Riot Games rekindles memories with League of Legends Classic
League of Legends is such a popular game, making the hearts of many players beat, that it seems timeless. This free-to-play MOBA was released in October 2009 and has continuously evolved over the years, gathering people from around the world to form a community that vibrates with each match of their favorite team. Nevertheless, a quick calculation shows that the title will soon be 17 years old. During this time, many elements have changed, not to mention the story arcs that have allowed the discovery of several stories, such as the one launched early in the year around Demacia. Today, with patch 26.15, Riot Games wants to rekindle the flame of the era by introducing the League of Legends Classic experience. We tell you about it.
Nostalgia and modernity for an explosive cocktail
Whether to appeal to fans of the game or to attract new faces, it is clear that League of Legends Classic aims to celebrate the game's history, without simply anchoring itself in the past. It is not about purely and solely returning to the origins of the game but indeed offering a return to the past while bringing some modifications and improvements to make the whole attractive to everyone. The proof is that League of Legends Classic does not start with the version of the game released in 2009 but with the version that everyone could play in 2013. In short, it takes up the first three seasons from the beginning of the license's existence.
Thus, rather than starting with only 40 champions, Riot Games offers to find all the originals, in addition to adding about twenty champions that emerged between 2009 and 2013. Of course, others will arrive in the coming weeks. The little bonus is that if you already own the latter, then they will be immediately accessible in the Classic experience. For the record, the development team has reworked each character to add retro ink outlines and adjust certain animations and other visual and audio effects. The goal for the studio is that these correspond well to their Classic kits.
An experience open to everyone
LoL Classic will not just bring back characters from over a dozen years ago. The title will also mark the return of the old runes and masteries. Rest assured, you will not have to rack your brains to unlock them since Riot Games has revised the system to simplify the process. To unlock them, you just need to play and increase your Classic level. Simple, fast, effective. Of course, players will have default runes and masteries to allow everyone to start on an equal footing. The game map has also received some attention as it has benefited from improvements in lighting, textures, and shadows.
For the launch, players will have only one Draft PvP queue. They will also be able to access Coop vs AI and custom games. Everyone will have access to Classic progression leading freely up to level 10. Then, Champions will begin their Summoner's Journey. They will then have to progress from the Salt rank. to Legend rank. The experience will evolve well over time as the development team plans to implement seasonal Classic passes. Everyone will have access to a free path and a paid path. Needless to say, progression will lead to obtaining various rewards.
Finally, even if the development team benefits from solid experience for the deployment of LoL Classic, they will introduce a novelty called the Council. This is more precisely a community voting system. With this, players will be able to participate in the future evolutions of the game. Specifically, Riot Games will manage the game's balance over time, but everyone will be able to influence gameplay evolutions and the champions that will be added thanks to this voting system. To have a say in future decisions, additional votes will need to be unlocked. How? By playing, of course!
Cover and article images: Riot Games®
