With the long-awaited Season 11 update almost at our
doorstep, one question at the back of many players’ minds is if Riot Games can
be able to balance the game before Season 11 is launched. This ongoing dilemma about the differing
levels of strength and weakness among items and 150 champions and strategies in
the League of Legends has long been at the topic of keen debate and discussion
within the community of players.
To understand better whether Riot Games can balance
the game before Season 11, let’s have a look at some of the preseason balance
changes made to League of Legends' latest Patch, Patch 10.25.
League of Legends Balances
Changes to Patch 10.25
Balance changes have been achieved by nerfing or
buffing. Nerfing means making selected champions, items, or skills weaker. The
buffs are the opposite, i.e., when the developers increase the power of various
features for selected champions, items, or skills.
·
Nerfed Items
Numerous changes to
the system have been made through item balance changes. Nerfs and balance
changes have been implemented for tank Mythic items Sunflower Aegis, Frostfire
Gauntlet, and Turbo Chemtank, Eclipse while the damage is maintained in season
11.
·
Buffed Items
Quite a few buffs
h have been especially to for Legendary (e.g., Phantom Dancer), Epic (e.g.,
Bandleglass Mirror), and Mythic (Imperial Mandate) items.
·
Champion Balance Changes
Champions have
received minor to major changes (buffs or nerfs), causing them to move up or
down their previous tier or remaining in the same tier. These changes have been
for Champions in the Top Lane, Jungle, Mid Lane, Bot Lane, and Support.
Some of the
Champions that have been nerfed include Kayle and Morgana, while several
champions received buffing or received compensation for previous balance
changes.
There are so many factors that go into achieving a
balanced game. Therefore, we can say there is no simple yes or no answer to
whether Riot will balance the game out before Season 11. Balancing the game is a dynamic process given
so many items, and champions received minor to major adjustments and
compensations. Players have to play the game and test out how these changes all
affect the overall game. Riot considers all this feedback when readjusting the
power balances.
One plus this year is that Riot's major changes in the
build-up to the new season 11 unveiling have been done in advance, allowing for
more testing and further tweaking of balance changes.
We can safely conclude that achieving balance in the
League of Legends is not an event but a collaborative process between Riot
Games and the players as they test out the new adjustments. It involves testing
out balance changes, reviewing them, and readjusting the previous balance
changes.
