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Riot's reasons for designing broken and OP stuff never cease to amaze me!

Cräfty·8/1/2019, 9:30:00 AM·26 votes·9,611 views
[TFT] Hextech Origin Details and Feedback Thread

I've made a thread talking about the newly revealed Hextech origin and how bad and unhealthy this trait design is. You can check out my opinion on it, here: Ruining in-game progression: Hextech origin, as if Cursed Blade wasn't enough!. But I'm not gonna talk about the trait itself here, but instead I'm gonna talk about one of the reasons that pushed Riot to come up with this horrible new origin. This is not speculative, this is actually what they said in their Feature Feedback section, on PBE (source linked to this thread):

We added the Hextech units for a few reasons:

  • To give some counter options to strong items. If you are losing to an RFC volibear, you can tech in some Hextech units and try to shut them down which can be devastating.
  • To expand on some of our existing traits. Having an early path to Blademaster through Camille, or Shapeshifter through Jayce opens up some early game options for example.
  • To add some new units with very specific purposes through their spells. Vi in particular is a great option and bursting down the back line carries which means comps and positioning need to change pretty dramatically. Jinx also opens up another late game carry option, so we don’t see Draven in every game.
  • Simply to expand our roster. Having more units and more possibilities changes the game, and also makes forcing specific options a bit harder. We think we’re getting close to the max count for a good set, so this will allow us to see the impact of adding 1 unit into every pool.

I actually agree with reasons N° 2, 3 and 4. They seem pretty reasonable and logical. Except they are not specific reasons that only apply to Hextech units, they can use the same reasons for when they reveal new traits, or units, and it will still makes sense, since these reasons are very general and can be applied to anything. But, I digress!

The 1st reason, however, is just... WOW! So let's see why I made this thread and why does this 1st reason bothers me so much.

To give some counter options to strong items...

So instead of nerfing said " strong " and broken items, like item 3137, your solution is to come up with a more " strong " and broken trait to counter them. WTF kinda logic is that?

...If you are losing to an RFC volibear, you can tech in some Hextech units and try to shut them down...

Which begs the question: --> Why not nerf RFC and/or Volibear in the 1st place, since you just admitted that you're aware of the fact that they are " strong " (as in " OP and broken ")?

Many people have been complaining about Volibear being able to apply on-hit effects with his ability. The Aoe stuns, the AoE silence, the AoE disarm, the AoE mana burn (Darkin Volibear), etc. It's just not fun and game breaking!

So instead of tackling the issue in question, you totally ignored it and created a bigger problem (Hextech) to deal with this current problem (OP items and Volibear's on-hit effect application). And the worst part is, you don't even realize the problem you just created! So let me explain the disaster that awaits us all and explain why some items, and the Hextech trait, are OP and need to go away. Here is a small example:

Let's say I build Rangers and I put item 3087 and item 3124 on my 3 star Vayne (or any ranger for that matter) in the hope that she carries me to victory. I get matched vs a player using Hextech units and Gunslingers. His jinx has item 3137, Hush and Sword Breaker, because Gunslingers, duh! Well guess what? BOOM! My frontline is gone, because they don't stand a chance vs Jinx's items. Both items on my vayne got disabled, now they're just offering the raw stats and nothing more, which is useless. Vayne gets shrunk, silenced but lucky for me not disarmed.

" NICE! I still have a chance, come on Vayne, you can do it! Oh! Wait! Why aren't you attacking faster? I gave you 2 items, no? " - as I think to myself. Well too bad... My carry is standing still, doing nothing but attacking at base speed because her items are irrelevant due to Hextech trait being in the game! So now I feel bad because I just lost a fight, after spending all my time trying to upgrade my Vayne to level 3 and stuffing her with items, only to lose vs a player who just negated all the progress that I've accomplished, with his 3 OP and broken items on Jinx and the Hextech trait!

I didn't lose to his team, I just lost to 3 OP items and a broken trait, that's it. The enemy comp could have been different every time, but as long as he has those 3 items and the Hextech trait, he will always win!

" _It's ok! I can still place top 4. My Vayne is 3 stars and got 2 good items that go well with her ability. Oh, wait! What is this? 3 other players are going Hextech too?! and they have Shrink as well? OMG... I guess I don't get to play the game, then... _" - as I tell myself, while hovering the cursor on the exit button.

...which can be devastating.

No sh*t, Sherlock!

[zombie-brand-mindblown]

37 Comments

Toadwart8/1/2019, 11:01:04 AM11 votes

I could not agree more. Deal with the crazy overpowered items. Deal with the stacking of said items. Dont offer a band-aid for a problem that is a gushing chest wound.

Scramrails8/1/2019, 6:42:54 PM7 votes

Riot doubling down and actually creating far bigger problems for the future instead of just taking the time to fix issues right now? Wow, color me shocked.

Devilreaper XIII8/1/2019, 9:52:49 AM6 votes

i agree, they have always done this, not just this mode.

Garen is adopted8/1/2019, 3:54:32 PM5 votes

its funny because hextech teams will probably abuse items more than the teams they are against. I can alerdy imagine a control map deck with them and glacials, and put on voli or a gunslayer disarm shrink and silence. thats it, you completly fucked up the entire enemies.

FakeGravity8/1/2019, 8:48:01 PM2 votes

some items are just too strong, but i feel it is like ezreal/lucian/ganplank balance issue in Summoners rift, any on hit item have to think "is this broken on ezreal or lucian or ganplank Q?" because of their ability to double apply, apply from a distance or apply melee effects

in TFT is about gunslingers, if a draven be targeting my frontline with silences,disarms and shrink, well ok it is one target at a time the rest of my team can still fight at least, but spreading those effects around so often it is too much

FSRER8/1/2019, 4:48:15 PM2 votes

Cause unlike the other teams, the balancing team is stupidly lazy.

RavenMagus8/1/2019, 6:53:11 PM2 votes

I actually think people are making a bigger deal out of this than it really is.

If your opponent is going Hextech, they aren't going to also have whatever meta teamcomp is strong so easily. They are nullifying your items but they are giving up teamcomp bonuses of their own to do it.

Okay, 4 Hextech shuts down your items for a long time, sure. But they won't also have 6 glacial, or 6 demon, or 6 blademaster. They won't have 4 gunslinger + 4 hextech until late in the game, and you'll have your own 6 demon/glacial/whatever comp to fight them with.

You can add 2 hextech into your 6-comp later on, of course. But that likely means giving up a splash of 2 guardian or 2 phantom or something else like that.

Stop acting like Hextech is just going to be free shit you can add on. There will be an opportunity cost.

Suphix8/1/2019, 9:30:25 PM2 votes

How can you justify Hextech units in a game that is ultimately defined by RNG? You can't control what the shop offers you, nor item drops. You can't control ridiculous unit AI.

The three things you have ANY control over are unit positioning, choosing which units you can work towards levelling up, and choosing which unit you will itemise (with likely your 1 and a half items). The 'Tactics' in Teamfight Tactics. But then you go and add Cursed Blade and now this which is ultimately someone deciding "Ok, I get to play the game today, you don't."

You are taking conscious steps to remove what VERY LITTLE control the player has and load it all into antifun RNG. I'm genuinely curious, do the TFT designers even play TFT? How do you think this is ok, honestly? Why are Cursed Blade and Hextech allowed to exist? I honestly would like to know how you think this is justifiable and what's more, why it seems to be important to remove the Tactics element from Teamfight Tactics at all costs? At this point just start making the units go in set places on the board to remove tactical input altogether. Although you've added Vi now which is halfway to "%%%% positioning".

Absolutely shocking.

ErdoS Is Here8/1/2019, 9:57:11 PM1 votes

It's weird you make posts complaining about RNG, but then also complain about undoing RNG (items) by creating the hextech class. You can make the argument that almost any comp, class, whatever, can be OP with good rolls and items, that's the game.

Pika Fox8/2/2019, 1:14:32 AM1 votes

Its called HAVING OPTIONS AND STRATEGY. Jesus fuck you people are hopeless.

Light of Madness8/2/2019, 2:24:28 AM1 votes

hextech is dumb........ I just saw a video. I was hoping riot changed but nah, waste of time play any riot games.

Riot: " Hey we have this new mode that is important to use tactics, but almost everything is random! " " Wait wait... we also have a system, item system! but you can't really enjoy because the drop is not good! ... o wait? The items are strong? ok! Lets make a debuff that remove them! GREAT! PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT ITEMS REMOVING ABILITY TO ATTACK AND SPELLS, REMOVE ALL MY UPGRADE BUT WE WILL DO A NEW CLASS THAT REMOVE THE ITEMS! PROBLEM SOLVED! UNLUCKY WITH ITEMS? REMOVE FROM YOUR ENEMY! NOW NOBODY USES THE ITEM SYSTEM!

OMG RIOT YOUR BALANCE TEAM IS LAAAAAAAAAAZY!

I stopped playing 2 weeks ago and now I won't even look the news, jesus... just gets worse.

Spice and Wolf8/2/2019, 5:27:42 AM1 votes

Love these snowflake posts