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Auto-combining items just feels bad.

Barkley·7/7/2019, 8:06:38 AM·38 votes·10,602 views

Having to buy some garbage champ off the bench just to combine 2 items and then trash the champ so you can move the item to the champion you actually want it on.

Putting an item that's part of a two-piece component only to realize you forgot the champion already had an item on it, and now you're screwed with a redemption on your vayne.

Grabbing a champion from the carousel and realizing it auto-combined with the champ you already had, thus combining their items and screwing you out of something you actually wanted.

And while we're here, I just have to ask -- why are items champion-bound anyway? What's the point? Why can't I just swap them on the fly? I'm not sure this is a problem with item combination, more than it is a problem with item permanence.

If items weren't permanent, at least I could take that redemption off my vayne and put it somewhere more appropriate. At any rate, something here just feels bad, needs fixed.

10 Comments

SanKakU7/7/2019, 3:45:55 PM6 votes

How about we are allowed to disassemble items(including removing them from units), but only while the carousel event is happening? I notice that I can't do anything with my bench or my board while the carousel event is happening. Would be nice to be able to do something before or after it's my turn to pick something off of it. Yeah, it's cool to watch the others run around and pick things but sometimes I'd rather attend to something else.

Karn Bishop7/8/2019, 1:13:21 AM3 votes

Honestly you should be able to remove items from champions for a cost, 1 gold for a component and 3 gold for a completed item.

CHODES AND LOADS7/7/2019, 2:44:44 PM3 votes

this is one of the very few actual strategic/good parts of this ridiculous game mode

Sluiceway7/7/2019, 3:42:04 PM3 votes

I have a few item suggestions as well, one of them being what SrKillaIot suggests about being able to combine items in the pool instead of on champions. I also agree with Barkley that item swapping is a good idea, though not necessary. Finally, and most importantly, I think some version of the unique passive mechanic would be good. It does not have to completely nullify stacking multiples of the same items on a champion, but it could reduce the effectiveness of additional same items by some percent, so as to not completely nullify the stacking without making it oppressive.

Bancheis7/7/2019, 6:11:48 PM3 votes

I think overall I have to agree that swapping items could be nice. I think a good compromise to the accidental combinations from the carousel round would be have a second carousel wheel in the middle of the champions with just items spinning in the opposite direction, leaving them off the champions completely. This way, if you are good enough or lucky enough, you can get both the champion and item you want.

I disagree that the whole item placement is a skill based thing. The items you get are heavily luck based, and some people get way more items than the others. More than half the time players just keep the items on their bench until they get a Pyke or whatever their super carry champion will be anyway, so items aren't even being used for the majority of a match. This defeats the purpose of having them if you ask me. If not the ability to swap items, how about adding the ability to "Buy Back" the champion you sold to get items off of them? Undo buttons are nice too.

SrKillaIot7/7/2019, 1:30:04 PM2 votes

I agree it would be nicer as a player to combine items outside of champions, but i disagree with changing items once on champions. I think that brings in more skill as a player. This game doesn't have many skill break points in it imo. You only have a few and one of them literally is item placement on the character you wanted it on and selling them to swap out for new carry or team comp change. This is a skill based thing in a game that pretty much lacks all skill.

Ephixus7/8/2019, 6:18:58 AM1 votes

The whole gamemode is based on RnG, what you will get from items and store from champions.

I have no actual idea how this is gonna be competetively matched, when the game is determined by major luck.

Dead Anime Dad7/8/2019, 7:26:03 AM1 votes

I'd settle on being able to create the items on the bench personally. I tend to forget what together makes what and hate having to commit to an item to see what it will make.

Razor Feather7/8/2019, 6:30:19 PM1 votes

{quoted} And while we're here, I just have to ask -- why are items champion-bound anyway? What's the point? Why can't I just swap them on the fly? I'm not sure this is a problem with item combination, more than it is a problem with item permanence.

If items weren't permanent, at least I could take that redemption off my vayne and put it somewhere more appropriate. At any rate, something here just feels bad, needs fixed.

Items being pernament once attached is an important driver of a lot of the decision making that allows skill expression in this game. Do you take a unit you don’t need long term so you can stack all of your items onto it and sell it later once the unit you actually want the items on comes available, or do you put the items on a more core unit which you actually have synergies for, at the cost of not being able to get them to their optimal late game position? Do you hold onto all of your components without combining them in the hopes of getting the one or two pieces needed for an ideal build, or do you throw together what’s available now to keep a winstreak going? Do you grab the unit you need from the carosel even though it has an item component on it that is less than ideal for that champ, or do you pass it up in favor of a unit that is irrelevant to your build but has a good component?

If items could be removed easily, or even worse disassembled into componets, a lot of that would be gone, and the game would lose out on skill cap it can’t really afford to spare.

Also if my understanding of current changes on the pbe is correct, they are already adding the ability to combine items off of champions, which will help.