If you’ve ever played a game of 5v5 on the Summoner’s Rift map of League of Legends, looked at the Rift Herald and thought to yourself, “damn, if only I could ride it like a pony”, then you’re in luck, because when the new update rolls around that’s precisely what players will be able to do.
Now, one of the main reasons that Summoner’s Rift is so recognisable is that it’s been largely untouched over the last few years while Riot has focused on other things – like killing 3v3 and Dominion – both of which still sting if we’re being honest.
However, Season 14 is Summoner’s Rift’s turn, and all we can do is hold our breath and hope League of Legends knows what it’s doing by shaking up everyone’s baby.
What’s Changing:
So, first things first, both the core terrain and layout of the map are changing, with the most significant changes happening around the river.
Top and Bot will be changed to feel more equal, which means that for Top, the red side terrain will be similar to the blue side, and the brush will be moved to the middle of the river.
For Bot, the red side terrain will be similar to the blue side, and a new path will be added for the red side to enter the river, complete with a tri-brush.
The brush close to the red side wall will also be moved to the middle of the river.
Another change is that the Mid lane will now be bigger than ever, with the brush on both sides being moved back away from the lane. Still, compared to the other two lanes, mid remains relatively untouched.
Baron will also be getting a face list with a new wall added opposite Baron and Dragon pits, a visual update for Baron and a different pit and unique ability for each of the three Baron types. And now, I didn’t mistake Baron for Dragon; there will now be three Baron’s.
The first Baron will be Hunting Baron, the default players know and… love? The second will be the Territorial Baron, who puts a wall in the middle of the entrance to his pit, creating two entryways on either side. And finally, we’re getting the All-Seeing Baron, who turns his pit into a long tunnel, which he chills in the middle of.
However, that’s not the only change that Baron will be receiving. He will now be joined by cute little voidgrub allies who spawn in the Baron pit and can be killed for buffs or to receive your very own voidmite allies.
So essentially, voidgrubs will take the place of the first Rift Herald. At five minutes, three voidgrubs will spawn in the Baron pit, and when one is killed, it has a respawn timer. A total of six can spawn in a single game, although three is the maximum that can be spawned simultaneously.
They also release tiny voidmites to fight when they are attacked. When players kill one, they will receive a buff for damage over time and bonus damage to structures. And if players kill five before the 14-minute mark when they all disappear, players will periodically summon their very own voidmites who will help hit structures.
And finally, when the Rift Herald does decide to rock up, he will have a new look, but, most importantly, players will now be able to get up onto the Rift Herald’s back and control him.
Of course, there are some other minor changes coming as well, and they are:
- Mythic items are being removed
- Minor tweaks to Drakes
- New music
Are you excited for these changes? Let us know in the comments.