1/T2 runes with lower, standardized pricing that will reduce individual T1/T2 rune prices by anywhere from 55% to 90+% depending on current cost. These prices changes are also store-only and won’t be retroactive.

Finally, we’re removing the Rune Combiner. For the unfamiliar, the Rune Combiner is a tool accessible through the Runes profile tab that lets players combine runes in order to receive a new one. It was initially conceived as a progression tool and a way for players to recycle lower-tier runes, but has ended up being a bit of a trap for low-level players as well as a tool for mischief in the case of shared or compromised accounts. So, we’re retiring it – pretty simple. Make sure to use it before Patch 5.1 if you’re the gambling type or simply want to get rid of some unused runes.

You can see the full change list below (subject to change):

• Rune Combiner removed
• Players occasionally used the Rune Combiner to delete excess runes upon reaching the rune cap (700). In the future, please contact Player Support for assistance.

• Price reduction / standardization on remaining T1 / T2 runes (not retroactive)
• Tier 1
• New prices: 15 IP per quint, 5 IP per mark / seal / glyph
• Previous prices: 80 - 165 IP per quint, 15 - 65 IP per mark / seal / glyph
• Tier 2
• New prices: 100 IP per quint, 35 IP per mark /seal / glyph
• Previous prices: 410 - 820 IP per quint, 80 - 330 IP per mark / seal / glyph

• Remaining T1 / T2 runes (all flat)
• Marks - Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Armor Penetration, Magic Penetration
• Seals - Armor, Magic Resist, Health, Health Regeneration
• Glyphs - Ability Power, Cooldown Reduction, Mana Regeneration, Magic Resist
• Quints - Ability Power, Cooldown Reduction, Magic Penetration, Armor, Magic Resist, Health, Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Armor Penetration, Life Steal, Movement Speed

• Following T1 / T2 runes removed from store (existing owners retain them)
• All scaling runes
• Marks – Ability power, Armor, Cooldown Reduction, Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Health, Hybrid Penetration, Magic Resist, Mana, Mana Regeneration
• Seals – Ability Power, Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Cooldown Reduction, Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Mana, Mana Regeneration, Percent Health
• Glyphs – Armor, Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Health, Health Regeneration, Manacreat
• Quints – Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Health Regeneration, Hybrid Penetration, Mana, Mana Regeneration, Percent Health