Upcoming League of Legends Patch: Updated Skill Icons Maintain Mixed Reaction
Riot Games will introduce updated skill icons for several Champions in the upcoming 13.18 patch of its popular multiplayer game, League of Legends. The characters set to receive redesigns are some of the oldest in the game, including Blitzcrank, Janna and Vayne. The decision to change these Champions' ability symbols was taken with the intention to modernize some older graphics that lacked clarity and struggled to accurately depict what each champion skill does.
Player Perception: Improvement?
However, many players aren't entirely sure they see the improvement, with some even feeling less than enthused about the changes. Besides the confusion presented by the new icons, opinions range from identifying some of the revamped graphics as a step forward, through to others being regarded as distinctly less impressive than their predecessors.
Community Response to Leaks: A Mixed Reaction
Discussion among players about the updates since they were initially leaked sentiment seems to suggest a mixed reaction from the League of Legends community. Some players point out that, where the champions performing actions in the icons look a little awkward, other updates mark a clear advancement over their older versions.
One player commented, "Kinda hit or miss, some look great (i.e., Varus, Janna), while others look criminally bad (i.e., Olaf Passive, Vayne Q, Malphite E/R etc.)."
Professional Consensus: Severe Criticism
The most vehement criticism of the update has been expressed by former professional player and current LEC caster, Marc Robert ‘Caedrel’ Lamont, who made his thoughts clear on social media, exclaiming: “WTF IS THISSSSSSS,” about the icon changes.
This outcry from Caedrel has gained significant momentum on various social media platforms, with other players either defending the new icons or expressing some distaste for them. A range of players have derided them outright, while others feel the criticism is more for the sake of complaining.
One user defended the update saying, "Seeing people sh*t on all these [changes] just seems like complaining for the sake of complaining, the only genuinely terrible one is Vayne Q where she’s slipping on a banana."
Another user aired a different sentiment, suggesting, "Thank you Riot for paying artists, but don’t try to improve things that simply cannot be improved. Nostalgia and pretty much ideal icons were already made. Don’t add these."
Upcoming Patch and Its Release Date
The update is scheduled to be part of patch 13.18, which has a release date set for September 13, 2023. In the meantime, League of Legends runs on patch 13.17, which brought major buffs and nerfs to multiple Champions.