On July 8, Pu Liu, the Game Director for League of Legends, made an announcement on social media about Riot’s plans to improve the detection and punishment of “soft inting,” a significant issue in the game.

Soft inting involves players making deliberate mistakes during a match without being obvious enough to be penalized for offenses like trolling or helping the enemy team.

Liu explained that with the help of Vanguard, Riot can now issue hardware bans, meaning they can suspend a player’s computer, not just their accounts. He then asked the LoL community for their opinions on how quickly Riot should start applying hardware bans for soft inting. Many players responded, with a majority favoring a more lenient approach.

Spideraxe, a popular League account, suggested a lenient stance, stating that hardware bans should only be used for repeat offenders. He believes that Riot could explore more creative punishments before resorting to hardware bans, such as limiting the players to bot matches.

However, some community members expressed concerns that Riot might end up hardware banning players who are simply having a bad game rather than intentionally sabotaging matches to annoy their teammates.

On the game’s subreddit, players generally supported immediate hardware bans and even called for stricter measures. One Reddit user suggested not only immediate hardware bans but also punishing the main accounts of players who engage in such behavior on their alternate accounts.

As of now, Liu has not publicly responded to any of the community’s feedback, leaving players to wait and see how quickly Riot will move from suspending accounts to implementing hardware bans.

Riot Games has been actively addressing problematic and toxic behavior across its major titles. The company has taken a strong stance against harassment in Valorant and cheating in League of Legends. This new focus on tackling soft inting is part of Riot’s ongoing effort to create a better gaming experience for its players.

League of Legends developers, Riot Games, have made a significant quality-of-life improvement to the Hall of Legends battle pass by introducing a new repeating mission. This update is designed to help players complete the pass more efficiently.

On June 18, the League of Legends development team announced this important change in a brief post on Twitter. The new repeatable mission will benefit all players by allowing them to earn experience points at twice the usual rate.

This is especially helpful for ARAM and Arena players, who often struggle to complete certain objectives, such as slaying epic monsters or taking down towers. By making it easier to accomplish these tasks, players can progress through the missions more quickly and play fewer games to earn all the rewards.

As a result of this update, completing the Hall of Legends pass should be much faster compared to previous event passes in League of Legends.

Despite the controversy surrounding the expensive Ahri skin, the battle pass for this event offers a variety of valuable rewards, including mythic essence, SKT T1 skins, and other cosmetics. This makes it one of the most rewarding passes in recent ones. Additionally, the requirements to level up are not overly demanding, making the process much less tedious than other event passes.

The positive reception of this update has led many League of Legends players to request that Riot Games make this accelerated pass a permanent feature for future events. However, it remains to be seen whether the developers will decide to implement this change long-term.

The Hall of Legends event is scheduled to end on July 8, 2024, with players having until July 15 to claim their loot and battle pass rewards.

LoL devs responded to Vanguard “bricking” players PC

Vanguard, which was originally featured in Riot’s Valorant launch, operates at the kernel level and has faced criticism in the past for its extensive access to users’ systems, leading some to label it as spyware.

Despite previous controversy, Riot proceeded to implement Vanguard into League of Legends with the release of patch 14.9 on May 1. Since then, numerous players have taken to social media platforms like Reddit to report that the anti-cheat software is “bricking” their computers or disrupting their internal functions.

Notably, prominent League content creator Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare shared his experience of the anti-cheat system allegedly rendering two of his PCs unusable and cautioned players to approach the update with caution.

However, Riot’s senior anti-cheat analyst, Matt ‘K30’ Paoletti, took to Reddit to refute claims that the technical issues stem from Vanguard’s implementation.

“An issue like this wouldn’t be related to Vanguard. If you haven’t restarted your computer in a while, it could related to an issue with your CMOS battery, since that’s what powers the start-up chain,”

In a comprehensive statement on Reddit, K30 also clarified that Riot has not confirmed the software’s role in causing PCs to malfunction.

“Since 14.9 went live, fewer than 0.03% of players have reported issues with Vanguard. In most cases, these are common error codes such as VAN codes 128, 152, 1067, -81, 9001, or 68 that are easily solved through player support or troubleshooting, and account for the vast majority of issues we are seeing,”

Furthermore, he announced the company’s intention to release a detailed report on the rollout of Vanguard in the near future, offering transparency regarding its impact on players’ systems.

Riot Phroxzon, the lead gameplay designer for League of Legends, addressed concerns raised by players on Reddit, acknowledging the dissatisfaction surrounding Galio’s current state in both solo queue and professional play.

Since undergoing rework iterations, Galio has undergone various build paths, with some players opting for heavy AP builds aimed at punishing enemy laners with powerful combos. However, such a playstyle diverges from Riot’s original intention for the champion, which was envisioned as a protector/defender with a more supportive role.

Despite the discontent among players, Phroxzon argues that Galio does indeed possess a distinct identity within the game. He asserts that the champion is designed to function as an enabler mid-laner, capable of mitigating magic damage while empowering teammates.

“Galio is just weak right now. I don’t think he lacks identity, he has a pretty clear one, he is meant to be as close to being a ” defender/enabler from midlane” with an ability to shrug off some AP damage as is reasonably supportable by gameplay.”

Moreover, Phroxzon acknowledges that his current power level may be lower than desired, but contends that his identity remains intact.

“When you have galio on your team, you are meant to feel more supported/comfortable, because he could come save you/support you if you need it.”

In response to inquiries about the prevalence of AP-focused builds, Phroxzon expressed reluctance to further reinforce the trend of burst-oriented AP champions in the game.

He emphasizes the need to preserve Galio’s thematic identity as a resilient protector, rather than conforming to the prevailing trend of high-damage mage champions.

With the champion receiving adjustments in the recent Patch 14.6, the developers are actively exploring ways to enhance his viability. However, the player community remains skeptical about the prospect of significant improvements for the character in the near future.

League of Legends fans are up in arms over recent changes by Riot Games made. The uproar stems from new restrictions placed on developers who also stream games in their free time.

Previously, these developers, like Riot August and Mortdog, would stream League of Legends and other Riot Games titles for fun and to engage with the community. Fans appreciated this direct interaction with the creators of the games they love. Moreover, the developers could earn money through their streams, just like any other independent streamer.

However, Riot Games recently implemented a policy prohibiting developers from monetizing their streams while playing Riot-produced games. This decision has left many fans scratching their heads, as it appears to be a sudden and arbitrary change.

Players argue that these developers provide valuable content and essentially offer free advertising for Riot’s games during their off-hours. Therefore, they believe it’s unfair to restrict their ability to earn money from their streams.

“I just don’t get it, this is how they’re rewarded for their commitment to the game, love from community and transparency? It’s not like the revenue they’ve been gaining will suddenly be reinvested into Riot now…. Worst case it’ll go to streamers of other games… I just don’t get it man”

“That’s like mega stupid. August has great content and basically does free advertising out of his work hours. Let him earn money with that”

The frustration among League of Legends players is palpable, with many expressing disappointment and confusion over Riot’s decision. Some fans have taken to social media platforms to voice their discontent, questioning the rationale behind the new rule and urging Riot to reconsider.

They argue that developers like August, known for his entertaining and informative streams, should be allowed to profit from their efforts.

Despite the outcry, Riot Games has yet to provide an explanation for the change in policy. This lack of transparency has only fueled further speculation and frustration among the player base.

League of Legends devs are working on troll groups

Reddit threads have been flooded with reports detailing the nefarious tactics employed by these trolls, who utilize bots to juggle multiple accounts simultaneously. Their aim? To disrupt the flow of fair gameplay by instigating chaos during champion selection, coercing other players into dodging matches.

For those unfortunate enough to end up in a game with them, the experience is marred by intentional poor performance, effectively sabotaging any chance of victory for their team.

While trolling and griefing is nothing new in League of Legends, Riot Games is not turning a blind eye. In response to the outcry from players, the developers have stepped up their efforts, actively monitoring and penalizing these troll groups. Numerous accounts have already faced the banhammer as a consequence of their disruptive behavior.

Furthermore, Riot Games is investing resources into developing solutions to thwart such misconduct in the future. Although these endeavors are still a work in progress, the community is encouraged to continue reporting instances of trolling to expedite the process of enforcement.

In addressing concerns specifically related to griefing, another developer has acknowledged ongoing efforts behind the scenes. However, they are hesitant to divulge details until concrete solutions are ready to be shared with the player base.

They empathize with the frustration of hearing repeated assurances of “we’re working on it,” yet emphasize their commitment to earnestly tackling the issue head-on. Rest assured, the development team is dedicated to delivering tangible results and restoring the League of Legends experience.

Riot August on why this keystone rune is intentionally underpowered

In the vast landscape of customization options that League of Legends offers to players, various avenues exist for tailoring one’s gameplay. While metas inevitably emerge in online games, League stands out for rewarding players who explore diverse builds, incorporating creative items and runes into their strategies.

Among the runes available to players, keystone runes hold an important position, offering a substantial power capable of shaping a champion’s playstyle.

Nevertheless, one keystone has consistently lingered in a perceived state of weakness compared to its counterparts. Riot August has recently taken the opportunity to elucidate the rationale behind this deliberate decision.

Predator, a keystone rune once favored by junglers for its significant power during ganks, has found itself weak in recent times, receiving little to no attention in the current meta. Riot August, during a streaming session, disclosed the reasons for retaining Predator in its seemingly underpowered state.

“Honestly we deliberately want that rune to be bad. We think it’s really bad for the game, so we make it deliberately bad. Like sometimes it’s better to have something be really bad just to be there.”

“It’s like a thing where sometimes the illusion of choice is better than no choice at all.”

“It’s like if we delete something for a lot of players who will be mentally attached to that thing, they’ll be like ‘Riot, how dare you delete this thing?’”

Originally valued for the immense strength it bestowed upon junglers in ganking situations, Predator has fallen out of favor in the evolving landscape of League of Legends.

Riot’s apparent preference for Predator’s presence suggests a strategic decision to shift the game’s dynamics away from its previous dominance.

As players navigate the dynamic landscape of League, the deliberate choice to keep Predator in its underpowered state adds an intriguing layer to the ongoing evolution of runes and strategies within the game.

While League of Legends boasts a massive fan base that loves the game, a significant portion of the players harbors strong discontent when stepping into a match.

Tyler1 on the current state of League of Legends, again

Tyler1, who has achieved top-ranking status in multiple roles across various regions, found himself reaching a breaking point due to the sheer volume of games he’s had to play. This frustration culminated in a passionate rant where he directed his ire towards the League of Legends devs, criticizing them for the perceived flaws in the game’s current state and expressing skepticism about the proposed changes for Season 2024.

“To be honest, I can’t play this piece of s***. This is a terrible game. The devs have f***ing killed it, everyone is miserable playing it. People are miserable because the balance is so bad it tilts everybody. I probably have like one game a day on a silver account just to post on YouTube.”

During the heated stream, Tyler1 not only highlighted his discontent but also went on to elaborate on specific aspects of the game’s balance that he felt wrong. From champion to gameplay mechanics, he passionately argued that the forthcoming Season 2024 alterations would not be sufficient to address the overarching issues he sees in the game.

“Season 14 they’re gonna change all the items, it’s going to be the same thing. There’s going to be broken s*** again.”

“Shame. You have completely f***ing killed any passion or play-ability of this game for me. Congrats guys.”

This outburst has ignited discussions within the League of Legends community, with players and fans sharing their opinions on Tyler1’s sentiments.

Some agree with his critiques, while others defend the developers’ efforts to enhance the gaming experience. As the controversy unfolds, it underscores the complex relationship between players and developers in the landscape of League of Legends.

For an extended period, Aphelios earned the “200-year champion” in League of Legends, owing to the complexity of his kit featuring across his 5 weapons. However, Riot Games seems to have surpassed this reputation with the introduction of Hwei, the game’s newest mid laner.

Hwei gameplay showcased by LoL devs

In a recent match on the League PBE test server, the new champion designer, Myles “Emizery” Salholm, showcased the potential of the new mid laner, particularly when synergized with Aphelios’ arsenal of weapons.

In the clip, the game was evenly poised at the 20-minute mark, with both teams boasting similar kills, and gold. As a teamfight unfolded, Emizery’s team found themselves on the brink of defeat, with teammates falling one after another.

However, a turn of events occurred when the enemy team grouped tightly in the river. Seizing this opportunity, Hwei executed a perfectly timed Crushing Maw, pulling the four foes back into each other. Subsequently, he unleashed Devastating Fire, and Aphelios used his Moonlight Vigil ultimate, resulting in an astonishing burst of damage in under two seconds.

Adding to the onslaught, the ink mage wielded the new Stormsurge legendary item, featuring a passive that struck enemies with lightning, potentially causing a chain reaction of detonations in a large area.

Both Aphelios and Hwei, acknowledged as two of the most intricate champions in the game, emerge as formidable adversaries when mastered. The ink mage versatile kit, encompassing damage abilities, utility, and crowd control, positions him as a Swiss Army knife for team compositions. Meanwhile, Aphelios maintains his status as a late-game carry, capable of decimating entire teams with a swift of spells and the right itemization.

Players eager to experience the new champion can test him on the League PBE now or anticipate his arrival on live servers with Patch 13.24 on December 6.

Assassins to have less “one-shot” potential in the future

Balancing Assassins in League has always been a challenge. The devs often walk a tightrope, leaving players either frustrated with the perception of not dealing enough damage to swiftly eliminate targets or, conversely, feeling victimized by the rapid death caused by them.

The ongoing Season 13 has witnessed a series of sweeping changes to Assassin items, reflecting Riot’s continuous effort to fine-tune their mechanics. Prowler’s Claw underwent a comprehensive rework, Duskblade faced multiple nerfs, and Shojin received noteworthy buffs.

These adjustments collectively signal a gradual shift away from the traditionally high damage potential of the champion’s class, with a focus on redefining their role and playstyle.

In the midst of these changes, Phroxzon responded to the mounting criticism, suggesting that perhaps Assassins might find a more balanced identity by having less one-shot capability.

“We’ve been trying to move certain classes away from damage and into other outputs (eg. Assassins using Haste instead of damage to make them more about repeatability and less about one-shotting).” 

This, however, did not sit well with a considerable faction of the player community. Many argue that such a shift might inadvertently incentivize building bruiser items, potentially diluting the core identity of the class, which is built around the fast elimination of targets.

The community is now grappling with uncertainty about how League’s persistent efforts to remove one-shot capabilities will unfold over time. Striking a delicate balance that caters to the desires of Assassin players without unduly affecting other roles, is undoubtedly a formidable challenge for the devs.

“Sorry but i feel like the repeatability on assassins just ruins the entire class and IDEA of the class in the first place. An assassin goes in, gets a kill, gets out. There is INSANE AMOUNTS of ways to outplay this concept, especially in these new seasons. IDK why u change that”

“I really do not think you guys go in the right direction for assassins. Not one person wants to play/play against bruiser talon / bruiser zed / bruiser qiyana. This literally already exists with the current zed build / old qiyana first strike resolve build/ old bruiser talon hp stacking build.”

As the game heads into Season 14, the trajectory of Assassin items and their impact on gameplay will be closely monitored. The delicate dance of maintaining excitement for players while ensuring fair and enjoyable gameplay experiences for others will likely continue to be a focal point of discussion within the League of Legends community.