Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
League Of Legends Reworking Rune System, Currencies For 2018 Preseason
You don't get to be the world's most popular competitive game by growing stale. League of Legends is constantly evolving and adding new content, but as part of its 2018 preseason plans, developer Riot Games is reworking two major systems that have needed a change: Runes and in-game currency.
Runes (which players purchase with in-game currency to give their characters stat boots on a per-match basis) and Masteries (which act as a sort of skill tree for players to progress through as they play matches) are being merged into the new Runes system. Rather than choosing among several dozen choices that offer minor bonuses, players will choose six Runes, which break down into Keystone, Major, and Minor Runes. Keystones offer major effects, such as gaining massive amounts of attack speed after attacking an enemy, or summoning a helpful ally to damage or heal other characters when you attack or use a spell. You can only take one Keystone rune into battle with you. Major Runes also offer diverse effects, but aren't as powerful as Keystones. Minor Runes are similar to the old runes, and offer passive bonuses (for a more detailed breakdown, head over the official League of Legends website). These new Runes will be free for all players to earn and level up (those who've spent big on the current system will be compensated), so new players won't have to grind out matches to make their characters stronger.
To compensate, Riot is also reworking the progression system. The current 30-level cap has been removed, and two of the game's currencies (Influence points, which players earned every match to buy items and Blue Essence used to craft the ability to purchase new characters) are being merged together. Players will now get a capsule (read: Loot box), that will offer shards that offer discounts on characters, emotes, and other more substantial bonuses. This should help new players unlock characters more quickly, and give veterans something to keep working on after they've unlocked every character. For a more thorough breakdown, you can once again head over to League's official website. These changes significantly alter to value of Blue Essence. As such, players will have their current Blue Essence multiplied by 6.5 times once the currency merges with Influence Points. Riot Points, which players use to purchase content with real money, remains untouched.
The changes are expected to hit later this month.
Our Take
Adding loot boxes is a clear change towards other recent competitive gaming monetization models (looking at you, Overwatch), but I do like what I'm hearing. It's a bummer you still have to work your way up a tech tree to be competitive, but the simplified rune system is still better than the old, more intricate system.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
