- Red Post Collection: Nunu Update Art, Quick Gameplay Thoughts: August 10, Ask Riot: Victorious Skins & More
- Nunu Champion Update - Splash, Bio & Gameplay Trailer
- Skin Teaser - Lucian, Thresh, and Urgot
Table of Contents
- Quick Gameplay Thoughts: August 15
- Play the Nexus Blitz Alpha
- 9 Fun Facts from Nunu's Development
- Quick Hits
- Reminders
Quick Gameplay Thoughts: August 15
Here's Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for August 15th, including details on his change in roles at Riot, Nexus Blitz, 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
My role at Riot and these posts
As you might have heard a few weeks back Ghostcrawler has moved to a new role at Riot (Head of Creative Development for Riot) and I've taken on his previous role as Design Director on LoL. My day to day work has changed noticeably, my intention is certainly to keep doing these posts however. They'll probably change at least a bit though. The first thing is that there'll be at least the occasional post from others instead of my regular ones, RiotScruffy who's taking over as Gameplay Lead especially. The second is that I'm going to try and find chances to talk at least a bit about things we're working on, or thinking about, that aren't just in game gameplay. Might be some other changes as well, will see how things go and keep you folks in the loop about it.
Judging Success in Nexus Blitz
As you've probably seen by now we're trying something new starting this patch, with a playable Alpha for a new experimental mode. It's a prototype, rather than a polished release, so some things will look pretty rough or repurposed (e.g. Mecha Sion ult graphics reused as an explosive cart you push into enemy towers).
https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/news/game-updates/features/play-nexus-blitz-alpha?ref=rss
We're putting it out like this as an early test to help figure out if there's an audience for a mode like this before we sink lots of time into making it. Assuming there is an audience, we also want to gather a lot of feedback around which bits particularly resonate, and which players aren't excited by. Initially at least we're planning a 4 week run, during which we'll assess whether to keep working on Nexus Blitz or look at other possible experimental modes instead. To do that we'll be considering things like:
- How many people try Nexus Blitz
- What proportion of people who try it stick to it
- Survey feedback from people who've played it
- Whether it scratches a different itch to other LoL modes (do people feel it's providing a slight variant on existing experiences like SR/ARAM, or something meaningfully different enough to be worth spending ongoing development time on?)
- How much better we think it could become (based heavily on feedback from people who play it during the trial, including to some updates we'll make to it over the course of the trial)
- Etc
We've had a lot of fun developing and testing Nexus Blitz. At the end of the day though what matters is how you folks find it. Really interested to find out over the next few weeks.
Working on some Co-Op versus AI fixes
Not sure when it'll be done yet, we're looking into some issues with Co-Op versus AI bots not functioning properly though. Biggest issue involved is bot AI logic breaking, normally after an update to the base champion's gameplay, resulting in the bot just freezing and staying on the summoning platform."
When asked about being able to choose stats in the Rune tree in future seasons, Meddler replied:
"Early days yet, so nothing's confirmed. What we're currently testing is the current rune tree stats (AD/AP, AS, HP) plus a couple of extra defensive options (Armor, MR)."
On Karma and Lissandra, Meddler noted:
"Both are still a way out. Visual effects work on Liss has started, but is a rough draft. Once that's done we'll then need to get some audio done too to go with it.
Karma's still at the testing different possibilities stage, so will be further out again. Expect we'll share details about Karma plans before they're live once we've got a direction we think's promising."
On the Electrocute changes and Zoe, Meddler replied:
"We'll see where champs land before considering possible compensation buffs. Those who were struggling beforehand and being propped up by Runes burst might be good candidates. I think it's unlikely Zoe's hit harder than most though so would be surprised if she fell into that category.
Work aimed at making her a less frustrating opponent's still being looked at, no specifics or timeline yet though."
Play the Nexus Blitz Alpha
"Starting sometime in patch 8.16, we'll be live playtesting a new experimental mode: Nexus Blitz. The test will run for four weeks and everyone can participate—no invitation needed. If the community loves Nexus Blitz, we'll keep developing it after the alpha ends, but we need your input to make that call!
Welcome to the (double) jungle
Nexus Blitz is a fast-paced (~15 minutes) experimental mode designed for those of you seeking fresh ways to play League and low-pressure fun. It emphasizes exciting and surprising moments over intense competition, while still rewarding the skills you've learned from other League modes, like Summoner’s Rift.
In this 5v5 mode, each team consists of a duo jungle who share gold/XP along with three laners who flex across two halves of a split lane. The compact map makes for constant action, and a roulette of map-wide, mayhem-inducing events—like King of the Hill, snowball fights, or Bardle Royale— amplify the frenzy even more.
Winning an event unlocks one of several powerful team-wide rewards, like a base cannon that shoots you halfway across the map or a one-time Guardian Angel.
Additionally, racking up killstreaks lights you on fire, giving you tons of damage and shorter cooldowns but making you more vulnerable to damage in return. Champs on fire are worth a TON of gold to their enemies if ever they're shut down.
Nexus Blitz also brings back some classic items from League's past. Jump to the primer below for a list of those, or keep reading for some more info on what to expect from the alpha (and experimental modes in the future).
What exactly does alpha mean?
It means Nexus Blitz isn't a polished, complete game mode. As a work-in-progress, you can expect reused models, textures, and music from elsewhere in League. At this stage, even the gameplay is up for iteration and development!
Don’t take that to mean we won't be paying close attention to the state of the game. In fact, it's the opposite. Lots of champions and runes have had their numbers tuned to fit Nexus Blitz's pace of action—in particular, stacking mechanics on abilities like Nasus's Siphoning Strike and activation timers on runes like Magical Footwear have been sped up.
We'll be aggressively patching Nexus Blitz across the four-week test to keep up with you and the global community of players who will define the first ever meta. These mid-patch updates could run the gamut from balance adjustments all the way up to new events and rewards, so make sure to check our weekly dev corner threads on the Boards every now and then.
Which also means your feedback is crucial. We need you to play and tell us what you think about pretty much everything, from the core game loop to ideas for additional mechanics to map visuals and theming. If you see potential in Nexus Blitz, this is your opportunity to help shape its development!
Beyond Nexus Blitz: Experimental Modes
Nexus Blitz is the first of its kind, but it won’t be the last. An experimental mode is basically a gameplay prototype designed to deliver a different kind of experience than Summoner’s Rift, Twisted Treeline, or ARAM. We're looking for something that could last a while—maybe even as a permanent addition to League. By sharing experimental modes with players early on, they’re also a great way to test the water and get an initial community response before delving into additional months of development for a final version.
Experimental modes won’t happen super frequently. At most, you’ll see a couple in a given year. We’re designing them from the ground up instead of customizing and modifying existing modes, and the vast, vast majority of the League team is still focused on SR, with a much smaller group working on experimental prototypes.
We’re very excited to share the first of these modes with you, and hope you have a blast playtesting Nexus Blitz.
Nexus Blitz Primer
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