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Big changes ahead for League of Legends preseason 2021
Check out what's coming in the League of Legends preseason 2021.
Riot Games will go back to basics in 2021, reinforcing the foundations of its popular League of Legends game. Instead of adding brand-new elements for the preseason, Riot Games will improve its shop interface and item system to make LoL bigger and better than ever before. Riot Games is refining roughly a third of these systems and building another third from scratch for enhanced gameplay.
Reworked Items System
Riot Games wants its overall item range to be better than ever for the new year. While many items are iconic and rewarding, Riot Games admits that others with more subtle powers are less satisfying. Some items can be rebuilt in a ton of different ways for strategy, while others have more linear, limited options. In 2021, Riot Games wants to make sure that every item is unique with a clear, one-of-a-kind purpose.
Riot Games should also rectify item powers that override champion's kits. While we all might want more new effects, too many could feel a bit overwhelming when it's time to test them out. Riot Games hopes to get the balance just right this year. Forget about relearning everything from scratch after using certain items. Instead, champions will retain any iconic items in their collections.
The items system should also become more intuitive in 2021. Riot Games will simplify the system by improving the way stats stack and interact and making the trade-offs between each item's unique effects and stats clearer. While certain items will give players a nice boost, no item will be so overpowered that it can defeat a player on its own. The items simply contribute to healthy gameplay — they don't remove character weaknesses and counterplay abilities.
Now, let's dive into all of the new and updated items for preseason 2021.
New Mythic Tier Items
Mythic items are brand-new for 2021. Every item in this new tier has mega-powerful effects that enhance the other items in your inventory. Players can only have one Mythic item at a time, and they'll almost always be the first item players choose. All of the mythic items are impressive, so choosing the right one for a build will be a big part of strategic gameplay.
Here are the Mythic items you can look forward to:
- Marksman Mythics:
- Galeforce (mobility): 3,400 gold
- Kraken Slayer (anti-tank): 3,400 gold
- Immortal Shieldbow (survive burst): 3,400 gold
- Tank Mythics:
- Sunfire Aegis (ramping damage): 3,200 gold
- Frostfire Gauntlet (slows enemies): 3,200 gold
- Berserker Suit (initiation): 3,200 gold
- AD Assassin Mythics:
- Duskblade of Draktharr (teamfight multikill): 3,200 gold
- Eclipse (dueling): 3,200 gold
- Prowler's Claw (assassination): 3,200 gold
- AP Mythics(Mana)
- Liandry's Anguish (anti-tank): 3,400 gold
- Luden's Tempest (burst damage): 3,400 gold
- Everfrost (slows enemies): 3,400 gold
- AP Mythics(Non-Mana):
- Hextech Rocketbelt (mobility): 3,200 gold
- Axamuk's Folly (magic vamp): 3,200 gold
- Night Harvester (teamfight multikill): 3,200 gold
- AD Fighter Mythics:
- Trinity Force (burst damage): 3,333 gold
- Goredrinker (dueling): 3,300 gold
- Stridebreaker (slows enemies): 3,300 gold
- Divine Devourer (anti-tank): 3,300 gold
- Enchanter Mythics:
- Shurelya's Battlesong (team mobility): 2,600 gold
- Locket of the Iron Solari (survive burst): 2,600 gold
- Moonstone Renewer (healing over time): 2,600 gold
Note that some of the Mythic items are adaptations of old Legendary items. For example, the old Sunfire Cape has evolved into the new Mythic item Sunfire Aegis.
Every Mythic item has to align with Riot Games' new Item Balance Framework. Riot Games wants to make sure that players use their new Mythic items in the spirit they're intended, so they plan to adjust any items that they believe are overpowered or underpowered based on their framework.
While Mythic tier items are officially new for 2021, we may see them even earlier than the preseason. Polygon reported that these items will hit the Public Beta Environment in the near future. They will remain there until the end of the 2020 season, usually sometime in November, and then they'll be back for the 2021 preseason.
New and Updated Legendary Items
Riot Games hasn't just introduced cool Mythic items — they've also added some brand-new Legendary items for 2021. Get excited! Check out the new items you can expect:
- The Collector (Contract Killer ability with bonus gold): 3,000 gold
- Navori Quickblade (Nimble Strikes ability): 3,400 gold
- Force of Nature (Rhythm of Ionia with boosted move speed and magic resist): 2,900 gold
- Serpent's Fang (Shieldbreaker ability): 2,800 gold
- Horizon Focus (Focus Fire damage boost): 3,000 gold
- Cosmic Drive (Spelldance power grants move boost after dealing damage): 3,000 gold
- Demonic Embrace (Azakana Gaze ability): 3,000 gold
- Serylda's Grudge (The Grudge slows damaging abilities by 30%): 3,000 gold
- Silverweave Legplates (Quicksilver boosts tenacity and slow resistance): 3,000 gold
- Chempunk Chainsword (Cursed ability boosts grievous wounds for physical damage): 2,700 gold
- Chemtech Fumigator (Cursed ability boosts grievous wounds for magic damage): 2,100 gold
- Staff of Flowing Water (Riptide power for boosted speed when healing or shielding allies): 2,100 gold
- Ancient Runestone (Control ability to store control wards): 1,000 gold
- Ixtali Wardstone (Control ability to store control wards): Upgrades from Ancient Runestone after placing 20 stealth wards or purchased for 2,100 gold
Now, take a look at some Legendary items that have received upgrades for the new year:
- Infinity Edge
- Guinsoo's Rageblade
- Lord Dominik's Regards
- Essence Reaver
- Phantom Dancer
- Gargoyle Stoneplate
- Spirit Visage
- Abyssal Mask
- Frozen Heart
- Randuin's Omen
- Titanic Hydra
- Ravenous Hydra
- Black Cleaver
- Sterak's Gage
- Death's Dance
- Wit's End
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Zeke's Convergence
- Knight's Vow
- Mikael's Blessing
- Mortal Reminder
- Thornmail
- Morellonomicon
- Muramana
- Seraph's Embrace
Upgraded Shop Interface
Riot Games isn't just adding new and improved items — they're also upgrading their shop interface to make it easier and more intuitive for new players and advanced competitors alike to use. Check out their two big changes for 2021:
Product Recommendations
Riot Games is improving product recommendations to guide the purchasing decisions of new players more effectively. They plan on using data to create new and better product recommendations. These will update regularly based on each player's skill level and game choices.
The choices should also be more focused, pointing players to the best options for their stage in the game journey. Riot Games knows that having hundreds of options can overwhelm new players, so they hope to highlight just a few products to make things easier to take in.
That doesn't mean that Riot Games will remove the strategy, though. While product recommendations are more carefully curated, players still receive options rather than prescriptive build paths. Think of the new product recommendations as a helping hand that encourages emerging players to learn the game.
All Items
The new All Items tab will present all available options to players who are already super comfortable with the League of Legends shop. Riot Games will show all available items on one page for easy browsing at a glance. Their placement won't move, so regular players can quickly get comfortable with the layout — it will become second nature to you in no time. Riot Games will also highlight the best items for each player to make it even easier to find what you want and need.
Other Preseason Changes
While the changes to items and the shop interface are the biggest news for 2021, Riot Games will also introduce several other new preseason changes. We've zeroed in on the key changes here:
Ranked Seeding for New Accounts
League of Legends players who have been frustrated by smurf accounts cluttering up their solo queue games will appreciate that ranked seeding will drop in time for 2021's preseason. Riot Games promised ranked seeding in the 2020 season, but translating normal matchmaking rating (MMR) into ranked MMR gave Riot Games' developers some headaches.
The feature will be ready to go for the 2021 preseason. Once it's implemented, players will no longer just receive a fixed placement near the bottom end of the solo queue curve. This means that seasoned players can create smurf accounts to practice their gameplay with rankings befitting their status.
Inter-Division Promotion Games Axed
2021 will finally see the end of inter-division promotion games. Many players complained that these three-game series were too tough. A Riot Games spokesperson agreed, saying, “At best, they were a source of relief when you won and, at worst a source of major frustration when you were bounced out for the fifth time in a row.” Removing them should make it easier for players to climb the ranks.
This change won't impact the promotional series between tier levels. Players will still need to undertake a promotional series to move from silver to gold tier, for example.
Roll Over Leftover League Points
Starting with the 2021 preseason, players can also roll over any unused League Points (LP) whenever they enter a new division. However, there won't be any inter-division demotion protection if players reach zero LP. Players with zero LP will drop down a division to keep the ranks balanced.
Duo Queue Scrapped for Master Level and Above
Master players and above will no longer have a duo queue, which should make matches fairer. Five solo participants will have to rely on their skills and knowledge of the game to be triumphant rather than on their partnership with a long-term teammate. Players who love teaming up with friends can still play together in the flex queue.
No doubt, all these changes will give players like Ovilee May, LL Stylish, and UmiNoKaiju plenty to analyze and experiment with on Metamorphosis, Red Bull's web series, where League of Legends streamers and influencers try out new strategies. Check out the replays if you missed the latest episodes!
