Red Post Collection: Maokai in MSTU, LCU Beta Update #2, Surrender at 15 on OCE, Meddler thoughts 2/22, & more!

• Red Post Collection: Gameplay Thoughts for 2/21, Adding Simple Recalls to Older Champions, PBE BotRK + Kindred, and more!
• Skin Teaser - "Rise, my darlings."

• IEM Katowice 2017 [Feb 22nd - Feb 26th]
• Patch 7.4 Notes & Server Maintenance 
• PBE Preview: Dragonslayer Xin Zhao & Dragon Sorceress Zyra

Following a set of nerfs in the 2/22 PBE update, Meddler confirmed Edge of Night nerfs will be hotfixed to live soon:

"Edge of Night should be getting hotfixed tomorrow. That's not reflected in the patch notes because those were written and localized to other languages before we decided to do the hotfix."

Client Beta Update #2: Replacing the Legacy Client 

Here's Cactopus with a large post on the League of Legends Client Update Beta, including information on the legacy client replacement plan and what is happens after the legacy client is retired:

"We've told y'all about our goals for the client update beta and why we have to fully replace the legacy client.

Today, we're sharing specific plans for how and when we'll replace the legacy client for everyone. We'll also look back at how the beta has been going and how player feedback is affecting what we'll do AFTER replacing the client.  

TOGETHER, WE'VE COME SO FAR  

Since open beta launched we've focused on performance and stability while rebuilding legacy client features like spectator mode, rotating game mode queues, and custom game bots. We've also pushed out quality-of-life changes and new features for the client update: a separate news tab, better rune pages, pop-out chat windows, and the ability to hide all your mobile friends in a folder on the friends list—you can even change in-game settings without going into game. Oh, and both Replays and Practice Tool are now live exclusively on the updated client.  

Each of these changes has brought us closer to our ultimate goal of fully replacing the legacy client—once that happens, we can start putting serious resources toward great new features for the updated client.  

Regardless of how far we've come since open beta, we want to be very cautious as we complete the move to the updated client. While we’re confident the client update is ready for prime time, we want to make absolutely sure everything's working as intended before moving players off the legacy client for good. So, instead of just switching everyone over all at once, we're going to spread the update process across four phases, each of them a patch or two apart. It will likely be a couple patches before we begin.   

THE LEGACY CLIENT REPLACEMENT PLAN  

Phase 1 - A small group of randomly-selected players from Oceania, Russia, and the two Latin America servers will be automatically upgraded to the updated client, although they'll have the ability to launch the legacy client from the login screen. 

Phase 2 - Assuming Phase 1 goes well, all players in Oceania, Russia, and Latin America will be automatically upgraded to the updated client, without access to legacy client. Some players in China and Garena regions will also get the update. 

Phase 3 - Everyone else (all players, all regions) will be automatically upgraded to the updated client, and the legacy client will be officially retired. This will happen automatically when players launch League without requiring the download of additional files (beyond that of the regular patch for that week). HOWEVER we will temporarily keep the legacy client files on your computer in case of an emergency. Beginning with this patch, we'll replace the legacy client with the updated client on all publicly-hosted game download pages.  

Phase 4 - We'll automatically remove legacy client files from your machine to free up space.  

This gradual rollout will give us time to monitor player feedback and make adjustments in response. We'll alter these plans or delay the rollout if we find that more significant changes are necessary.   

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT?  

Even after we replace the legacy client, we'll keep making the client better. The features below will take time to make, but we're committing now to deliver them after we finish replacing the legacy client. 

• BUY SKINS IN CHAMP SELECT in all queues. 

• UPDATED CHAT MODULE that lets you start new conversations with friends while in champ select. 

• EVEN MORE IMPROVED LOW-SPEC MODE which (if you didn't already know) speeds the client up by disabling costly animations and prevents the client from running in the background while you're in game. We've been pretty clear from the beginning that any machine that could run the legacy client should be able to run the updated one, and we intend to achieve that with both additional performance tweaks that affect all players and buffs specifically for Low-Spec Mode users. 

• ITEM SET CREATOR TOOL will return. Early in the client alpha we announced that we weren't planning to rebuild the legacy client's item set creator tool (although the updated client still supports custom item sets). Players passionately asked us to reconsider, so we did. We now intend to rebuild the item set creator tool, but haven't yet started development work on it, so it could take quite some time even after we replace the legacy client. But it is finally back on our to-do list. Of course, replacing the legacy client still comes first.

Looking even further ahead, we're interested in tackling more player-requested client features—especially things like a separate tab in the collection for owned skins and a more customizable profile page. We want to do these, but (you guessed it!) we can't start work on them until we replace the legacy client. 

As always, keep an eye on the patch notes for the latest changes and improvements. We'll release another of these beta update posts just before the legacy client replacement process begins. 

Hit us up in the comments if you've got any questions!"

As for timing on this roll out, cCc Grumbles cCc noted:

"Quote:

This actually makes me pretty anxious, I thought there'd still be a few patches. The LCU still feels slow and unresponsive in a few areas.

Agreed! We're still a few patches out from beginning the phases we mentioned as we continue to improve performance and stability. We have a lot of improvements going into today's 7.4 patch. We will have another update for you before we begin the rollout."

cCc Grumbles cCc continued:

"Quote:

Um...Rito. I have a problem with this. My pc can only run the legacy client. 

If i open up the new client we have now, it all freezes up and I cant do anything. If you fully replace the legacy client then I just basically wasted all of my cash on your guys. Because I wont be able to play the game anymore! So...Before you do replace the legacy client, can you at least tell me what I have to do to fix that freezing problem.

Our goal is to ensure the new client performs at least as well as the legacy client. This patch we're adding major improvements to performance on low-spec machines. Check it out, the difference should be noticeable."

When asked about adding additional profile and collection options, Cactopus commented:

"Quote:

Will you be adding the option to look at other champion masteries that are not just your top 3 through your profile?

You can look and all your champs sorted by mastery in the collection. We'll definitely be adding some more stuff to Profiles and Collection, but the main idea is that Profiles is a small overview of your standing in the game and Collection shows everything you've unlocked (including champs)"

As for more career stats, Cactopus noted:

"Quote:

It would be greatly appreciated if the new client will have the "Champion Stats" from ranked games available in the new patch. It was a nice feature to look at how I have played champions in the past and current seasons.

we're definitely looking into adding more advanced career stats to profiles—that will likely happen after we replace the legacy client"

When asked about the potential return of public chats, Cactopus commented:

"We've got some new chat features in the works that will cover some areas that people used to use public chat for. But I don't think we'll specifically rebuild the public chat feature."

Cactopus also commented on 7.4 improvements (also mentioned in 7.4 notes!) :

"Give it another shot on patch 7.4. We buffed the hell out of Low-Spec Mode and made it so (with Low-Spec activated) the client doesn't even run in the background during games"

On low spec mode,  cCc Grumbles cCc added:

"We intend do. Client update is not where we want it to be yet in terms of performance especially in low-spec. Expect to see major improvements in this area with tomorrow's patch. For example, enabling low-spec mode now will automatically kill the client upon entering the game to save that precious CPU load."

cCc Grumbles cCc continued:

"Quote:

Will there be a way to make the client close upon entering the game without having to enable low-spec mode and losing all the cool new animations.

Currently no. The reason why we want to avoid killing the client by default is that it takes time to load it back up once the game ends, which could result in you being late to the end of game screen missing the chance to shit talk other players before they leave. 

So if you have a somewhat decent machine machine, having the client running in the background has no negative impact on your in-game experience and allows a fluid transition into end of game screen."

Riot Codebear added:

"It will re-launch after the game. Just to give you a heads up on what you see: The League of Legends icon will pop up with a loading dial (just like when you first open the client), and it will load into End of Game with all your stats and details."

Mid Season Tanks Update - Maokai 

Beluga Whale has posted on the DEV CORNER with a mid season tanks update thread for MAOKAI!

"Why hello there. It’s time to turn over a new leaf for Maokai, the next champion in our Tank Update!  

We choose Maokai for a slot in this update because we felt that there was a great opportunity to push this champion as a whole into a really good state. With fairly modern visuals and an updated lore courtesy of the Harrowing, there were only a few major flaws remaining. As per the general goals set out in Sol's post on Sejuani, lets chop down Maokai’s situation. 

• Generically Powerful - This is the primary driver in the work being done on Maokai. We feel Maokai’s kit doesn't offer enough distinct strengths compared to other tanks, leading to a situation where if Maokai viable, he is almost always the right man for the job. This is most visible in pro play, where he has remained a generic pick whenever a team needs a solid tank, agnostic to other factors such as enemy or ally team composition. Maokai after the update should feel more powerful in certain gameplay scenarios, but less so in others. Expect us to play up both the anti-caster slant from his passive and his ability to claim and control areas with his Saplings, and for his efficacy and durability to be contingent on leveraging these strengths.  

• High Power, Low Satisfaction - Currently, we believe there are major mechanics and abilities on Maokai that offer significant power with low understanding and appreciation, such as the % Damage Resist on his Ultimate. Expect work towards either coalescing this ambient power into more noticeable moments, or removable of the ability/mechanic entirely in favor of something with greater clarity.  

• Rewarding Gameplay Mastery - As one of the lowest Mastery champions as far as win rate improvement over games played, there's very little reward offered to players who take the time to learn Maokai’s current kit. We believe a compelling part of the League of Legends experience is the path towards mastering a champion, and this should be appropriately rewarded. Currently we feel most of the tanks in our game have fallen a bit short here. Expect Maokai’s kit to offer more meaningful decisions around how to optimize his abilities.  

• Damage Reliability - This is part of the Mastery Curve issue. Expect a shift in how his damage is dealt, making his optimal output less of a guaranteed thing.  

• Fleshing Out Fantasy - With the recent update to his lore during the Shadow Isle Harrowing event, Maokai has progressed from a depressed and gloomy tree into a vengeful and twisted treant. However, the glimpses of his character visible in game are not in line with this new character. We are continuing the work towards cleaning and sharpening his thematic to create a more compelling champion. Don’t worry, saplings will still be silly and adorable, but expect Maokai to express more than just sadness and remorse.

Best, 

Beluga Whale"

When asked about Maokai's classification as a Warden or Vanguard, Reav3 noted:

"Quote:

I just have to ask, do you guys still consider Maokai a Warden (protective tank)? Or will he be changed to be more like a Vanguard?

He should be primarily a Vangaurd as that matches his thematic better, but in the spectrum of Vanguards he probably leans more towards a Warden then others."

Reav3 continued:

"His thematic felt more appropriate for a aggressive tank (Vengeful Treant.) That being said, like I mentioned above, he will probably be a bit of a Vanguard/Warden hybrid leaning a bit more towards a Vanguard."

Reav3 added:

"We actually said this was a Tank update not a Vanguard update. Though we will be focusing more on Vanguards, but Wardens are still on the table as well."

When asked what positions Maokai may end up in after the changes, Reav3 noted:

"Quote:

Will Maokai be balanced for the top lane still, or will you shift his kit so he fits in the jungle more, like before his previous update?

We are currently testing him in both Top & Jungle so he will likely be viable in both. As to which role ends up his strongest role it's hard to say until he gets released into the wild and tons of people start playing him"

When asked if Maokai will have many visual changes with the update, Reav3 commented:

"Quote:

How big will be the Visual changes?
Shen level changes or higher?

There will be no visual changes outside of VFX, he got a VU not that long ago"

Maokai joins Sejuani as one of the three big tank update reworks. Look for more info soon! The tank update should be around mid season and Meddler estimated that would be around 7.9 or 7.10!

Quick Gameplay Thoughts: Feb 22

Prior to the 2/22 PBE update deploying, Meddler bounced on the boards for another quick gameplay thoughts post, this time focused on tentative 7.5 PBE cycle changes in testing:

"Hey folks, 

More stuff on our minds below. 

PBE Context Dump 

We've got a bunch of things hitting the PBE today. Quick context on some of them:

• Ashe - too strong in organized play in particular. We're testing a nerf to her E, given that's much more powerful in organized play than regular. 

• Doran's Shield - Experimental changes testing a version with a Spectre's Cowl like passive designed to give sustain when being harassed that doesn't have to be balanced around bot lane (isn't significantly more effect against two harassers than one). 

• Exhaust - Too strong. Currently testing a CD nerf, might try something else at some point. 

• Rengar, Jayce, Le Blanc - Unsure if changes will be on PBE today or not at time of writing, previous set of nerfs weren't sufficient on them though, so likely hitting them again in 7.5. 

• Kindred - Testing improvements to which camps marks spawn on (reduce random chance of getting screwed). Longer term (which patch uncertain) we want to look at making crit more appealing for them, open up crit itemization as a pathway in part to support a later game power curve. 

• Talon - Nerfs to passive damage levels 1-11 and Q. Looking to reduce his power against other melee lanes especially where those effects are disproportionately powerful (much easier to access) 

• Aatrox - has changes on the PBE today, note though numbers haven't gone through final tuning yet 

Early Unanimous Surrender 

Should be getting some testing this patch cycle in a lucky region! Details to follow shortly (later today I think?) TLDR for anyone unfamiliar with previous discussions: Testing a surrender at 15 minutes option if the entire team agrees, only on a single server initially to assess its impacts on surrender rates, player behavior, player satisfaction/frustration etc."

Following the post, Meddler hung around for more discussion:

Meddler commented more on Exhaust, noting they have a few various changes in testing:

"Quote:

Why does exhaust reduce armor and MR when that seems like a purely offensive effect that steps on the toes of ignite?

Intent with the shred on Exhaust was to open up its range of use cases more (reward offensive plays where someone isn't trying to fight back much). We are going to be testing versions that remove that, potentially in conjunction with CD and/or other nerfs. Also possible the version that hits PBE today actually has nerfs to %DR reduction, CD and shred removal, though we definitely wouldn't be shipping all three (testing an extreme)."

As for thoughts on Quinn, Meddler commented:

"Quote:

Thoughts on Quinn?

Probably too strong, and was before the Lethality buffs too, just less so and less played. We'll be testing some nerfs to her this patch cycle, though will assess impact of 7.4 nerfs to items before locking those changes in."

Meddler also noted no firm timing for the Rek'sai mini update he's talked about in the past:

"Quote:

Rek'Sai mini-rework in 7.6/7.7 then?

Not sure on release timing. Gameplay's looking right, we now need to sort out art resources for it though."

 He commenting on Prey Seeker changes:

"Sort of. Current changes in testing don't change Prey Seeker itself substantially but do offer a bit more combo with another part of her kit that makes it feel situationally quite a bit better. We don't have the budget to pump substantial power into Prey Seeker, we would like to make it feel more satisfying at least in some circumstances though."

As for any potential crit item changes, Meddler noted:

"Quote:

Weren't you planning Crit items changes ?
Maybe for 7.6/7.7 ?

If we do Crit item changes they'll be in mid-season (7.9 or 7.10)."

Meddler continued, commenting on Lethality:

"On Lethality we're hitting some of the items with it in 7.4, rather than the stat itself (some sources of it seem appropriate, some don't)."

When asked if there are any changes planed for Gragas in the mid year tank update, Meddler noted:

"Quote:

are you guys planning any changes for Gragas in the Tank Update other than some base stats adjusments? If so is there any possibility to let Gragas keep his alternative and fun play routes like Mage or Bruiser? There are people who play him only this ways and it would feel awful for them to literally lose champion that they were playing for so long.

No Gragas changes planned."

On the Doran's Shield changes seen in 2/22 PBE, Riot Axes explained:

"Quote:

The new Doran's Shield is really strong. Are you doing one of those "extreme numbers" test-runs?

We're currently looking purely at whether this pattern is best in the correct contexts - changes are experimental. I agree that this is almost certainly numerically overpowered. 

The +5 physical damage works on everything right now but will be just basic attacks (maybe single target spells?) tomorrow. Good chance I pull that line entirely in the near future."

When asked about additional support changes that were mentioned earlier in the year, Meddler noted:

"Quote:

Excellent to hear. Has there been any more explorations for supports specifically then? Or is more work likely to be a mid season thing? A little XP bump is hardly going to make supp more popular :)

Hopefully at least some stuff mid-season. We're not expecting things like XP adjustments to 'solve' supports. There are a lot of different issues, some small some large, that contribute to why many people aren't as interested in playing support though. XP's one, more to follow."

As for defensive item and base stat adjustments mentioned recently, he added:

"Quote:

Will Juggernauts be getting base stat changes today on the PBE? If so, how large will these buffs be, and how large will the nerfs to defensive items be?

If we do defensive item changes and base stat adjustments they'll be in mid-season, not before."

When asked about some of the nerfs above in relation to 7.4 changes, Meddler commented:

"We'll be doing a pass on nerfs to Jayce, Talon, Rengar, Quinn, Varus once we've seen what impact the 7.4 changes (and Edge of Night hotfix) have on them. Our prediction is they'll still be too strong, hence we're testing nerfs, but it's possible we pull back on something if 7.4 hits them harder than expected." 

Unanimous Surrender at 15 testing in OCE 

Riot NAKyle posted on the boards regarding the current unanimous early surrender (surrender at 15!) option in testing on the OCE server!

"It feels bad to be stuck in a dumpster fire of a game for 20 minutes, so we’re trying out a fix for that. We’re testing a unanimous 15-minute surrender option on the OCE server in all non-RGM, Summoner’s Rift queues. 

There are no other changes to the surrender system, and it’s worth noting this is a surrender, not a /remake. Pending a couple patches worth of evaluation down under, we’ll roll the feature out to all regions. Let's taco 'bout it if you've got questions."

The OCE release post can be found here  or in OCE's 7.4 patch notes, which mention the test will go for the next two patches. There is also more information available in the OCE Q&A.

7.5 cycle - Aatrox changes coming to the PBE 

As you may be seen in the recent PBE update, a large set of Aatrox changes has hit the PBE and ricklessabandon has shared a tentative changelist and context:

"Hi friends, 

The time is nigh — Aatrox changes will be hitting the PBE soon! I wanted to start up a thread to go over some of the things you can expect as well as create a space to collect feedback and answer questions as time allows. 

So, you're probably wondering what kind of changes you can expect (if you somehow didn't already skip to the changelist below). First off, this isn't what we'd call an "Aatrox update" — the changes are intended to give Aatrox some attention he's been in want of for a while to get him into a better spot (for people playing as, with, against and any spectators) but we aren't replacing parts of the kit to get there. This means that while we're hoping to make improvements to his current state, we'll also be keeping him on the list of champions we feel are good candidates for updates (i.e., these changes aren't meant to be a replacement for an Aatrox update). The changes we are doing are hoping to accomplish a couple tactical goals: give Aatrox a clear "window of power" in which he'll be a powerful, bloodthirsty force to content with, and to give him a more stable baseline (fewer and less extreme "famine" states). Delivering well on those should put him in a much more sustainable spot on our end, which would mean no more painful droughts of attention (which is the primary overall goal here). 

Moving on to the exciting part, the actual changelist for the first PBE iteration!
All numbers/notes below should be differences from the live servers.  

• General 

• Base Blood Well capacity :: 105 → 100
• Blood Well capacity per level :: 45 → 0 

• Blood Well (P) [ reworked ] 

• Aatrox fills the Blood Well through his abilities. When Aatrox fills the Blood Well to 100%, it becomes 'locked' and beings to drain over 4 seconds giving him Blood Rush for the duration 

• While under the effects of Blood Rush, dealing or taking damage versus champions will fully refresh Blood Rush's duration (and fully refill the Blood Well) 

• [ Blood Rush ] Aatrox gains 25% base attack damage and 20 / ~ / 50% attack speed. Upon taking fatal damage, Aatrox will revive and recover 30% of his max health. Aatrox cannot revive more than once every 180 / ~ / 120 seconds 

• Dark Flight (Q) 

• Cost :: 10% current health → No cost 

• Damage :: 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+60% bonus AD) → 10 / 35 / 60 / 95 / 120 (+110% total AD) 

• [ new ] Now fills 20% of the Blood Well upon cast 

• Blood Thirst (W) - heal effect 

• Heal :: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 (+25% bonus AD) → 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+5% missing health) 

• [ removed ] No longer triples the healing while below 50% health 

• Blood Price (W) - damage effect 

• Cost :: 15 / 23.75 / 32.5 / 41.25 / 50 (+25% bonus AD) → No cost 

• Damage :: 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+100% bonus AD) → 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 (+75% bonus AD) 

• [ new ] Now fills 20% of the Blood Well when hit effect occurs 

• Blades of Torment (E) 

• Cost :: 5% current health → 30 health 

• Damage :: 75 / 110 / 145 / 180 / 215 (+60% AP) (+60% bonus AD) → 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+70% bonus AD) 

• Damage Type :: Magic → Physical 

• Slow Potency :: 40% at all ranks → 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50% 

• Slow Duration :: 1.75 / 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 → 2 seconds at all ranks 

• [ new ] Now fills 20% of the Blood Well upon cast"

More information available in our 2/22 PBE coverage!

Quick Hits - NA LCS Finals tickets 3/3

1) LoL Esports tweeted out that "Tickets for NA LCS Spring Finals in Vancouver go on sale March 3rd with more information on 24th!"

"Hextech as in the theme or Hextech Crafting skins? If the latter, yes definitely! We're just careful about which champion gets them since it is somewhat gated content. (Champs with a lot of skins of various tiers in their catalog = good candidates!)"

3) When asked about plans for Hextech Galio in Galio's future champion update, Reav3 noted:

"The current plan is to keep the price the same but add re-colored VFX similar to what we did with some of the Warwick skins. 

The Visual theme will be updated to match the modern Hextech visual theme as well."

4) Backchat Podcast Trailer: Episode 1 feat. Mithy & Perkz

"Listen to Episode 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/lolesports/bac... 

Welcome to the Backchat Podcast, where we sit down with pro players to talk League, life, and everything in between, straight from their gaming houses! This first episode features Mithy and Perkz from G2 Esports - make sure to stick around to the end for a special performance."

Reminders

To round out this red post collection, here are reminders on current promotions or limited time events!

•  As mentioned in the 7.4 patch notes, All Random Ultra Rapid Fire (ARURF) is set to return to live in the RGMQ from 2/24/17 - 2/28/17 and from 3/3/17 - 3/6/17.