Hot on the heels of yesterday’s League of Legends tenth anniversary livestream, Riot Games has fleshed out some of its plans for the upcoming preseason and beyond and boy, are we excited. From the new changes to Summoner’s Rift to the reveal of Senna that fans have been requesting for ages, here’s what we’re looking forward to from the LoL preseason 2020 announcements.
LoL Preseason 2020: Rise of the Elements
Now, we’re talking some major changes to Summoner’s Rift and the way that the game is going to play out after Worlds. It seems like only yesterday that we experienced the great jungle rehaul, but it looks like League of Legends is pushing even deeper into unchartered territory here. The preseason is titled “Rise of the Elements,” and it’s going to involve (yes, you guessed it) significant changes to how the various Elemental dragons work. Some changes mentioned during the livestream include:
- Infernal drake will burn away brush, reducing spots to hide
- Mountain drake adds new terrain
- Ocean drake will make brush grow and spawn more honeyfruit
- Cloud drake will turn pathways into wind tunnels, increasing your ability to roam
- Elder buff will grant you an execute against enemies under a certain HP threshold
There’s also going to be changes to the general layout of the Rift, with top and bottom lane getting new alcoves and increased brush coverage in strategic areas near buffs to allow for more counterplay. The impetus for these drake changes, especially Elder, appears to be to escalate the pace of gameplay once teams acquire these buffs, ensuring that you’re kitted out for a fight and given the tools to encourage one.
LoL Preseason 2020: Senna Finally Makes an Appearance
That’s right! We’ve been waiting to hear more about Senna, arguably the woman behind the legendary Lucian. Lucian and Thresh’s conflict has gripped fans for years now, and survived many re-iterations of Runeterra (as well as spawned some pretty badass interpretations as part of the High Noon skin line). To get to see Senna in the short that was shown off at the tenth-anniversary celebrations and to also learn that she’s going to be the next champion was ridiculously satisfying.
Here’s what we know about Senna so far:
- She’s going to be a Support Marksman
- Judging by the cinematic short, she appears to be able to shoot a barrier which protects allies
- She also returns her own badass gun which is pretty damn awesome
- We’re not sure if we’re getting an Ana vibe from her (is she going to shoot to heal?) but for one, we bet her interactions with Thresh are going to be pretty intense
- She’s going to be available on the PBE from October 20 for those who have access
LoL Preseason 2020: Teamfight Tactics’ Own Rise of the Elements
As a tie-in with the preseason itself of the same name, Teamfight Tactics is getting a second set which will focus on the various elements in the game. This second set will introduce new champions like Annie, Lux, and Olaf. It’s also going to have some reworks for existing Assassin champions, and introduce Desert and Inferno origins for some characters. There will also be the introduction of two new classes: Summoner and Mystic. We know that these changes to TFT are going to hit the PBE on October 22, and on top of that, we also have some great news about TFT going mobile in 2020!
Out of all the LoL preseason 2020 announcements, the three above are the ones that we’re the most psyched for. The changes to Summoner’s Rift could hugely shake up the way that the lategame plays out, and we’re excited to see how teams adapt competitively to this in a few months. Want more information about the latest and greatest from Riot? Check out what we know about the League of Legends anime: Arcane.
