On Friday, Riot Games posted a “check-in” video regarding the current season and monetization woes in League of Legends. The video begins with head of League Studio Andrei Van Roon and executive producer Paul Bellezza discussing the current season format, which recently underwent a big change to be more lore-focused. The pair also discuss Hextech Chests and skins, a controversial topic in League of Legends due to recent expensive gacha mechanics and feelings of FOMO.
Hextech Chests were rewards that were distributed to players, and players could unlock them to earn free skins. Riot quietly removed Hextech Chests, which raised an outcry from fans. In this dev update, Van Roon says that “free chests unintentionally became the primary way to unlock skins, and an increasing amount of players ended up with substantial skin collections for free”. While he acknowledges that this led to a “great player experience”, he says it was “not sustainable in the long term”.
While Hextech Chests are gone, Riot is aiming to compensate for the loss with Battle Passes. The plan is currently to “add more distinct visual effects and model changes” to Battle Pass skins, which Riot hopes will make them feel like a more valuable reward. These changes won’t be present in the season 1, act 2 patch, but players can expect to see them in season 2.
Season 1 of League of Legends is set in Noxus, the brutal and expansionist empire with a secret magical illuminati behind the scenes. So far, fans have responded well to seeing more lore in-game, and getting a glimpse at events like the ball of the Black Rose. Act 2 will bring more Noxus content, including the return of the Arena game mode.
A new Arena map will take place in the Reckoning Pits of Noxus, which is where prisoners and gladiators fight for a chance at glory. Players who compete consistently in Arena will earn Fame, a new ranking system, and famous Reckoners will show up to make cameos throughout the matches.
After Noxus, we can expect season 2 to be a “palate cleanser” with a much more lighthearted theme, which may take us to a region like Bandle City or Bilgewater. We’ll have to wait more for information on the season 2 launch date, and the second half of the current Noxian season.
