If this bug is not addressed soon, it is probable that it will be exploited to make the game imbalanced.
It is quite typical for bugs to arise in League of Legends, and some errors even appear in professional matches. However, these flaws generally only arise in new champions or new items, and Riot will progressively modify them over time to prevent players from taking advantage and causing the game to spin out of control.
However, with elements that have been present in the game for a long time, problems might arise, which confuses both players who are affected by the issue and Riot. The most recent example is the Rift Herald bug in the match between DWG KIA and Nongshim RedForce in the fourth week of the LCK Summer 2021.
Specifically, in the 17th minute of the third game between the DK and NS teams, Peanut and deokdam of NS dropped Rift Herald between the DK’s first and second mid-lane turrets. During that time, DK’s mid-lane 1st turret had very little health, and when the Rift Herald was released, he was confronted with this turret. The first turret, however, fell when the Herald had just acquired speed before slamming. The Rift Herald then rammed DK’s second turret.
Usually, after this butt, if the enemy has minions, the Rift Herald will prioritize hitting the minion and then have to gain momentum to ram again. However, in this case, the Rift Herald completely ignored the minion and rammed the 2nd hit, immediately knocking down DK’s 2nd turret.
Even during the match, the commentators were taken aback by the Rift Herald’s actions. This might be a bug or trick identified and exploited by NS, according to commenters and others. Whatever the premise, the reality that the Rift Herald could be so “Broken” was a disaster. We can see how this Rift Herald’s bug (or trick) was exploited in the scenario and how much of an impact it may have in a professional game.
Moreover, there was also another bug related to the Rift Herald that was discovered by Vandirl and later on, occurred in another LCK match back in the Spring Tournament.
Riot can ban new champions or items with bugs or problems, but if the most major component has a glitch, Riot’s reaction must be fast and comprehensive to avoid situations that cause loss of game fairness and make players constrained and uncomfortable.