Swarm mode has been available for a while, and players have finally experienced the long-awaited PvE version of the game. With the launch of Swarm, we got to see what the developers’ take on Vampire Survivors looks like in League of Legends, and it has been a hit among players.

The mode features hordes of enemies and rogue-like upgrades that gradually make you stronger as you progress through each match. There is a lot to love about what Riot has introduced. The mode includes 4 different maps, each with unique bosses, a variety of champions to try out, and an upgrade system that makes the grind worthwhile.

These upgrades are essential if you want to tackle the more difficult levels. However, a newly discovered hidden feature might make things a bit easier, especially if you find yourself cornered by the Swarm.

YouTuber Vandiril discovered that the Swarm user interface (UI) still includes a recall button, and it is actually visible to the player. The recall feature allows you to channel for a short time before teleporting back to your starting point. In Swarm mode, this teleportation seems to bring you near the center of the Arena.

It appears that while Swarm’s UI has been modified to fit the new mode, it still contains elements from the original game’s UI, which is why the recall button is still present.

This feature is quite handy as it allows you to move quickly across the map. Additionally, if you find yourself trapped in a corner with no way out, recalling can be a great option to escape a difficult situation.

However, it is important to note that, just like in the regular League of Legends game, taking damage while recalling will interrupt the process. Therefore, make sure you either have an ally to assist you to keep enemies at bay while you recall.

Riot Games likely anticipated this outcome, as it has become a trend with their combined event-and-champion releases.

Since her arrival in League on July 17, the new champion Aurora has struggled to make a significant impact on the game’s dedicated fanbase. Instead, the focus has been entirely on Swarm, the exciting new bullet-hell game mode that Riot released alongside the champion.

Unfortunately for Aurora, the combination of her release with this new mode has effectively overshadowed her hype.

The League community quickly voiced their surprise at how fast Aurora and her release were pushed aside. Some players criticized her for being too “uninteresting” to make a significant impact, while others blamed her theme for failing to generate excitement. A few even suggested that Riot had missed the mark with “more anime nonsense.”

Despite this, Aurora has been seen in many matches so far. According to League statistic site U.GG, she has already appeared in over 73k games. However, compared to the usual excitement surrounding new champion debuts, her release feels underwhelming.

This curious release strategy from Riot seems to be part of a larger pattern, as seen with other underwhelming debuts like Nilah and Naafiri. Naafiri, who was released in the middle of the 2023 Soul Fighter event, was overshadowed by the Arena mode.

Not all champions have been overshadowed by events, though. Lillia and Yone, who were released during the Spirit Blossom event, and Akshan, who headlined the Sentinels event, managed to avoid being eclipsed. However, it’s worth noting that all three required periods of significant metagame dominance to stand out.

It’s possible that Aurora might become more prominent once the Swarm hype dies down, especially if Riot buffs her in the upcoming Season 14 updates. Nevertheless, the initial damage to her launch seems to have been done.

Recently released on the live servers, League of Legends’ Swarm mode has proven to be exactly what the game needs. Not only is it incredibly fun, but it also shows that the developers can still innovate within the decade-old game.

Riot Games has introduced the Swarm game mode in League of Legends as part of the Anima Squad 2024 event. This massive summer celebration includes new Anima Squad and Primordian skins, along with the highly anticipated Vampire Survivors Swarm mode. Despite being out for just over 1, or 2 days, players are already enthusiastic about the new mode and its offerings.

Many consider this mode to be some of the highest-quality content Riot has ever released into League of Legends. It’s impressive how the developers have managed to transform the traditional League of Legends experience.

Initially, it might be challenging to adapt to, but it makes complete sense for the mode, which benefits from the precise movement enabled by the new control scheme. This is the first time players can move League champions using keyboard buttons, opening up opportunities for even more innovation.

Each champion has been well-adapted for the game mode, with one ability converted into an auto-firing weapon, leaving a basic ability and an ultimate. Swarm mode is also infinitely replayable, offering a vast array of combinations of champions, abilities, and weapons to choose from as you progress through each stage. You can play solo or with a party of up to four players, providing more freedom of choice than many other modes.

While Swarm is currently a limited-time mode, the League of Legends developers have suggested that its popularity and consistent player engagement could lead Riot to bring it back and possibly make it a permanent feature. Riot has done something similar with Arena, as they work towards making the 2v2 battle mode sustainable for continuous play.

Although different from League, Swarm has a ton of weapons you can unlock to make your fights with Primordians easier. Since all weapons are unique and powerful, combining them with champions doesn’t only guarantee you success but also fun wombos combos.

Weapons are equipment you use to fight Primordians in Swarm. Like you unlock champions and certain passives, you obtain these weapons through achievements and progress through the Swarm. Unlike League, as you unlock weapons and progress through the Swarm, you can upgrade and level up these weapons.

The maximum level of each weapon is 5, and while every weapon has an evolved form, you can also stack one weapon by selecting it multiple times, which improves its passive. Although every champion has a starting weapon, there are currently 20 other weapons you can collect as you play the Swarm mode.

League of Legends Swarm: All weapons

Ani-Mines

• Evolution: Jinx’s Tri-Namite
• Passive: Area Size
• Function: Drops time explosive projectiles.

Anti-Shark Sea Mine

• Evolution: Neverending Mobstomper
• Passive: Damage
• Function: Fires explosives that bounce between opponents.

Battle Bunny Crossbow

• Evolution: Bunny Prime Ballista
• Passive: Critical Chance
• Function: Fires projectiles that pierce on critical strike.

Blade-o-rang

• Evolution: Quad-o-rang
• Passive: Move Speed
• Function: Fires returning projectiles.

Bunny Mega-Blast

• Evolution: Rabid Rabbit Raindown
• Passive: Critical Chance
• Function: Fires orbital strikes that scale with critical chance.

Cyclonic Slicers

• Evolution: Unceasing Cyclone
• Passive: Health Regen
• Function: Orbital strikes that knock back enemies.

Echoing Batblades

• Evolution: Vayne’s Chromablades
• Passive: Projectile Count
• Function: Fires piercing projectiles that bounce off terrain.

Final City Transit

• Evolution: FC Limited Express
• Passive: Damage
• Function: Trains drive through opponents.

Gatling Bunny-Guns

• Evolution: Double Bun-Bun Barrage
• Passive: Duration
• Function: Deals big AoE damage.

Iceblast Armor

• Evolution: Deep Freeze
• Passive: Armor
• Function: Blocks damage and freezes opponents.

Lioness’s Lament

• Evolution: Enveloping Light
• Passive: Ability Haste
• Function: Fires crescent-shaped projectiles.

Paw Print Poisoner

• Evolution: Bearfoot Chem-Dispenser
• Passive: Move Speed
• Function: Creates a poisoning cloud that deals damage.

Radiant Field

• Evolution: Explosive Embrace
• Passive: Max Health
• Function: Scales with Max Health and damages opponents.

Searing Shortbow

• Evolution: Evolved Embershot
• Passive: Area Size
• Function: Projectiles deal lingering fire damage.

Statikk Sword

• Evolution: Prumbis’s Electrocarver
• Passive: Max Health
• Function: Lightning shock bounces between opponents and deals damage.

T.I.B.B.E.R.S.

• Evolution: T.I.B.B.E.R.S. (B.E.E.G. Edition)
• Passive: Duration
• Function: Summons Robo-Tibbers that focuses opponents with the biggest health.

The Annihilator

• Evolution: Animapocalypse
• Passive: EXP
• Function: Deals massive AoE damage that instantly kills normal opponents.

UwU Blaster

• Evolution: OwO Blaster
• Passive: Ability Haste
• Function: Fires rapid lasers at the nearest opponent.

Vortex Glove

• Evolution: Tempest’s Gauntlet
• Passive: Health Regen
• Function: Fires rotating projectiles that deal damage.

YuumiBot

• Evolution: YumiBot_Final_FINAL
• Passive: Pickup Radius
• Function: Summons a Yummi AI drone that knocks up opponents and collects EXP Orbs.

Arena to receive major updates in upcoming patches

This was announced by Riot’s lead gameplay designer, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, on Twitter. He outlined the changes coming in Patch 14.14, specifying which champions and items would receive buffs or nerfs.

Notably, Phenomenal Evil and Urf’s Champion are among the Augments that will be significantly strengthened in the next patch, while Duskblade and Prowler’s Claw are slated for nerfs. Champions that have been particularly dominant in Arena, such as Garen, Naafiri, Pyke, Zed, and Master Yi, will also be targeted for nerfs.

Looking ahead to Patch 14.15, Riot designers Riot Rogue Fool and Riot Twin Enso have been teasing new Augments over the past week. Some of the new additions include Fire Sale, which allows players to sell all of their non-quest items for 100% of their worth, and Ultimate Roulette, which replaces the “Flee” summoner spell with a random Ultimate spell.

Another new Augment, Fruits of your Labor, enhances the healing effect of flowers. Although only a few Augments have been revealed so far, there is still a long way to go until their release on July 31 as part of League Patch 14.15.

Riot has been making continuous efforts to improve the Arena game mode and potentially make it a permanent fixture, providing an alternative to the regular 5vs5 Summoner’s Rift. Currently, only ARAM has maintained its place as a permanent game mode, while other alternative modes like Twisted Treeline and Dominion have been either replaced or removed.

With these ongoing updates and improvements, Riot aims to keep the Arena mode fresh and engaging for players, ensuring it remains a popular and exciting option within the League of Legends ecosystem.

LoL players are currently urging Riot Games to consider bringing back the long-gone game mode, Twisted Treeline. However, many fans admit that the mode would require a significant update to meet modern standards.

This call for the mode’s return has become a recurring theme among the League community since its removal in season 9. Players on social media are vocal about their desire for the mode to “come back,” especially as more community members shift away from ranked play in favor of more casual gaming experiences.

The recent discussion on July 4 was filled with nostalgia, with players sharing fond memories. Some said the memories made on Twisted Treeline were iconic, and others mentioned they used to warm up for solo queue matches with quick 3v3 games. Some fans even threatened to quit the game entirely if forced to continue playing only on Summoner’s Rift.

Not everyone is in favor of the mode’s return, though. Many pointed out Riot’s original reason for discontinuing Twisted Treeline: it wasn’t popular enough. Riot never shared the exact player numbers towards the end, but it was generally believed that only a few thousand players queued for the mode at any given time. I remember long queue times whenever I tried to play in 2019.

Hopeful League players suggest that a modern update could solve these issues. Some proposed simply closing off the top half of Summoner’s Rift, while others want Riot to give Twisted Treeline the same attention as League Arena. The success of Arena in its various reruns and the introduction of League’s new Swarm mode show that Riot is willing to experiment with new concepts.

The big question is how much time it would take for Riot to update Twisted Treeline. Riot has not addressed this yet. Additionally, the developers would need to tackle the infamous funnel metagame and work on mode-specific balance if Twisted Treeline were to return.

Riot Games’ senior engineering manager for League, Riot H28 G Evo, announced yesterday via Twitter that the PBE servers are nearing their capacity limits. As a result, the developers will be keeping an eye on the situation and may introduce queue timers for solo queue players.

This isn’t something new for players familiar with Riot’s games. The PBE often hits its maximum capacity, especially when new modes like Teamfight Tactics are introduced, particularly with the release of new sets on the testing server.

Riot is managing the situation to ensure that as many players as possible can enjoy Swarm and that the mode is ready for its scheduled release on live servers.

Swarm is set to be released in less than three weeks, on July 17, alongside Patch 14.14 and the new League champion Aurora. Riot wants to ensure that Swarm is in the best possible condition to avoid any delays, and several crucial bug fixes are being applied to the PBE server.

Swarm is a PvE mode in League of Legends that plunges players into a chaotic bullet-hell survival adventure. Players must fight off waves of Primordians, sea creatures from the Anima skin line.

While Swarm can be played solo, it is recommended that players team up with a party to explore the various maps and complete several challenges as they strive to protect the world.

A host of new champions will join the battle for good in the upcoming Anima Squad event, bringing fresh powers to help combat the overwhelming tide of monsters emerging from the sea. However, new villains are also joining the fray, leading the abyssal Primordian forces in their mission to cleanse the world of humanity once and for all.

In addition to the new game mode, the Anima Squad is receiving a plethora of new skins. This includes two Legendaries and a Mythic Variant. In total, there will be 14 new Anima Squad skins available. The rarity breakdown for these skins includes 1 Mythic Variant, 2 Legendaries, 2 Prestige Skins, and 9 Epic Skins.

League of Legends 2024 Anima Squad skins

Battle Dove Seraphine

Rarity: Legendary

Price: 1820 RP

Primordian Aatrox

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Legendary

Price: 1820 RP

Admiral Battle Bunny Miss Fortune

Rarity: Mythic Variant

Price: Only Obtainable Via Capsules

Battle Lion Leona

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Prestige Battle Lion Leona

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Mythic

Price: 200 Mythic Essence

Battle Bat Xayah

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Battle Bear Illaoi

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Battle Bunny Aurora

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Battle Wolf Yasuo

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Cyber Cat Yuumi

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Prestige Cyber Cat Yuumi

Rarity: Mythic

Price: 200 Mythic Essence

Primordian Bel’Veth

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Primordian Briar

No Splash Art is available

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

Primordian Rek’Sai

Rarity: Epic

Price: 1350 RP

The 2024 Anima Squad event is officially set to launch on Wednesday, July 17. With so much new content on the horizon, players can look forward to an exciting and action-packed summer in League of Legends.

Swarm distinguishes itself from previous PvE modes in League of Legends for several reasons. One of the primary differences is the introduction of new mechanics and abilities. Notably, for the first time in League of Legends, players will use WASD controls to move their characters.

This new mode incorporates the main features of a bullet heaven survivor game into League of Legends. Players will run around killing enemies, gathering resources, and becoming stronger with each run. Designed for cooperative play with up to four League players, the new mode emphasizes teamwork and strategic coordination.

Maps in Swarm

The Heart of the City

The main city map, described by Riot Games as a bustling urban environment, vividly brings the Anima Squad universe to life. This section of Final City is filled with buildings adorned with holographic images of Anima Squad members.

As players navigate the city, they will encounter cannons along the coastlines, reflecting the city’s efforts to defend against the sea monster Primordians. The urban setting is vibrant and interactive, providing players with a rich backdrop for their battles and several features to aid them in fighting the hordes of enemies.

The Destroyed Part of Final City

The destroyed part of the city offers a stark contrast to the previous map. This area depicts a ravaged landscape, showcasing the devastation caused by the Primordians’ invasion. Players will have to navigate this area and use the environment to their advantage. Despite its appearance, this map includes functional elements like healing points where players can refill their health bars.

The Underground Laboratory

The underground laboratory map takes players into a high-tech setting beneath Final City, where the Primordians’ technology is repurposed to aid the Anima Squad in battle. Although not much is known about this map at the moment, it is presumed that there will be various interactive features to aid players in battle. Furthermore, since it is known that Primordian Briar will defect from her ranks to join the Anima Squad in Swarm’s story, it is possible players will encounter her for the first time in the laboratory.

The Coastline

In the storyline, the coastline forms the frontline of Final City’s defense against the sea monster Primordians. This map presents itself as a scenic yet dangerous area where players must defend against threats from the sea. It features a mix of natural and man-made elements, with more cannons and defensive structures lining the shores.

Swarm is set to launch on July 17. Prepare to explore these diverse maps, unlock all the champions, and join the Anima Squad in their final stand to save humanity.

League of Legends is fun again thanks to Arena

Arena has emerged as one of League of Legends’ most successful limited-time modes, having been revived 3 times due to its immense popularity among players. In its current update, the 2v2 team-based mode offers plenty of new augments, items, and arenas, showcasing Riot’s dedication to infusing the game with excitement once again.

Unlike the highly competitive ranked mode, Arena emphasizes the unpredictable and zany elements of League, encouraging players to experiment with various augments and items to create unique builds.

This departure from the conventional meta evokes nostalgia for an earlier era in the game’s history when players explored unconventional strategies like literal ADC Blitzcrank!

The recent success of Arena underscores Riot’s ability to create engaging and enjoyable game modes tailored to the more casual player base. The developers possess a keen understanding of what makes the game enjoyable and have demonstrated their capability to deliver on this front given the necessary resources and time.

There is speculation that Arena may become a permanent addition to the game, contingent upon player feedback and engagement. If this proves to be the case, it could pave the way for the introduction of additional modes that deviate from the hyper-competitive nature of ranked play.

As Arena continues to undergo refinements with each update, it signifies just the beginning of Riot’s foray into creating more fun-centric game modes. This ongoing evolution suggests that the developers are committed to enhancing the player experience and exploring new avenues for enjoyment within the League of Legends universe.