Lead Champion Designer Phroxzon, a prominent figure in the League of Legends community, recently took to Twitter to engage in a discussion about the development team’s approach to ability haste and its implications for Assassins. However, the direction hasn’t resonated well with a significant portion of the players, sparking a heated debate within the community.
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.