Riot Games Announces Visual Update for League of Legends
Riot Games has announced that a fresh visual update will introduce new ability icons for numerous Champions in their widely popular video game, League of Legends. This news has come to light as part of the upcoming 13.18 patch. The changes are directed at some of the oldest Champions in the game, such as Blitzcrank, Janna, and Vayne.
The Old Icons and Their Limitations
The old ability icons have been viewed as somewhat clumsy and vague in their representation of the Champions' abilities. With the planned introduction of the updated icons, many players have found them similarly indeterminate. Moreover, these changes have met with a quite divided and largely unimpressed response from the gaming community.
Public Reaction to the Changes
Public reaction included in-depth discussions on the merits and drawbacks of these changes after they were initially leaked. Players pointed out certain icons where the Champions were shown in mid-action that seemed awkward. Simultaneously, there was an appreciation for those that seemed to be a considerable enhancement over their older versions.
Notable Criticism
The most pronounced criticism of the update has come from former professional player and now LEC caster, Marc Robert ‘Caedrel’ Lamont. He passionately took to social media to express his displeasure about the icon updates.
Caedrel's post sparked a notable response wherein several players either defended the new icons or concurred with his objections. Some players merely took the chance to outright pan the changes. Supporters of the changes argued that some of the critique seemed like complaining for the sake of complaining. An example cited was Vayne's Q icon, which seemed horrifically off as it depicted the champion slipping on a banana. Others disagreed, expressing the sentiment, 'thank you Riot for paying artists, but don't try to improve things that simply cannot be improved'.
Upcoming Release and Implementation
With the patch 13.18, which is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2023, the updates to the ability icons are set to be implemented in the game. Currently, League of Legends is on patch 13.17, which included significant buffs and nerfs to multiple Champions.