Since its launch to the gaming community, League of Legends has undergone numerous major and minor updates. Some updates barely changed anything compared to the previous version. However, there have also been several “major overhauls” that completely revamped the appearance of League of Legends. Over time, many changes that the League of Legends community reflected on have proven to be significant and greatly impacted this “national” MOBA title.
Limitations on Ward Placement
In the early days of League of Legends, there were no limitations on ward placement. Players could place wards anywhere, leading to some gamers exploiting this to… sabotage the game or simply to express their frustration when faced with an unsatisfactory match, uncooperative teammates, or just because they felt like it. For instance, a former Support from Team WE once sold all their items to place wards, illuminating the entire map, which annoyed Riot immensely.
Hence, this developer decided to implement changes to ward placements in the game. Now, each ward placement can influence the match. Especially during critical late-game phases or before important skirmishes. Sometimes, an entire team can be wiped out due to a perfect ward placement by the opponent.
Role Selection Mechanism in Ranked Matches
In a League of Legends team, there are always 5 positions, and each position contributes to and impacts the overall performance of the team. However, a reality is that almost no players want to play the Support role. For various reasons, such as this position not being able to secure many kills, being too passive and boring, or the fact that even if a Support is skilled, if teammates are not, victory is elusive… In short, there are countless reasons why the Support role has become the “undesirable child” in the eyes of the majority of the League of Legends community.
Before the role selection mechanism was introduced, players who were matched into a team and were slow to pick were almost guaranteed to play the Support position. This often led to frustration if they couldn’t switch roles or had an unsatisfactory match. Riot’s change that allowed players to select roles before searching for ranked matches has truly transformed the League of Legends community. Not only does it benefit gamers, but it also makes it easier for professional players to practice and try hard in their actual competition roles.
Of course, there are still instances where some players, lacking awareness, choose a role but then pick an “unusual” champion and perform poorly. However, allowing players to select their preferred positions has greatly attracted more players to the ranked mode of League of Legends.
Removal of the Old Rune System
For veteran League of Legends players, perhaps one of the most memorable aspects was the old rune system. Remember when League of Legends first launched, the rune system excited many players. However, it also posed a significant obstacle. It’s important to note that at that time, most League of Legends players were still in high school. Of course, there were also adults among them, but the younger players made up the majority.
Therefore, the requirement to purchase the old runes created a significant barrier for new players wanting to engage with League of Legends. Not to mention the countless “exotic” rune builds that were “invented” during this time, such as AD champions with full armor or tank champions “one hit, one kill”. In fact, some champions even entered the game already equipped with a B.F. Sword, leaving other players with no choice but to “surrender”.
The change in the rune system by Riot has been warmly welcomed by the entire League of Legends community. And probably, if Riot is always proud of their “200 years of gaming experience”, the removal of the old rune system, even to this day, could be considered the only tangible evidence of Riot’s rich gaming experience.