Ask Riot: Doom Bots, dragons, and balance

Welcome to Ask Riot!

This week, we’re talking champ balance, Doom Bots, and dragon names.

When are Doom Bots coming back? Are there plans to add them to the Rotating Game Mode queue?

As some of you have probably already seen on PBE, the Doom Bots of Doom are back!

Doom Bots is probably one of the most script-intensive modes we ever made. That hasn’t changed this time around either, with some of the new things we’ve ‘cooked’ up for you. :) It’s easily one of the most complex to develop, hence the long absence. But it felt like the right time to bring the Doom Bots back -- you might even say they’ve been… ‘summoned’… by a new and sinister presence. An old evil….

As for adding them to the RGM queue? I think we probably will. Much like Ascension after the Shurima event or Legend of the Poro King after Snowdown, we’ll probably add the Doom Bots of Doom into the rotation to bring some spicy fun to the weekends.

L4T3NCY, Lead Designer Rotating Game Modes

As far as I know, the name of the dragon with Tristana is Riggle. What's the name of the dragon with Lulu?

Many moons ago, we announced that Lulu’s dragon was an alternate fantasy of her faerie companion, Pix. However, we’ve put a lot of effort into telling deeper stories about our thematics over the years, so allow me to indulge you with an alternate fantasy to that alternate fantasy.

For Tristana’s dragon, the name “Riggle” came about rather easily. He hatched from his egg like an awkward dancer finding his footing on the floor. All he ever wanted to do was go places and eat good grub. Happiness was a simple concept to him. It quickly became clear that a suitable name would be as simple, cute, and playful as its owner.

Lulu’s dragon, on the other claw, has a name, but it’s much more abstract. In fact, the name is near impossible to pronounce in any modern language that we know. It’s kinda what you expect a warm, crackling fire burning steadily in the hearth of a stone castle to sound like, while strong gusts of wind press against the heavy, barred windows. There’s also a feminine pitch to the name, akin to the gentle whine of the violet wildflowers that have grown and entangled themselves around those bars.

Put all that imagery into a feeling and then into a sound and you’re probably in the right synesthetic ballpark.

kantayams, Writer, Personalization

When thinking about balance, how much of a focus is a champion’s win rate? Is a 50% win rate for every champion the goal/ideal?

A champion’s win rate is a useful indicator as to which champions we should look at, but it’s not directly representative of whether a champion is balanced/unbalanced. Context’s really important, with a lot of factors potentially making a number misleading at first glance.

That includes things like:

• Average number of games players have played on a champion. A champion with a really experienced playerbase will have a higher average win rate for the amount of power in the kit, so it might be appropriate for their win rate to be above 50% when balanced.
• How difficult the champion is to play. A character with a really high skill ceiling, who’s hard to play initially, should, all else being equal, have a lower win rate than the average champion (newer players will struggle a lot, so a 50% win rate means experienced players will be way too strong).
• What the champion’s presence says about team comps. Tanks and supports generally have somewhat higher win rates because their presence on a team tends to mean that team has a better than average team comp. Assassins especially by contrast often have lower than average win rates in part because they’re often picked on teams they’re not a good fit for or into games where they’re not a good choice. The assassins themselves may have balanced kits, but the situations players are choosing to use them in can depress their statistical performance.
• The different ways in which a champion is played. A champion who’s balanced, or even strong, in one position, or with one build, might have a weak looking average win rate if a significant amount of their play’s using an alternate build, or in a less effective role.

Win rate is impacted by a lot of factors, so it can’t be a sole indicator.

Meddler, Lead Gameplay Designer

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