This year, there will be no Champion Roadmap. Riot shared a lot of updates during the Season Start, including new champions like Smolder, Skarner's rework, the new Summoner's Rift, new items, and Voidgrubs. This extensive early-year release means a shift away from traditional Champion Roadmaps. Future updates will likely integrate Champion information into regular Dev Updates.
Malphite is getting a visual and gameplay update (VGU). This follows the gradual approach used for Jax, where abilities and visuals were updated over several patches. Malphite’s new look will align closely with his appearance in Wild Rift. However, his skins from Wild Rift are not expected to be directly ported to League of Legends. There is no strict release date for Malphite’s VGU, but similar updates may be planned for champions like Master Yi, Twisted Fate, Singed, and Cho'Gath.
The latest launch of Arena has been successful, with high play rates sustained weeks after its release. Riot is taking player feedback to ensure that Arena remains engaging and fun over the long term. Expect ongoing tweaks and updates to keep the game mode fresh.
Swarm is a new PvE mode launching as part of the summer event in mid-July. It can be played co-op or solo and represents a departure from traditional League of Legends gameplay. Inspired by bullet heaven survivor games, Swarm offers a more relaxed and casual experience. Players can try out Swarm on the Public Beta Environment (PBE) in late June.
The Champion Mastery System update received mixed feedback. While some features, like uncapping mastery levels and unlocking champion titles, were well-received, the visual overhaul did not meet player expectations. Riot is redesigning the visuals to better fit the League of Legends aesthetic. Additionally, they are working on solutions to allow mastery progress in more game modes.
Since the launch of Vanguard, Riot has banned over 47,000 scripters, including 2,500 in Diamond+ games. Vanguard's anti-virtual machine techniques have drastically reduced botting, cutting bot hours from over a million per day to under 50,000. This cleanup has positively impacted lower-level Co-Op vs. AI and ARAM queues and reduced the number of bot-levelled smurf accounts. Since Vanguard's launch, daily player numbers have remained stable, with human engagement slightly increasing. The Anti-Cheat team will provide a deeper dive into Vanguard's impact in the next Dev Update.
The team introduced Paul Bellezza as the new EP, who will be a recurring presence in Dev Updates in the future. Paul Bellezza has been working on League of Legends since 2010, as one of the first ten developers on the game, and has also had his hands working on both Valorant and Wild Rift.
League of Legends is undergoing significant changes and updates across multiple facets of the game. While the traditional Champion Roadmap is taking a backseat this year, players can look forward to integrated updates within regular Dev Updates. Malphite’s upcoming VGU promises an enhanced visual experience, and the successful launch of Arena indicates a commitment to evolving game modes. The new PvE mode, Swarm, offers a fresh, casual gameplay option, while the Champion Mastery System is being refined based on player feedback. Vanguard's impressive impact on reducing cheating showcases Riot's dedication to maintaining a fair gaming environment. Lastly, with Paul Bellezza as the new Executive Producer, the future of League of Legends looks bright with continued innovation and player-focused improvements.
