Perhaps for League of Legends players, we are too familiar with the bugs and absurd interactions in this game. With a title that has so many characters, items, and other factors affecting gameplay, encountering bugs is quite normal. As long as the bugs do not directly impact champion strength, they remain at an acceptable level, and can even become memes, like in the cases of Mordekaiser and Viego.
However, the League of Legends community has recently criticized Riot Games for allowing Neeko to suffer from too many visual bugs, completely ruining this champion. Specifically, a player named Thothowaffle has listed 15 major and minor visual bugs that Neeko currently faces. This player even compiled them into a video that received over 5,000 upvotes on the Reddit forum.
Neeko: How can visual bugs ruin a champion?
Neeko is currently facing a significant problem and is one of the champions with the lowest pick rate right now. According to statistics, Neeko is among the top 5 champions with the lowest pick rates. In fact, Neeko’s pick rate is currently second to last, just above Skarner. The main reason lies in the fact that this champion has encountered numerous visual bugs since her release (2018).
The bugs listed below can severely affect Neeko’s gameplay. They can even limit the number of items Neeko can build unless players accept these bugs and play under the condition of “handicapping” their skills.
Since her release, one of Neeko’s core features is her ability to transform into allies and use it to deceive opponents. This aspect greatly influences Neeko’s gameplay, especially her ultimate ability, where the process of casting Blooming Burst will not be revealed if this champion is disguised using her passive, Inherent Illusion.
However, with the aforementioned bugs, Neeko’s opponents can easily distinguish between the real champion and Neeko. This leads to a situation where the element of surprise in Neeko’s gameplay, which should be her strength, becomes far too predictable. Clearly, when Neeko’s strongest weapon is no longer dangerous, her remaining skills cannot help her find a place in the meta. As a result, Neeko currently has a pick rate of just 0.64%, a number that is only slightly higher than Skarner.
We hope that the feedback from players will reach Riot Games so they can fix Neeko’s bugs as soon as possible. It would be unfortunate if a champion were neglected by players simply due to visual bug issues rather than gameplay or strength.