Riot Games planned that the Preseason 2021 will change League of Legends completely.
It is not totally wrong to say that the Preseason phrase each year is the most “chaotic” period of the year. As usual, Riot Games will release updates that completely change the game: champions, items, or game mechanics in their Preseason patches. All the mechanic changes or balances that were made in the game must all be considered thoughtfully as they are very well-linked together that even want slightest change in item or mechanic can shift the meta entirely.
And with a giant update to adjust item shops and equipments like Preseason 2021, the impression that League of Legends has turned into a whole new game can be very easy to grasp. Even the senior members of Riot Games have to admit that the upcoming 2021 Preseason will have a number of champions or equipment that are so OP that they will “break the game”. Naturally, Riot Games won’t let that happen for long and find a way to bring the League of Legends to its most stable condition.
Mark Yetter – Gameplay Lead designer for League of Legends: “The first patch of preseason is definitely a stabilization period. We know there will be OP champs, OP items, bugs that slipped through, and a few rough edges. We’re going to be a full-on polish mode in the next few weeks to get everything stable and tuned the way it should be.”
In fact, a reworking of shop and equipment by Riot Games was a very bold decision because the item system had a direct effect on every champion’s ability and on the game. Extensive adjustments in the equipment system would lead to unpredictable changes in the strength and gameplay of many of the champions.
That is also why some games that share the same genre, such as DOTA 2, for example, their game developers just adding a few new items, while gradually reworking old items instead of changing everything at once. With this to be said, Riot Games has chosen to be extremely risky in Preseason 2021 when it comes to making a comprehensive change from the look and stats to equipment effects.
If they succeed in balancing equipment and champions in the 2021 Preseason, it will open a whole new era of development for League of Legends. In the case of failure, the game will most likely fall into a serious state of imbalance that can lead to them losing the majority of their players. Hopefully, Riot Games can make some really good balancing in the near future so that the new equipment can fulfill its designed role – opening up a bunch of variety of interesting gameplay for League of Legends.
