Now that we’re done with the major changes with the Assassin updated skills, let’s move on and discuss how Riot tweaked the other factors in the League of Legends game to make it more balanced for the killing group!
If you want the full list and explanation of the changes, visit LoL’s own website.
Stealth and Warding Game
To explain the implications better, we will discuss the updates Stealth Mechanics with the change in Wards as they go hand in hand in this game.
Riot said they wanted to “craft a more refined approach to stealth” because “there is simply not enough middle ground right now” since stealth champions either lose their advantage against wards or they are too powerful when the other side don’t have any outposts in the map.
So that’s why in Patch 6.22, there are three big changes in Stealth abilities and one big shakeup in the Warding game.
From now on, there will be two ways to sneak up on your enemies: Camouflage and Invisibility, and Control Wards will now replace the Vision Wards.
For the full explanation, it’s best to check out the updates.
As we see it, Riot is getting closer to finely tuning the stealth dimension in the Summoner’s Rift.
It will be easier to react to Camouflage champions like Rengar, Evelynn and Twitch when you see them hunting you down, though they can still catch you unaware since you can only get a glimpse of them when they are close and you are already in their range. Even so, despite such attacks being ambush-like in nature, the prey will get a sense of its incoming predator and the winner should be decided on who is faster on the draw.
Invisible units cannot be revealed by Control Wards, meaning there is no passive way to see invisible foes unless you stand by a Turret, because that’s what those tall structures are there for, to save your ass. But Riot significantly limited the duration of the invisibility skills of such champions, so you’ll have at least an educated guess on when unseen heroes might strike after they magically disappear on the map.
Despite its limitation, Control Wards will still be useful in detecting camouflaged champions and disabling enemy traps. It can see in a 900 radius, and is invisible to the foes when inactive.
Lastly, the “Shimmer” effect can bring out the best in players, since the effect will be reward the players whenever they hit stealth champions. From now on, whenever a player damages an invisible or camouflaged champion, be it by skill shot or AOE abilities, the air around the champion will shimmer and will reveal the champion for a few moments.
Don’t fret much, stealth champion lovers, because despite being revealed, invisible and camouflaged champions still cannot be targeted and will not be revealed again even if they get hit once more until their stealth abilities last.
Players will now have a better idea on how to deal with sneaky characters, whether they are scouting targets or catching escaping victims. But still, invisible champions will have the element of surprise in this game.
Assassin Itemization
Lethality
As stated in the website, the Assassins have a snowball problem that makes the game imbalanced to the point that a match is decided on whether a certain champion can go wild early or not.
That’s why with Lethality replacing flat armor penetration, Assassins will not be as overwhelming at the start of the games and will give weaker early game champions a better chance of fighting back.Also, even if Assassins fall behind early in the game because they are roaming, dying or because of any other reasons, they still have significant armor penetration because it is now majorly based on their target’s level.
But it’s not like Riot is giving Assassins a free pass, since Lethality that is based on the target’s level is capped at 10, and Lethality acquired from Runes like Lethality Runes (formerly rune of flat armor penetration) and Precision Rune (then Hybrid Penetration Rune) breaks even at level 12.
Dirks
If even before the update, Assassin users have already loved the Serrated Dirk, they are going to love it even more now, since it is now made for better hunting and travelling around the map. Its damage is increased, and now adds 20 movement speed when you are not fighting. Light and sharp people, light and sharp!
It no longer has the +15 damage added on the next attack after a champion kills another champion, but with the base damage increased to 25, the loss is negated.
Even in its first form, the Poacher’s Dirk, the knife already gives the speed boost, and will transform itself into a Serrated Dirk after the holder killing three Large Monsters in enemy territory.
Riot also introduced a new dagger, the Edge of Night, which will be the third form of the above dirk. Edge of Night is costly, but it adds 60 damage, 35 magic resist and gives the holder a chance to block an enemy’s ability.
The Duskblade of Draktharr also got an update, and it is rather a big one that will likely harbor mixed feedback, since it gives a “Nightstalker” ability to its wielder, and can disable enemy wards for eight seconds. True the Duskblade is hard to build, but it pretty much tip the scales of battle to its wielder so it is worth the time and gold.
Of all the changes with Assassin items, the new Yoummu’s Ghostblade must have drawn the biggest ire from players.
Who didn’t enjoy building the Ghostblade with its +40% attack speed and just causing havoc with the quick burst of attacks? According to Riot, that’s the problem. Everyone was enjoying it too much, so they are removing the burst bonus (pfft, what a buzzkill!) and replacing it with an “ignore unit collision” ability instead.
Also, the Maw of Malmortius gets a significant update. Because it is not made with the Serrated Dirk anymore, it won’t give any speed boost, making it less of a weapon that Assassins will typically build. The passive “Lifegrip” is nice, and it still gives +10% spell vamp and +10% lifesteal when a champion’s life is in peril, but Riot wants Edge of the Night to replace the Maw in the killers’ arsenals.
For the third part, we’ll discuss the other updated items, other update on champions and the changes in gameplay. Stay tuned!
