Red Post Collection: Quick Gameplay Thoughts: January 9th, Watch Rewards Return, and more!

Posted on at 2:59 PM by Aznbeat
Today's red post collection includes Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for January 9th, Watch Rewards coming back for the 2019 season, this week's Ask Riot, and more!
Continue reading for more information!


Table of Contents


Quick Gameplay Thoughts: January 9

Here's Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for January 9th, including details on buffs and nerfs in 9.2 and more:
"Hi folks, 
Usual Disclaimers 
These posts will often contain talk about future work we're doing, or planning to do, that isn't yet guaranteed to ship. The nature of the work could change or, depending on what we discover, projects mentioned may get delayed or even stopped. If you'd like to see a Tweet whenever a new one of these posts goes up: https://twitter.com/RiotMeddler 
Happy 2019! 
Hope the year's treating you all well so far. To kick things off as these posts resume I wanted to get some feedback on the posts themselves, in particular:
  • What types of topic would you like to see more of in these posts?
  • How often do you want to see one of these posts come out? Twice a week's been the regular schedule for quite a while now, would once a week and a bit longer be more appealing for example, or is shorter but more frequent better?
  • Who else should we be learning from? Would particularly love to hear your thoughts on communication from other game developers and what approaches and techniques we should be adopting. 
Changes in 9.2 and beyond 
As you might have seen Maple Nectar talking about on Twitter we've just picked our likely targets for 9.2 as below. As usual not guaranteed we'll necessarily ship changes for all of these cases and we're still in the process of testing what exactly we'll do. 
Buffs:
  • Sunfire Cape
  • Aurelion Sol
  • Dr Mundo
  • Jarvan
  • Neeko
  • Renekton
  • Shen
  • Shyvana
  • Volibear
  • Yorick 
Nerfs:
  • Oblivion Orb
  • Relic Shield line
  • Aatrox
  • Brand
  • Camille
  • Cassiopeia
  • Galio
  • Irelia
  • Jax
  • Kassadin
  • Rakan
  • Urgot
  • Zyra 
We're also looking at some more Akali work, though that's looking at counterplay, pro versus regular play power etc rather than a straight buff or nerf. Part of that includes assessing the recent shroud changes to see how much they have or haven't moved the needle and whether further shroud changes are a good tactic. 
In terms of longer term work (likely changes over more than one patch, which might or might not include 9.2) we're also looking at some wider issues. The key ones there are how damage is distributed across the game (including which sources contribute how much damage), ADC itemization (crit primarily, possibly a bit that affects other build paths too) and reducing jungle influence a bit (lower camp reward scaling, less damage from the Smite upgrades). 
Allowing a few champs to go beyond level 18 
Wanted to get a gut check from you folks on a concept we've kicked around occasionally internally. How does the idea of allowing a few specific champions to exceed the level cap slightly (level 19, maybe 20?) sound? If for example Zilean's passive, in addition to allowing him to give XP to allies, also allowed him to break the level cap a bit just for himself is that something that feels natural? If so, is it something that would feel out of place if a few other champions could do the same? Not something we're immediately planning to do, but could be an option for champs who could do with a bit of super late game power and a bit of extra relevance to their passives. Was curious as to whether it was something that generally sounded appealing versus boring, fair versus unfair etc to you all." 

When asked about the Yorick changes in testing on the PBE, Meddler commented:
"Nothing in testing yet for Voli. 
For Yorick we're also trying a pretty experimental alternative to the ult changes where the CD instead isn't lowered but there's no limit on how long Yorick can keep the Maiden around him (permanent maiden unless killed effectively). There are plenty of issues that might create, so just an experimental thing for now, but looking into it."

As for the changed to the Relic Shield line testing on the PBE, Meddler noted:
"Biggest issue is the amount of pushing power/wave control it offers, early game in particular. Possible solutions here might include things that reduce power for pro and other organized play without much impact elsewhere."

On Crit item changes, Meddler replied:
"Won't be in 9.2, seeing if we can get them done for 9.3 but can't guarantee that yet (still a lot of work on them underway)."

Watch Rewards Return for the 2019 Season 

Watch rewards are coming back in a big way this year! Here's the details from LoLEsports:
Today we are excited to announce that Watch Rewards will be introduced for multiple leagues around the world at the start of Spring Split 2019. 
Watch Rewards were initially launched for the 2018 World Championship and since then we’ve been working hard to expand the program for regular season matches. 
With Watch Rewards you’ll be able to earn Icons, Emotes, XP and Blue Essence during the 2019 regular season by viewing live games or VoDs on watch.lolesports.com. For Spring Split 2019, fans from the following regions will be able to complete missions by viewing matches from any global league supported by watch.lolesports.com: 
How does it work? 
Spring Split 2019 Watch Missions will appear starting January 11th and run through April 23rd. 
Access to Watch Missions will be rolled out in waves on a region by region basis: 
  • Brazil on Jan 11th
  • Turkey on January 13th
  • Latin America, Europe, North America, Oceania, and Japan on January 17th 
To start, players will need to log in at watch.lolesports.com/rewards and view games on the site using embedded streams from Twitch and Youtube. 
After logging in, you’ll be able to see your available missions and earn progress toward them for each game you watch. There are several missions that reward you for watching official League matches; in order to receive credit you’ll need to watch 10 or more minutes of a live game or VoD on watch.lolesports.com. You can keep track of your progress and upcoming missions in real time on our mobile friendly Rewards Hub. At this time we will not be able to grant rewards for watching rebroadcasts. Fans watching from regions covered by GDPR will need to opt-in to earning rewards after logging in so we can keep track of who is watching. 
What's coming next? 
This year you’ll continue to see tremendous focus on growing the watch.lolesports.com experience with new features made specifically for League of Legends esports. At the end of 2018 we launched Global Schedules, Global VODs, Global Live Stats and Watch Rewards. As always, we’re looking for ways to level up, so please don’t hesitate to leave your feedback and ideas on Reddit, social media and the official forums."

Ask Riot: Does Sion Stink? 

Here's this week's Ask Riot - "And other lore questions: What’s a bald poro look like? Does Darius even like Draven? What is Pix?"
"Happy holidays everyone! We’re kicking off the New Year with a slightly different edition of Ask Riot. Today, it’s all about those lore questions.
We’re also going to be taking a break from Ask Riot in two weeks because we have some other stuff planned. See ya in February! 
Does Sion stink? Like, the smell of death and decay? What about Yorick, or Kalista?

Awesome question, and you chose the right narrative person to ask—I don’t remember if I put on deodorant today. 
Anyway, while it’s easy to assume that Sion reeks of rotting flesh, the fact of the matter is, he died a long time ago. When a rat died scampering in the walls when I was growing up, I couldn’t go inside without retching for about a week… but then the smell started to fade. Something that has been dead for decades is beyond rot, beyond putrefaction. It has become as eternal as war. Sion is more likely to boast the odor of cold iron and flames, indistinguishable from the battle around him. 
As for Yorick, he’s not really dead, thanks to the Waters of Life hanging in a vial around his neck. I don’t think he showers, though. 
And you can’t smell Kalista because she’s not really there. Maybe you’d just catch the ghostly touch of her presence upon the world, like a faint whiff of ozone. 
So, that’s what you can look forward to if you meet any of these champions in person. Just smile, be polite, and try to remember: With strange aeons, even stench may die… 
Narrative Writer 
Is the world called Runeterra because of all the runes there used to be? (Thanks Ryze!) Are our current runes tied to the runes found in Runeterra in any way?

Used to be…? 
The world is indeed called Runeterra (literally, “rune-world”) because of the World Runes—these immensely powerful artifacts are the actual tools of creation, which unknown celestial beings were using to fashion a whole new plane of existence. For some reason, this work halted, incomplete, and the runes were left scattered and hidden within the world they were creating. 
The Runes in the League of Legends MOBA are not World Runes, but an expression of runic magic. They are a characterful way to customize your gameplay style, and one that also leaves plenty of room for other possible Runes to be introduced in future. 
Lead Narrative Editor

Where did Pix come from?

Bandle City is but one of many places within the spirit realm, which glitter in colors unseen by those who do not pass through the barriers that separate it from the mortal realm. Lulu has asked her companion, Pix, many times about his origins. Instead of answering, he usually dives headfirst into the center of the nearest lilyflower. Lulu has taken this to mean that he was born as a seed-pod, and later sprouted into the fae spirit he is now. 
Associate Writer, Worldbuilding

Are there weddings in Runeterra? What are the features of the various factions? Any interesting traditions?

Just like in the real world, the many peoples of Runeterra get married (or don’t) for a variety of reasons—and not always for love! 
The Freljord is a strongly matriarchal society. Tribal leaders, such as Ashe or Sejuani, are known as warmothers, and will often seek to reinforce their political power by marriage to allies or rivals among the other tribes. This can be complicated in and of itself, when favoring one is seen as snubbing another, and so it is not uncommon for a warmother to take several “bloodsworn” partners into her household. She will count them among her most fierce protectors, and closest confidants. 
In many of the provinces of Ionia, it is accepted that partners may live together and raise children without ever considering a formal marriage. However, when such rituals are followed, they are laden with deep symbolic significance, invoking the blessing of many spirits and the ancestors of both families. It is in this manner that balance is maintained, with each partner standing as equals in the sight of their community, now and forevermore. 
Before Swain seized control of Noxus, the old noble houses placed far more emphasis on maintaining their lineage than in organizing fancy weddings. Heirs were expected to honor their parents and prove the strength of their bloodline, and arranged unions between houses could settle feuds that had raged for generations. Now, with the nobles’ power much reduced by the Trifarix, these traditions are beginning to change. 
There are countless more examples from across the world, but I am a cold and bitter creature who generally dislikes discussing such things for long. Maybe if I met the right Voidborn abomination, they might be able to melt my icy heart… 
Lead Narrative Editor

Does Darius like his brother Draven, or does he think he’s an idiot?

Darius has been looking out for Draven since they were kids, and though he loves his younger brother, he’s well aware of his faults. But where Darius might once have sought to turn “the Glorious Executioner” around and try to restrain his excessively… Dravenesquequalities, now he manipulates situations to the point where those unique skills and qualities become assets, rather than liabilities. 
Senior Writer

In an August Ask Riot, you mentioned Freljordians would love to herd poros. Herding them would hint that they have an economic use. What would that be? Do they shear them for their wool? What would a bald poro look like?!

In the harsh lands of the Freljord, where folks often have to fight every day for survival, the dream of herding poros is precisely because there is no economic use! Rather, you would get to live out your days in a leisurely manner, surrounded by love, warmth, and cuddles. And in a land of snow and ice, of battling tribes, and ancient threats looming just beneath the frost, who wouldn’t dream of that? 
As for a bald poro… I think we’d all prefer not to think too long on that one. 
Narrative Writer


Thanks for reading this week’s Ask Riot. Have a question?

Head over to Ask Riot and sign into your League account. Check out the Pro Tips, then ask away. 
We promise to read every question, but we can’t guarantee they’ll all get answers. Some questions may already be answered elsewhere, and some won’t be right for Ask Riot. This isn’t the best place to announce new features, for example, and we might skip conversations on issues we’ve talked about in depth before (though we can clarify individual points). 
We are listening, though, so keep asking. We’ll make sure your questions are heard by the Rioters working on the stuff you’re curious about."

Miscellaneous

"Our team wanted to be a bit more transparent around server issues, as well as other information that the NA playerbase may want to hear about. This is 100% a work in progress, so feedback around what’s here, or what you might want to see, is highly appreciated! 
Your weekly dose of server problem-os, NA League news, and other! 
Patch 9.1 finally rolled out, making the next few days of ranked fun to figure out what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just weird, Sylas might just be the largest champion possible and Twitch Rivals schedule has been revealed. 
Follow-Ups:
  • None currently
Server Stuff:
  • Blackhawk prepaid cards not redeemable (1/5, ~4 hours). Blackhawk datacenter decided to become a raven for a few hours, quoting large amounts of poetry at a datacenter instead of processing requests. After a few hours, the raven said nevermore to that issue, and the datacenter processed incoming and outgoing data properly again.
  • RP & BE fail to load inside of the store (1/7, ~25 minutes). Mischievous poros loaded a new config for the store, but forgot all the credentials necessary. Memory biscuits were added to their diet, and the credentials were properly added shortly after the mistake was noticed.
Game Stuff:
  • Wrong season borders showing in profile (1/8, ongoing). Well, last season ended and we pushed out the banners for last season, but it’s not the correct banner and can even show the wrong divisionas well. We’re looking at the proper fix, don’t quite have it yet.
Player Support Trend:
  • With the new patch finally rolled out, there’s been a slight increase in patching issues. If you’re having issues finishing or installing patches, please take a look at the KB here and try some steps before contacting Player Support!
Morgageddon & Couch Commando"
"The Karma Initiative—the internal name for our social impact team—tends to fly under the radar. After all, we as a company are primarily focused on creating amazing games and exciting experiences for players. But every so often, I like to reflect on what we’ve done, why we did it, and the results we’ve seen. As we strive to create a world where gaming is seen as a meaningful life pursuit, we have a responsibility to leave a positive impact to those within it."
  • Want more Esports? Check out these articles and video content from LolEsports:
"Today we are happy to announce a new multi-year partnership with Dell Alienware. This partnership will see Alienware become the Official Competition PC and display partner for the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in North America, the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and four major international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational, North America vs Europe Rift Rivals, the All-Star Event, and the pinnacle of esports competitions, the League of Legends World Championship."

Reminders

To round out this red post collection, here are a few reminders on current promotions or limited time events!
  • The Blood Moon is rising! Check out the new skins, chroma, and more in our Blood Moon coverage!
  • ARURF+ is now testing on the PBE! Here's Riot Wrekz with all the details on the changes! Get to testing!

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