Okay, LoL fans - there have been some rockin’ updates to your fave rift that some have called a “complete overhaul” of certain aspects. Get ready to be blown away by the evolution of the map, which now changes dynamically throughout the game and offers new insights to bring you an even better gaming experience. Season 10 is also rolling out new elemental buffs that align with this exciting new chapter of LoL - The 10 year anniversary. Keep reading for a full review of what’s to come next time you jump onto the rift with Legends Season 10!
REASON FOR CHANGE: To present a range of unique and memorable player experiences on Summoner's Rift during every single game.
In Season 10, Summoner’s Rift will be brought to life through the magic of the Elemental Drake, which alters the landscape during each game. This season, you can expect each of the Drakes - Infernal, Ocean, Cloud, and Mountain - to create new pathways and to cause changes to the landscape that will give you opportunities for a quick flank to take your opponent by surprise.
League of Legends Season 10 is intended to make sure each rift is as exciting and fair as the SR map you’ve become accustomed to. The idea here is fairness and intuition - the terrain and gameplay mechanics are both familiar and engaging, but the key is that outcomes are still in the hands of the players, regardless of which element spawns. Read about the detailed changes here.
REASON FOR CHANGE: The satisfaction and strength of elemental buffs are more equal.
With LoL season 10, there are slight differences with the buffs that your team receives when you kill a Drake, building on the previous format. Here are a few examples of the improved buffs:
Season 10 also has Dragon Souls that your team will earn from the dominant dragon upon killing your fourth Elemental Drake, instead of stacking your elemental buff as in previous seasons. Here are the 4 main souls you will gain:
Only one team can have a Dragon Soul, and once it is claimed by a team, the Elder Dragon must defend the pit.
REASON FOR CHANGE: the elder dragon buff is more rewarding and less biased towards the team with the most dragons
Elder Dragon's scaling with Elemental Drake buffs (which favors the team that's ahead) has now been removed and replaced with a new execution component, which offers teams who failed to claim a Dragon Soul a teamfight-focused hope of getting back into the game through Elder Immolation—searing, instant death that occurs if Elder's burn damage affects a low-health enemy champion. Watch a cool video to learn more about this new tool.
Support choices in the shop will be refreshed and less poachable. For example, supports will no longer have to upgrade starter items and can invest in kick-ass new kit sooner. Instead, upgrade items will now automatically reach second and third tiers when milestones are achieved, with the Warding passively occurring with the upgrades: Support choices will also have an expanded quest system that will improve their overall satisfaction rating for players. These revisions mean that supports can begin being collected without players having to spend their first 1500g on completing their economy item. Read more about the specific changes to supports and items here.
Some keystones have also been revised in LoL season 10 in order to deal with some issues that have arisen. Here are two examples:
Conqueror - the true damage conversion has been removed and more power put into the stacking adaptive force.
Kleptomancy - the “farm gold off of my enemy” pattern has been revised, pushing more into the early game elixir drops to even the match-play.
In order to diversify the options players have for escaping and stalling fights, a u-shaped section has been added to side lanes in the new League of Legends season. This change gives Champions such as Blitzcrank an easier time when picking off opponents – as though he needed it.
It’s also ideal for Junglers looking to gank. All your laners have to do is push up to the enemy tower, you tuck yourself into the new hidey hole and wait. Once the lane resets, you pounce. It’s as simple as that.
Base minion experience will be strengthened, while ally-proximity experience will be reduced, resulting in top and mid-lane levelling faster and being able to make more plays. This will also reduce the bottom lane’s typical power and influence, which is unfortunate. Some would say Marksman and Support are the hardest roles to carry with, and this might prove that.
If you’re hoping to get the Season 10 Gold skin, then now is the time to start practicing. While a lot has changed, the core of the game is the same.
This means that we can look to the past when deciding how to play in the future. This Season 9 Ranked guide is still relevant today, and we recommend you check it out!
TimelineLoL season 9 ended on November 19, 2019, and the LoL season 10 start date is expected sometime in January 2020.
Stay tuned for more news when the new season officially drops!
