We may not notice it, but in various ways, Riot Games is causing champions in the same role to build similarly. A simple example is mid-lane Mages; aside from Ryze, almost all champions of this type can utilize Luden’s Echo, Sorcerer’s Shoes… They are indeed powerful and provide a lot, but it doesn’t create a significant difference in playstyle among champions.
The root of this issue lies in Riot’s frequent major updates for entire champion classes, releasing a series of items that are significantly stronger than before for them to use. Gradually, each champion class only has one or two main build paths, and the story revolves around which champion can best utilize those items. Perhaps due to fatigue with this situation, the community is calling for Riot to diversify the store.
League of Legends truly needs more items
Don’t get me wrong, I love League of Legends and still find joy in playing this game over a long period.
New champions and reworks are extremely exciting. I just wish Riot would slow down the release of new champions a bit to make the game more diverse. I primarily play top lane, where there are enough diverse matchups to keep the game very entertaining. However, I don’t see that diversity in AP items, as every game is similar, with players building Luden’s Echo and Zhonya’s Hourglass, which provides too much cooldown reduction.
This situation also occurs with marksmen and assassins, where players repeatedly build the same item style. Tanks are not overly strong, aside from a few champions that offer some diversity in playstyle. I believe the only role that can customize items is Support. I don’t particularly like DOTA2’s gameplay, but one thing I feel they do much better is their items. Each DOTA2 item has unique and very interesting functions.
I believe we don’t have enough items to limit pure stat champions. I really hope League of Legends will introduce items like Scythe of Vyse (an item that grants the ability to hex enemy champions) or Eul’s Scepter (an item that allows you to lift an enemy champion into the air for a few seconds).
Eul’s Scepter is not necessary in League of Legends since there is already Zhonya’s Hourglass. It works in DOTA2 because carry or tank champions there build BKB or Linken.
I think I could use it as a way to counter skill shots or dispel negative effects. After all, it’s just something I wish for.
Adding active items would be extremely beneficial. It is a shame for the community to fear having more items like that; Riot itself wrote about the transition of the Cloak of Agility from an active effect to a passive one. It truly makes League of Legends items incredibly boring, after 10 seasons we only have stat items.
“Cloak of Agility is a defensive lethality item, but integrating it with a difficult-to-use active skill makes it very ineffective when played by novice assassins.” Oh my God, who here really struggles to use the active of Cloak of Agility?
A few days ago, Riot Games announced plans to strengthen the marksman position; however, changes in stats and items still leave many players dissatisfied. The reason marksmen are too weak compared to other positions is that their skill sets mostly serve the purpose of dealing damage, and items are all about damage stats, making the gameplay too one-dimensional.
Perhaps it is time for Riot Games to stop creating items with overly powerful passives and instead focus on designing new active items. This would both elevate player skill levels, make balancing easier, and create the diversity that the League of Legends store is lacking.