In Season 5 of Teamfight Tactics, players were introduced to a series of Dark Equipment themed similarly to League of Legends, where the Black Mist invaded all of Runeterra, hence these items were darkened. These items provide players with significant power compared to regular equipment, and players can possess multiple Dark Equipment at once, of course, under the condition that they know which champions use which items and how these items can benefit or harm the user.
The similarity between Dark and Light Equipment is that both serve as upgrades to basic items and provide additional power to the owner. However, these two types of equipment are completely different in terms of mechanics and how Riot integrates them into the game.
Thanks to Dark Equipment, a series of “godly” metas emerged, accompanied by numerous 1 and 2 gold champions that many players loved to use. Notable mentions include LeBlanc the “chain god” with the Dark Blue Buff or the Hecarim Dark Lightning Bow meta that once dominated. Especially Draven – a champion once considered to be more powerful than many 5 gold champions, who only needed Bloodthirster – Berserker’s Axe – Infinity Edge to wipe out the enemy team.
Of course, alongside the disadvantage of Dark Equipment potentially forcing the owner to sacrifice something, those items are simply… overpowered. In fact, a player can equip multiple champions with Dark Equipment or have one champion equipped with 2 or 3 Dark items. Especially with the Weapon Cache mechanism returning, these items maximize their effectiveness as the champions possessing them gain power faster and have traits and can swap items if unsatisfied using the Forging Hammer.
However, this mechanism has been completely removed with Season 5.5, which is themed around the counterattack of the Light Guardians. Light Equipment has emerged and replaced the Dark Equipment. Additionally, the Celestial Blessing mechanism and the Seal have appeared. Light Equipment is also an upgrade to regular items but does not require any trade-offs from the player. However, what makes these items not necessarily useful are two reasons: they only appear once in rounds 3-6, and secondly, players can only possess one piece of Light Equipment throughout the game.
As for the Celestial Blessing, it will drop after players are reduced to 40 health or below. In other words, Riot has revived the “eco white selling health” playstyle and forced players to be truly skilled before entering ranked matches of TFT Season 5.5.
It can be said that Light Equipment and the Blessing make it harder for newbie gamers to approach TFT; those with lesser skills will also find it difficult to improve their rank as players now have to calculate each of their choices carefully, as one mistake can lead to losing the entire game. Not to mention, after dropping to 40 health, receiving a Blessing can help eco players execute spectacular comebacks, but it can also lead to players getting bogged down when they don’t strengthen in time or spending all their gold without enough desired champions.
While with Dark Equipment, players could possess many and they appeared throughout the game, Light Equipment is more limited. Though Light Equipment does not require trade-offs, in some aspects, it restricts gamers to fewer choices and makes them gamble with their game. Experienced players will easily maximize the advantages of Light Equipment and the Blessing, but as mentioned, new players or those who have been away for a long time will find it much more challenging to adapt.