League of Legends is introducing adjustments to its in-game ping system in an attempt to combat toxicity, but player skepticism remains high.
The ping system underwent a revamp for Season 13, offering more ways for players to communicate with their teammates quickly without resorting to chat. However, Riot Games has observed player behavior with the new system and decided to make some controversial alterations.
In their ongoing efforts to reduce toxicity in League of Legends, Riot will be removing specific pings from the game. Two pings are on the chopping block due to their association with toxicity.
Riot removing Pings from League of Legends
Chris Roberts, the Product Lead on League, announced that in Patch 13.19, Riot will make scoreboard pings for allies visible only to the player who uses them. The rationale behind this change is to prevent teammates from harassing each other in-game, such as repeatedly pinging that a teammate is alive after a poor play.
Furthermore, Riot is scrapping the Bait Ping and replacing it. The decision to do so stems from the ping’s “unacceptable” misuse, making it into a “h*ng yourself” ping, which does not align with Riot’s intended purpose.
While Riot’s decision to address these issues is justified, some League players believe that completely removing the bait ping may be a hasty move. They have expressed their opinions on social media, sharing Chris Roberts’ initial announcement and adding their own commentary.
On Reddit, a similar sentiment prevails, with users pointing out that this change only eliminates one of the numerous ways players can exhibit toxicity in-game and, in their view, does not tackle the core issue.
Others have even emphasized that there is already a mute button in the game that players can use to shield themselves from harassment by specific teammates.
These modifications to the ping system will become effective on September 27 with the release of Patch 13.19 on live servers. Players will then have the opportunity to assess whether these changes indeed enhance their in-game experience.