Only one new map, interesting. Does this mean there will be duplicates of some maps? As I understand there would be up to 8 2v2s happening at once now and I think there are only 5 (?) arenas. Or are there more new arenas that they just didn't reveal?
Overall super cool changes, can't wait to try out this new arena, especially the new item system!
Each arena holds 4 people (2 teams of 2), so one of the five will be unused each time
Hey Meddler do you guys have any concerns about the extended Arena run competing for engagement with the PvE mode, given it'll be out for an entire split, or are you guys taking that into account when evaluating both modes
We’ll keep an eye on it certainly, if Arena is to become permanent though it’ll need to show engagement either maintains through event modes or that its player base comes back after an event mode ends
Do you know if Riot plans to do multiple balance changes during this run of arena? Because I feel like that would definitely keep engagement up, if some of the top tiers/annoyances got nerfed.
Yes, we are planning to do balance patches. We are also looking into to doing a small content drop at some point (with probably a few new augments/prismatic items)
prismatics sound like mythic items 2.0 lol.
interesting changes, but would like more info
The major difference is that you can't select whatever prismatic you want. They are powerful, but the round you get a prismatic, it is similar to getting a augment, in that you get to pick 1orf 3 randomly shown to you (you can reroll like augments though) Same thing happens if you buy a prismatic anvil. Thier is no way to directly purchase a prismatic item.
I wish they would stop wasting time on stuff like this and make something fun.
Genuine question - what is it you’re looking for as fun? I can make some guesses but figure it’s better to ask
I've never been this exited
Same
Exciting! So will we perhaps get a 6th map over the course of this run, or is this planning for the 4th iteration?
And are you able to share how the team feels about the continued existence of cameos?
We like some of the things they are doing (forcing you to move around the map, forcing you to approach fights differently) but we don't think they are the best execution of those goals. We do want to eventually replace them with a better objective system, and you can see with the new map that we are already, in some ways, doing that. For this iteration of Arena we felt that the predictability of the item system and the number of players were higher value to address, in order to add more game to game variance/depth.
(not original commenter)
I'm someone who never found arena very fun, mainly due to the teams being 2 players.
I really want summoner's rift, with bans, with the same acceleration as OFA and spellbook. Faster levelling, movement, etc. I just want quick fun league like aram but pick your champ with bans.
Noted. I'm curious if you've tried Wild Rift? I know it's a different platform, different content etc. Just interested as a reference point given the quicker games as a baseline and various changes made to support that
Hey, appreciate you engaging, although in their defense the people may be right and there may be limited utility in doing so in my case. I feel like frequently the things that I enjoy just aren't the things that League is targeting anymore. It could also be that I've just been playing too long, but here we go...
It feels like League is creating more ways to engage with a smaller number of people (I get in Arena you and a friend can hop on and you only need two, not five, so you can get your squad together easier) but I feel like that reduces some of the volatility that is required to keep the game balanced on a macro level and reduce the amount of a solved problem that it is. When you reduce the number of champs, it reduces the volatility, and you need to introduce it somewhere else otherwise it just becomes blackjack and you're playing the .5% favorability between the few meta comps.
However, increasing volatility through more different choices by other players feels like depth, but when you increase it by RNG it just feels like it takes agency away from me as a player. I'd mostly switched from League to TFT and they also have this similar problem with augments, which they use as a sop to not have to actually dive as deep into balance as they would otherwise. An element of uncontrollable external RNG definitely does throw a wrench in the works but it always feels crappy and bad to me as a player.
Yes, maybe this person got S tier augment that was perfect for their comp and I got this C tier one that doesn't do much, but I should outskill it! That works fine when a mode first releases, but this is the internet, everyone is using companion tools to tell them the meta, everyone is on mobalytics, the mathematically correct solution will be devised, and then it isn't actually increasing volatility at all, for the majority of the players, it just becomes a game of who can pick out the best augments of what they are given (or more realistically, who highrolls the most) instead of about making meaningful choices.
I feel like League modes which rely on fewer players always suffer for this reason. Dominion didn't get stagnant just because of the map, the reduced body count just makes some people harder to deal with.
All of which is a long winded way of getting around to I'd prefer a game mode with more people working in tandem and a larger requirement for them to communicate and work together across distances with limited information, but it feels like the design of League has instead moved to less communication and smaller team sizes and a focus on the in the moment twitch gaming, tracing the highs of an FPS. Problem is I can't headshot someone in league, I can't demonstrate that twitch skill in the same way, and so it isn't ever going to hit that exact same note, and chasing it pushes the game in a way I find less enjoyable.
Thanks for asking!
Detailed thoughts much appreciated!
Can definitely see how if you're looking for a larger team experience we haven't delivered so much novel there outside of updates to the core SR experience. How much of the draw for you of larger teams is that reduction in volatility versus other aspects of more team play focused modes? Team coordination, more specialization of roles etc etc
if it was on console I might try it
I can't play games with a touch screen on a phone or tablet, it's just a horrible experience imo
Totally understand, figured it was worth checking though as a potential reference point :)
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