Red Post collection: June Early Sales, Ascension live in RGMQ, Meddler with Gameplay Updates, Taliyah W discussion, & more

Posted on at 4:56 AM by Moobeat
Today's red post collection includes the June early sales up through 6/27, Ascension live this weekend in the RGMQ, Meddler with context on a few gameplay updates for 6.13 and beyond, Scruffy discussing Taliyah W casting changes in internal testing, 2016 All-Star event headed to Barcelona, and more!
Continue reading for more information!




Table of Contents


June Early Sales: 06.24 - 06.27 

Now through June 27th, enjoy early sale discounts on Blood Moon Yasuo, Heartseeker Orianna, Beast Hunter Tryndamere, Snow Day Bard, and Gragas Caskbeaker!
"The June Early Sale is officially here! To kick things off, the following non-Legacy skins from the past 4-6 months are going on sale from June 24 00:00 PT through June 27 23:59 PT!"
Video previews of this month's early sales:
If you are already looking forward to next month, check out the July sales schedule!

Ascension live in rotating game mode queue! 

Ascension is back this weekend in the rotating game mode queue! 
"From the original clone-tastic One For All to the frenetic manatee magic of Ultra Rapid Fire, featured game modes provide unique spins on the classic League formula. It’s time to kick things off with the next game mode in the rotation: Ascension is now live!
As a refresher on the mode, let’s go over the basics: 
  • Unlike Summoner’s Rift, you can’t walk out of your base to reach the battle; you’ll have to use the Golden Transcendence trinket or right-click a pad to teleport into the fray 
  • Earn victory by scoring points; the first team to 200 takes it down 
  • You earn 1 point for kills, 3 for capturing a Shuriman relic, 5 for landing the killing blow on an Ascended champion, and 2 points for each kill you acquire while Ascended 
  • Claim Ascension by taking down Ancient Ascendant Xerath in the center of the map (he’ll respawn after the Ascended champion dies) 
  • Be cautious when approaching the Ascendant, you'll need your whole team to battle him and claim the buff 
  • The Ascension buff yields awe-inspiring power including bonus health and infinite mana, AD & AP, CDR, as well as armor and magic pen 
  • The gifts of Ascension come with a price: healing and regeneration effects are halved and the opposing team always has vision on Ascended champs 
We did touch up the visuals slightly while specially tuning Champion Mastery so you can earn points in the mode. You’ll also be able to earn keys for your wins and loot chests for your (or your premade’s) S­-, S, and S+ games. 
Ascension is now available and lasts through the evening on Monday (we’ll shut it down very early Tuesday morning--usually between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM). 
If you need to catch up on the rules for any game mode, check back at leagueoflegends.com each Friday, and we’ll give you the lowdown in a quick post like this one. 
We’ll be trying out different things with the rotating game mode queue over the next few months such as, changing the mode cadence or what modes are available. We’re looking for your feedback as we go, so let us know. GLHF, and we’ll see you on the sand-strewn battlefield of Ascension!"
Remember, starting with last week the RGMQ now stays up an extra day and lasts through Monday evening!

Meddler with a few gameplay updates 

Following the recent mid-season follow up post, Meddler jumped on the boards for some discussion on Cloud Drake, upcoming support changes, Asassin class update, and more!
"Hey folks, 
Wanted to follow up on some of the topics we talked about recently in the recent Mid-Season Followup (http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/o7nazGfh-state-of-the-season-mid-season-followup 
Cloud Drake: 
As previously mentioned we've been holding off on Cloud Drake changes, despite dissatisfied feedback on the buff's value, because we wanted to take some more time to assess its impact, particularly in organized play. At this point it's statistically only just below the average power level of the other drakes. Perception of its impact is dramatically lower however. We're going to try an experimental, and fairly sizable, buff as a result in 6.14 to see what effect impact that has. Current plan is 25 out of combat momvement speed per stack instead of 15. 
There's a reasonable risk this is a mechanic that's never going to be sufficiently appreciable relative to its power however. It's possible as a result that we might replace out of combat movement speed with a different movement effect at some point (we do think strategic movement's a good niche for a drake buff). First step though is getting a better understanding of the current mechanic, including whether it's actually good for the game if strategic movement offered in this way is really strong. 
Assassins: 
Will be our next class update in the end of year Pre-Season (November or December). Statikk talks about our goals in some detail in the link below. TLDR is more diverse assassins with more ways for other players to interact with them. 
http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/Tnfw1WW6-next-class-update-the-assassins 
Support stuff: 
A number of support focused changes are coming in 6.13 (which probably releases next week). We've also got some champion changes that showed promise but need more testing time. We'll probably have at least some of those in 6.14 (Leona, maybe Sona, possibly some Alistar stuff we've been playing around with etc). 
In terms of the 6.13 changes some of the most significant are those to the XP system and to some items. Couple of posts below from Xypherous that run through a lot of the thinking behind those changes: 
http://boards.pbe.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/champions-gameplay-feedback/XWNXaWcc-613-planned-adjustments-to-secondary-systems-part-1-experience-changes 
http://boards.pbe.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/champions-gameplay-feedback/NT7UcOWt-613-planned-adjustments-to-more-stuff-part-2-teleport-support-item 

Focusing a bit more on Pro Play in 6.14 and 6.15 
Finally we'll be prioritizing work on champs that are particular problems in pro play a bit more in the next couple of patches (6.15 is the patch for most, or possibly all, of the Worlds qualifiers). First up we've got changes to Rek'Sai (initial thought - slower tick rate on Tremor sense?) and Azir (less early damage, more of a marksman like damage curve over the course of the game?). There will probably be some more changes prioritized by pro play impact in 6.15 too (Viktor and Karma look likely, potentially others like Elise?)."
In response to a comment about the Rek'Sai changes mentioned above, Meddler  elaborated:
"Quote:
I feel bad for reksai players they just wont stop
Rek'Sai's been pretty hard to balance for both pro and regular play. We're looking at Tremor Sense as a result, trying to see if there's a way to remove some power there that disproportionately affects organized teams while still leaving it as a unique and meaningful effect."
Statikk  also commented on Rek'Sai, explaining:
"Quote:
Not a huge fan of nerfing rek'sai's tremor sense. That mechanic is part of her appeal. Feels weird to nerf the most unique and interesting part of her kit.
You're right that it's definitely the most unique part of Rek'Sai and it's super thematic as well. 
The biggest issue with Tremor Sense is that it lacks context and situations where it is particularly powerful. It's universally effective and has basically infinite uptime that it takes up the majority of Rek'Sai's power budget - this makes it really hard to make her a holistically satisfying gameplay experience. 
I think if we can just find a way to make Tremor Sense ultra powerful all the time or find ways to gate or constrain its usage a bit more - it would go a long way to making her healthier in the long run."
 Meddler added:
"We're trying to find something that disproportionately removes power from organized teams using Rek'Sai versus regular players. Tremor Sense seems worthy of investigation as a result. We've held off on nerfing it previously because it's unique and interesting, that doesn't necessarily mean it's in the right spot though (there might be other numbers that are easier to balance, but still meaningfully unique)."

As for Sona changes that tested during 6.13 but were pulled from PBE, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
"Maybe" Sona? So they are not going to change her?
We've got some changes that show some promise (ult passive offering more casts, rather than stronger auras, in particular). Still testing, both to validate that though and get a read on power impact. Shipping some changes in 6.14's certainly possible as a result, far from guaranteed though."

When asked about potentially removing cloud drake as an option to spawn, Meddler  noted:
"We think having four drakes is pretty important to the elemental drake system creating meaningful game to game variety. Would much rather address issues with one of the drakes than remove it as a result."
Meddler continued:
"Quote:
Why not just remove cloud drake from the rotation
We want the drakes to encourage adaptation and game to game variety. Having a drake that offers strategic mobility's a good way to do that, though it's certainly possible as discussed that the current way of doing so just isn't satisfying enough. Dropping down to just three drakes also significantly cuts into expected variance game to game."
Meddler continued:
"Quote:
Is that a bad thing? Sure, RNGesus does add spice, but I've been more than a little annoyed at getting three cloud drakes. Yes, I DO appreciate how it helps you rotate faster, but at the same time it's more like "oh I have cloud drake, zzzzzzzzzzz" than "oh baby Infernal we're gonna smash their faces in." At this point I swear that most people do cloud drake to spawn other dragons more than valuing the buff.
We do feel that variance, provided it creates situations you respond to rather than deciding things itself, has a lot of value in keeping the game interesting. 
Removing the least satisfying drake also just swaps something else into that same spot ('oh, great, an ocean drake, guess we'll just clear that to get more infernals and mountains'). We'd rather try and get the drakes into positions where they all feel close, even if some get valued by the average team more than others. Sometimes taking a tower over a drake's not a bad thing either, objectives shouldn't feel like they have a set order of priority."

When asked about changing Cloud Drake to give some smaller value of in-combat movement speed,
Meddler  commented:
"Quote:
How about a lower value that doesnt get removed when in combat :l? 10-20-30 incombat movementspeed can be quite strong, and thats what i mainly see people complain about
That'd certainly make it strong, we like the idea of strategic mobility (as opposed to mid combat) because it changes how you play when you've got the buff or are playing against a team with the buff though. In combat movement speed by contrast's a generically good stat that doesn't change decision making as much."
As for potentially making Cloud Drake give allies movement speed bonus when running near each other, Meddler  commented:
"Quote:
Would you ever consider cloud drake providing a considerate speed boost when running to allies within a specific range? 
This could offer a strategic movement speed buff if coordinated properly amongst teammates that can be seen and felt.
Something in that line could be promising. Condensing the MS down to more specific circumstances has promise given it would allow higher, and therefore more noticeable values that when active you played around more, to be used."
As for when we might see another new champion, Meddler  commented:
"Quote:
My quetion is a bit more off-topic, but I would like to know this:
Do you plan to release a new champion in 6.14 or 6.15? I took a peek around the internet, but I haven't seen any type of teaser (audio files, images) yet. And I know that you bring out someone new every 4 patches most likely. So, anything you can tell about that?
Exact champion release date's something we tend to be vague on, both because of uncertainties in production timing and because we know some people quite enjoy the unexpected, and sometimes not immediately identifiable as a new champion, teasers.
In terms of overall release rate I'd expect around the same number of champions this year as last year though."
When asked about the timing of the future Ryze champion update, Meddler noted:
"Quote: 
@Meddler when do you think we will see the ryse update in terms of patches.. 6.16? 6.17?
That detailed an announcement is something the team working on Ryze should be making at the appropriate time, not someone like myself who's not on the team. Almost guaranteed before 6.18 is as detailed as I should specify sorry."
When asked about plans for more Ekko balance changes, Meddler noted:
"Quote:
@Meddler do you guys have any plans for Ekko? He's played more as a tank and recent nerfs have practically killed his ability to jungle. Perhaps future changes will turn him into an assassin?
We do want him to be building higher damage/low tankiness items. No immediate plans for him right now though, we've both changed him a bit recently and have some other champs we're focused on for the next patch or two."
As for Fizz, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
Despite the recent nerfs, Fizz is still being picked as a tank toplane, any plans for him in the future patches?
Not sure about short term balance changes. As with Ekko we'd rather see him building a bit squishier though. 
It's highly likely we'll make at least some small tuning changes to him in the Pre-Season. Larger work's possible, though certainly not guaranteed."

Taliyah Seismic Shove (W) changes in internal testing 

Over on the boards, Riot Scruffy has posted about a few Taliyah W changes that they are currently testing internally and that will hit the PBE soon!
"Hey all Taliyah players, 
We're testing some changes to her W spell internally (will be on pbe soontm). The two different versions that we're working with right now are 
  1. Vector cast W (similar to rumble ult)
  2. Current w cast paradigm without lockout (so as soon as you choose a direction, casting is unlocked) 
Both are testing pretty well for us internally and are meeting our goals of increased usability for both W and W->E combo. No promises to make but we're targeting the 6.14 patch. 
Side note: with her current strength and the increased dps from the removal of the W lockout with these changes we will likely have to nerf her in other ways to keep her from going out of control. Possible spaces here are Q mana/early damage or W->E combo damage. 
This is just a heads up to keep everyone informed but any and all feedback is welcome in this thread."
When asked about this change also being a buff for the lesser played Taliyah support, RiotScruffy  noted:
"Quote:
Have you considered how these changes will impact support Taliyah ?
A reliable long range knock will be the bane of any squishy champ
Yea, we think increased usability of W is a power buff for both mid and support Taliyah. Our strat is always to have the champ mechanics feel good then balance it (which we are doing atm)."

As for why not doing both versions, RiotScruffy  commented:
"Quote:
why not both 1 and 2?
Either version would have differences in the "quick cast" and "normal cast" versions to allow players to choose their preference. So in some ways we will get that."
RiotScruffy  continued:
"Quote:
So, for #2, we'd be able to cast spells after chosing the knockback direction, but before it goes off? Because the fact that you can't do that has been my biggest complaint about Taliyah. It should at least buffer inputs and cast them as soon as available, I could never get used to hitting E or Q and neither going off because I've been locked out of casting for what feels like an eternity.
Yes, option 2 would be "press W" "press W" then you are immediately free to move or cast while the spell delay is finishing."

Asked why they are looking into this change, RiotScruffy  explained:
"Quote:
I understand how the second change increases usability, though at the cost of risk/reward, but I don't understand the first. The intend of the current cast type was to make a vector like cast type that was more intuitive/easier to learn. Has it not proven to be?
Other than that, I personally don't want to see her Q nerfed to compensate. I've started enjoying her a lot ever since the Q buff opened her up to a Q max build. Though I also personally would rather see the E-W combo remain difficult to pull off, but highly reward, but I understand that it must put off a lot of people.
From our "how fast people learn champs" data, it seems that the original W cast method wasn't significantly better than vector casting. That combined with the feedback made us think we should look into a change. 
Thanks for the feedback on Q nerfs, we're still wide open on what to do there and q max is a pretty fun build we wouldn't want to kill."
As for if click and button press will stay, RiotScruffy  commented:
"Quote:
Can we still click to choose the direction? The way it is now is fine, people are just too slow at learning things these days which causes problems for those of us who aren't.
Yea we will probably make it work with both w and click."
He added:
"Quote:
Does this mean she'll be able to easily combo her E after landing a W?
It will open up the cast w first then e case that was not possible before."

2016 All-Star Event Heads to Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain has been announced as the location for the 2016 ALL-STAR EVENT!

"Hold onto your snowballs, because there will be mayhem. Celebrate 2016 with your favorite pros, champions and game modes when the 2016 League Of Legends All-Star Event comes to Barcelona, Spain. 
Get ready to expect the unexpected as we close out the season with a bang at the Palau Sant Jordi on December 8-11. 
Just like our 2015 All-Star Event, fans will vote in five players to represent their regions for NA LCS, EU LCS, LCK, LPL, LMS and the IWCA winners. These teams will be assigned to Team Fire or Team Ice based on each region’s performance at the upcoming 2016 World Championships and the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational. Alongside regional match-ups, the 1v1 tournament, and new All-Star game modes. 
Will we see another 1v1 with Froggen and Faker on Anivia? Or will it be the return of KaShuni on Tandem mode? Global voting will open after the World Championship is over, so make sure to cast your votes. 
We’ll be sharing more information about tickets and voting throughout the summer, so stay tuned. 
Download the All-Star wallpapers here and here"

/ALL Chat | First Time Jimmy: Definitely Not Blitzcrank 

Next up we have a new episode of ALL CHAT! 

"ALL Chat makes Jimmy play Blitzcrank for the very first time, and absolutely nothing goes wrong. Meanwhile, Summoner Showcase has magical girl Jinx, clay League figurines, and Pantheon in outer space!"

REMINDERS

And last up we have a few reminders of sales and promotions that will be ending soon!

No comments

Post a Comment