League of Legends: Preseason 2021 Gameplay Plans Revealed

The League of Legends dev team have revealed their plans for Preseason 2021

It may only be June and the competitive summer split may have only just started but the League of Legends development team have already set out their plans for Preseason 2021. Last year, the Rise of the Elements gameplay update brought new life to Summoner’s Rift and completely transformed the League of Legends experience. In 2021, the dev team are looking to make some less visible adjustments that will still have a major impact on gameplay.

One of the fundamental gameplay systems in League of Legends will be updated and renewed for the 2021 season, starting in preseason; both the shop interface and item system will receive a huge overhaul ahead of Season 11. According to the dev post published on Friday, 12 June, the plan is to keep one-third of the current aspects of the item system, improve one-third of the aspects, and replace one-third with new and improved additions.

Throughout the Preseason 2021 gameplay plan reveal, the developers laid out the areas of the item system which are currently strong and which areas need work, explaining their goals for the preseason period.

Overall, the goal of Preseason 2021 is to streamline and improve items, allowing certain champions and classic to make quick, intuitive, and strategic decisions during their time in the shop. This will be achieved with two major updates:

1) Polishing Every Item

First of all, the balance team intend to clean up the current item system with clear principles in mind in order to make purchasing items and creating an item build much more strategic and unique to every game. This includes creating more variety in build paths and forging items that have a single purpose, unique to all their alternatives.

2) Upgrading The Shop

By far the most exciting aspect of Preseason 2021 has to be the new look shop. For years now we’ve had the same old boring UI that is very outdated and in clear need of improvements. Those improvements are set to arrive at the end of the year with a sleeker look and new features that will help out experienced and new players, including recommended items and item sorting.

Although Preseason 2021 may be less exciting and visually stimulating as the Rise of the Elements update of six months ago, it will still change the Summoner’s Rift experience for the better.

While there is still plenty of time to wait until these changes hit live servers, and more details are sure to follow in the coming months, it’s good to know the development team have a clear plan and vision for the future of League of Legends.